F*t!

High frequency words – body fat percentage, low carb, glutes, Nikes, steroids, shin splints, pasta salad.. the list is endless.

Ask me, a hopeless soul trying to stay on a diet. I’m slapped everyday with e-newsletters and tips on how a banana is better than a burger or how to avoid eating highly refined foods. And all that while, I’ve been binging on rice and mango pickle.

Sigh.

One of the activities I try to do earnestly is to ‘get through the freaking door of the gym’. Take my word for it, exercising is great fun.. it’s getting your butt to the gym that takes a HUGE effort.

One of the first realizations I had was that the best bods were seen at the gym. Teenagers flexing their biceps, gals showing off their shapely figures, even the gym representatives wearing uniforms which exhibited body perfection.. it is such a setup! I mean, there’s no need for marketing this one, it’s already in your face!

So anyway, I decided to ignore the blatant swimsuit advertisements all around and made my way to the girls locker room. Half an hour later, I was having a minor heart attack on a treadmill. My neighbor had her tablet PC put up on the display to catch the latest music video while she ran. At the same time, she ticked off some items in her online exercise planner one by one so that her instructor could approve of it.. online. On the other side, a small chinese woman walked staidly, unnerved by the marathon speeds of some of the other teenagers on the 15 treadmills, 40 ellipticals and 20 steppers.

At the other end of the gym, some jocks had casually thrown their tees aside and were grunting on the rowing machine. From the opposite end, a glass wall allowed us a full view of the swimming pools – one a 25 m recreational pool and the other a 50 m olympic pool. With a sauna attached to it.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the university recreational center for you. I haven’t mentioned even 40% of it.

Did I also mention the various visual treats you get to see there? If not, I suggest everyone visit a gym atleast once. It’s EXACTLY like those TV shows. I’ve actually seen some boys gawk while an aerobics class was going on!

An hour later, I retreated to the locker room to change. And guess what, the shower cubicles are separated by only a curtain. While you’re busy holding that damned curtain in place and terrorized that someone will just rip it aside, all the other gals, frankly, couldn’t care less.

And if that’s not enough, my friend tells me that the men’s locker room has just a set of showers attached to a clear wall. He also reported seeing a lot of squirming Indian males there. Best of luck, pals! Don’t say I didn’t warn ya! *wink*

As I walked out, squeaky clean and tired, I was thinking of the various chores to do at home when this woman walked by.. all I could think of was,”WHOA! Woman! Did you just, like, forget your clothes back in the shower?!” Apparently, nudity is not something to be shy of, but to be appropriately displayed when you have a body worthy of it.

A year down, not only have I gotten used to the displays, I feel I might slip in some of the conservative mannerisms when I get back. The physical freedom here is a luxury, I must admit.