Getting in shape is easy with campus facilities

By Justin Manger

Let's face it: in a student body like Santa Clara's, it sometimes is difficult not to be conscious of one's bodily appearance. Luckily, our campus provides all we need to be at our physical bests.

The key part of working out is motivation. Without that inner-fire burning in your belly, urging you to improve yourself physically, it just isn't going to happen. For many, the prospect of working out is daunting, and may not seem to fit into a busy schedule revolving around classes, clubs and friends.

As a frequent gym goer, I'm going to try to alleviate some of the trepidation you might have about buckling down and starting your own (semi-) rigorous fitness routine.

One common worry I've heard from a number of people regarding the gym is that they're intimidated by the people who work out regularly. They believe that the sight of these male and female "specimens" will dishearten them into thinking they have a really long way to go before they can look like the "regulars" in Malley. We're still kids and the shells of our proverbial self-esteem haven't quite hardened enough (if they ever will) to take that kind of frustration at prolonged intervals, so why subject ourselves to that?

Well, I can assure you there's not much of a basis to that claim. The ratio of fit to unfit people working out in the gym is roughly the same as it is simply walking around campus. Not only that, but even if you think you're "unfit", you're young ... your body can remold itself relatively quickly, if you work at it consistently. People in Malley are usually more than willing to give you tips and help you out with a routine, provided you're willing to ask them. Who knows ... you might even make friends there.

Another complaint I frequently hear is that people simply don't have enough time in their day to do it. I'll bet you that between your instant messenging sessions, space-outs, aimless web gazing, tube-surfing and the like, you can scrape together at least an hour every other day or so when you could be in the gym.

There is, however, one complaint that isn't so easily dismissed. "I just don't want to make the effort to walk all the way over to Malley!" Granted, this one is tough to resist. Whether it be your television, computer, guitar, food or your bed, your room has a number of magnetic accoutrements that seem to subtly whisper, "Stay here, relax, don't walk all the way over to that gym just to makes yourself all sweaty and nasty." Well, I don't have any logical rebuttal for that particular gripe, as I myself have fallen victim to it in the past.

But, I do have a suggestion for dealing with the insatiable desire to slack that is alive and well in so many of us. Make your goal to get into your workout clothes, then to leave your dorm room, then your residence hall and to just start walking in the general direction of the gym. A lot of times, once you've completed that part of the journey, you'll find yourself actually entering the gym now that you've already gone to "so much trouble."

Granted, that's not always enough, and sometimes you swear all you want to do is flop down on your warm, comfy bed and indulge yourself in the sweet serenity of blissful unconsciousness. Although it may seem a somewhat vapid approach, if you're really feeling unmotivated, take a look around at some of your fellow students. I would bet that there are, at minimum, two or three people whose appearance will magically endow you with energy to work out you thought you never had.

Perhaps you may not share my opinion, but the vast majority of people to whom I've talked typically seem to wear expressions of awe and delight when discussing the caliber of the average Santa Claran's physical appearance. Even a number of my friends outside of Santa Clara volunteer to me that our quaint little campus has quite a reputation for attracting (no pun intended) good-looking students on both sides of the gender divide.

Hopefully between each of these factors, you can find the resolve to make that long journey to the gym. Your body will thank you for it.