For many Queen’s students, January is the time to make dramatic lifestyle changes known as New Year’s resolutions. In any conversation after January 1st, one will hear a girl promising her friends that “this will FINALLY be the year that I get in shape” as she gazes at their fries while picking at her salad. Or one might hear a guy telling his friends that he needs to cut back on drinking and focus on his work, just as they were about to tell him about their plans for the night. Almost everyone I know makes some form of New Year’s resolution, and almost everyone I know is back to their old habits by mid-February. Although everyone knows that most New Year’s resolutions don’t stick, the mass of enthusiastic new gym-goers still walk into the ARC each January and February, with hopes of finally achieving their goal to get in shape and live healthier. As someone who has been going to the ARC all year and never had to worry about crowds no matter what time of day it was, I was horrified when I walked into the main workout area to find what seemed like hundreds of people crowded into that tiny space. There were so many people in the free weights area that I actually started sweating just standing there. I didn’t even start my workout yet! Therefore, I decided to make a list of 3 things you can do to make working out better for yourself and others.
1. Only take the weights you need for the exercise that you are doing at the moment.
My biggest pet peeve at the ARC is when I see a group of people all working out together, doing the exact same exercises at the exact same time, or when someone has a bunch of different weights that they’re saving, and therefore hogging all of the dumbbells in that weight and other equipment. In a group, do a circuit workout together that allows you to each complete a different exercise in a certain amount of time, and then rotate with your friends so that only one set of a certain weight needs to be used. And individually, although it can be annoying to have to walk back and forth from the weight rack, it is courteous to do so, and allows you to mix in some extra cardio!
2. Try going to the ARC at any time other than the evening.
My favorite time to hit the ARC is usually between 7-8pm after a nice dinner, so that I still have time to get work done at night. Apparently, a lot of other people have the same preference as me. The first Monday back at school, I walked into the ARC at my usual time to see that there were about 10 times as many people there than I am used to. I tried going again later in the week around mid-day when I had a break between classes, and there was barely a soul in the gym. Whether you prefer early mornings or between classes, hitting the ARC anytime that is not between 6-9pm is ideal if you can’t stand the crowds.
3. Figure out a set workout plan.
Going to the gym without any idea of what you’re doing is incredibly daunting. You feel like a lost puppy looking around for something to do, and that in itself scares a lot of people away from fulfilling their New Year’s resolutions. One way to avoid this problem is to seek out a program, such as Nike Fit or the Kayla Itstines BBG workouts, which will not only give you set workouts to follow, but will also teach you how to do each and every exercise in the program. These workouts will definitely kick your butt, but they will make achieving your New Year’s resolutions so much more doable.