Choosing a gym is like getting into a new relationship. You set out to find a good match; maybe you swipe through pictures, search Google, ask friends their opinion and even exchange a few initial messages before contact. Then you have the first date or trial class before deciding if this relationship is right for you. When choosing your perfect gym, keep a few things in mind:
- Beauty or brains: Picture walking into your new gym; there’s an awesome juice bar, eucalyptus scented towels and the best equipment money can buy. You think you’ve nailed it. Best gym around no doubt. But then you realize that no one makes eye contact with you and your wardrobe means more than your workout. Yikes. When choosing your gym, aesthetics obviously play a big role, but just be mindful that the coolest, boutique-y-est of gyms don’t always deliver the best product. The gym should make you feel like a million bucks, not have you spend a million bucks before the training even starts.
- Long distance relationships are hard work: So you finally decide on a gym that fits all of your must-haves; it’s clean, the class schedule fits your work schedule, there’s everything from yoga to high intensity — perfect. But it’s a little bit out of your way in terms of the commute. No big deal, you’re committed, you’ll make it work. Yea, maybe for the first month..maybe. Then you find every excuse in the book to flake. Find a gym that checks off all of your boxes and is relatively close in travel time. Jumping into a new relationship is scary enough; don’t make it harder on yourself by dealing with time constraints.
- Define your #relationshipgoals: Be honest; spill everything on the first date. Really — I’m talking full transparency. The more honest you are with your trainer or coach, the better they can help you to achieve your goals. By telling them exactly what you are looking for, they can design a training and/or nutrition regiment to get you to exactly where you want to be.
That special one is out there, trust me. It just takes a little bit of waiting and trying until you feel comfortable to commit. But once you do decide on a gym, dive in head first and reap the benefits of being in that new relationship.
Originally published at medium.com