When I started college, I didn’t work out at all. I never participated in any sports while I was in high school, although I danced at a local studio. That was my workout every week, but it was different from going to the gym. My freshmen year, I tried getting up the nerve to go to the rec so many times, but I always talked myself out of it because I honestly had no idea what I was doing. It sucked; I wanted to work out because it’s healthy for you, but I never went. I was always giving myself excuses as to why I wasn’t going to the gym today, or even this week.
I eventually did get the confidence to go to the gym, but I stayed over near the cardio machines because they were the easiest ones to operate. I was intimidated by anything that had to do with weights (I am the self-proclaimed Queen of Noodle Arms—there is no muscle anywhere on my upper body, especially in my arms), and I was scared to ask the people who knew what they were doing because I didn’t want to look stupid. So I stuck with cardio for the rest of that year (even though it was only half a semester).
I tried to keep working out periodically during the first semester of my sophomore year, but life always got in the way. However, come second semester, I happened to be working while the Student Org Fair was going on, and I ran into a group of girls wearing blue tank tops and yoga pants and carrying a giant lightning bolt. They explained that they were with a group called CHAARG, a fitness group for empowering women.
I decided to take a chance and join just to test it out, and I’m happy to say that I’m still involved now, almost a year later.
CHAARG (Changing Health, Attitudes and Actions to Recreate Girls) focuses on proving that fitness can be fun and that girls should not be stuck on the elliptical to get their workout. I can honestly say that CHAARG has changed the way I look at fitness—I’m more confident and empowered, and I have the support of all my fellow CHAARG girls behind me no matter where life takes me.
In a world where girls are forced to compete with each other, CHAARG is liberating because there is only support within the group. Whether you’re new to fitness or work out seven days a week, there is a place for you. Whether you can use the machines at the gym with confidence, or you need an explanation before you get going, there is a place for you.
What I love the most about CHAARG is the unwavering love and support everybody has for one another. You are pushed to do better every day but never to do better than everybody else working out with you. CHAARG girls are always cheering you on, inside and outside of the gym.
I am a healthier and better person because of CHAARG. My advice to anybody nervous about hitting the gym for the first time is to just take the chance. Find some friends who will be there for you (or maybe even join CHAARG). As long as you take that chance at getting healthier, you can only go up from there.