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Going to the gym is hard and we can all admit that one of the worst parts about going to the gym is actually getting there. Some of us live across campus or we get busy and it is so easy to just say “I’ll go tomorrow and work super hard,” only to have tomorrow come and push it off to another day. I realized I was going nowhere fast because of my push off the gym mentality so I came up with a plan: I joined the group exercise classes. At first, I was scared to even go to any of the classes. I had this fear that I wasn’t going to be good or I would be the weakest one in the class and look silly doing all the exercises. I looked at the class list for a good hour before I finally decided to try yoga because I thought, “who could be bad at yoga?” All it took was one class and I was hooked. I realized that I am way more motivated when I work out in a group and work harder than I do if I just go to the gym by myself. Soon I was taking Total Body Sculpt, Abs, Pilates, Cycling, and Yoga all in the same week and was actually having fun at the gym. I learned new exercises I could do on my own and finally had motivation to get to the gym. Being in the group atmosphere also makes me work harder. When there are others around you who can challenge you to work harder or hold a squat a little longer, you would be amazed at what you can do. All the instructors that I have met are motivating without being pushy; they encourage you to do your best but never make you feel bad if you have to drop your weights or take a breath. They also are great at mixing up their class so no two weeks are ever the same and you’re constantly challenging new muscles and doing different stretches. To join the group fitness classes, you do need to pay a 50-dollar fee every semester and I thought to myself, “why would I pay to go to classes when the gym is free?” but I actually find that the 50 dollars motivates me. When there are days when I want to skip a group fitness class I always end up thinking about the money I spent and how I can’t waste it. I realize group fitness is not for everyone, some people are very self-motivated and don’t need that extra push to get them to the gym, but if you’re like me and find yourself always having an excuse, join group fitness classes; they really can make all the difference.