Client. Client. Client. Change of subject.
Wes: Are you excited to run tomorrow?
Britta: Will you be cranky if I chicken out and bail on you?
Wes: Yes.
Britta: How cranky?
Wes: Well, tomorrow is my birthday, so it would be a crappy way to start the day.
I never made a big deal about my birthday. I didn’t put it on social media, but I wanted her to know. Maybe it was my mom forgetting or being worried about Libby, or I was just pathetic. I rested my head on the steering wheel. Pathetic sounds right.
Britta: Really? Okay, in that case I’ll be there. I’m just warning you it will not be cute.
She’d struggle at first. Everyone did, but I suspected she’d light up when she accomplished something. And then she’d smile at me again.
Wes: Cute is never required at the gym. I’ll see you at 6:30 tomorrow.
My engine roared back to life, and I pulled away, heading to the city with “Saving All My Love for You” stuck in my head.
27
BESTLIFEBRITTA 3H AGO
Some of you are already gym rats. Some of you, like me, have one thing you do, like a dance or spin class, but you leave the rest alone. This post is for others, the readers who are intimidated by the gym or just haven’t gone in a while, if ever. Here are the top pieces of advice I can share for surviving.
Start where you’re comfortable—walking is easy enough, and no one will think it’s weird if you’re walking on a treadmill at a low speed if you need to start there. Side note: You can also spy on all the other people to see what they do.
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BESTLIFEBRITTA 3H AGO
Note: My coach would say not to compare yourself to others, and to ask for help from the staff. That said . . .
Find someone who you think will be slower than you— competing and beating someone who doesn’t know you’re racing is still a thrill. Does this make you judgmental? A slightly bad person? Absolutely. It works, though.
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BESTLIFEBRITTA 3H AGO
Don’t stress about what you look like. For starters, no one is paying attention to you, and second, if someone looks cute while they’re working out, they’re doing it wrong.
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Celebrate! Did you push yourself as hard as possible? Reach a new goal? Woot! Did you spend ten minutes walking on a treadmill after five years of no exercise? Block out negative self-talk? Woot! You did it! Pat yourself on the back!
BONUS ITEM: This is truly the most important. Go back tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that.
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* * *
THE GYM SMELLED like soap and sweat. I glanced toward the entrance, bounced on my heels, and tugged my T-shirt down. The ladies in my hip-hop dance class didn’t care that my panty lines were visible, but now Wes would see them while I attempted to run. Ben’s comments still swam in my head, threatening my tenuous equilibrium, and I pushed them aside. He was a bad kisser. Today, I don’t care what bad kissers think.
The cold air swept into the lobby when Wes pushed through the door, flashing a wide smile. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, rubbing his hands together from the cold.
“At least you could be sure I wouldn’t . . . run off.”
“You’re funny in the mornings.”
The fabric of his shirt stretched across his chest, and I wanted to drag my palm across it to feel the hard muscle beneath. “Hey,” I said, reaching into my bag to busy my hands. I pulled out the protein bar to which I’d taped a birthday candle and held it out to him. “Happy birthday.”
He stared at it, a slow grin spreading across his face, but his eyes held an odd expression—surprise mixed with something I couldn’t place.
“For me?”
“I would have made you a cake, but I thought you might be more likely to eat this.”
He ran one of his fingertips up the length of the candle before taking it from me, our hands brushing. “This is so . . .” His mouth formed an adorable grin he failed at hiding. “Thank you. This is awesome.” The smile widened as he laughed. “You ready?” He tipped his head toward the large room.
Five people were on the elliptical machines and the treadmills, while a few others lifted weights around the perimeter and the thump of heavy bass bled through the walls from another room where an exercise class had started. He led me through stretches, and I tried to point my back toward the wall. As I always did, I struggled to get my leg up behind me to stretch my quads, stumbling on the third attempt. I should make a video compilation of my trying this. I could see it in my head, and I smiled.