Day 8: Fitness Fad

"Day 8, and I had decided that today would be the day I finally got fit. After a week of surviving lectures, cafeteria catastrophes, and procrastination, I felt the need to do something productive for my body—not just my brain.

I’d been hearing a lot of buzz around campus about the new gym opening up. The posters were everywhere, boasting about a ‘Free Trial Week!’ and how anyone could join without commitment. The hype had me convinced—if everyone else was doing it, why couldn’t I?

So, after my morning lectures, I put on my brand-new gym clothes, which I hadn’t used for any actual physical activity before, and headed straight to the campus gym. The whole ‘fitness’ vibe was actually kind of intimidating. There were people lifting weights with muscles that looked like they could bend steel and others running on the treadmill with their earbuds in, looking like they had somewhere to be right now. Then there was me—just hoping I didn’t embarrass myself.

I walked up to the reception, where a gym trainer—let’s call him ‘Mark the Machine’—greeted me with too much enthusiasm. ‘First time?’ he asked, smiling way too much for someone working at a gym at 11 a.m.

‘Uh, yeah, just looking to get started,’ I muttered, trying to sound like I had a plan.

He handed me a form and said, ‘Alright! You can start with a warm-up on the treadmill. After that, we’ll go over some basic exercises.’

‘Treadmill,’ I repeated to myself. I had no idea how to use it. Did you just walk? Or run? How fast? What’s the difference between ‘jogging’ and ‘running’? Why did people look so serious while doing it?

But I nodded because I wasn’t going to seem like a total noob.

I got on the treadmill and immediately felt like a fish out of water. Mark had set me at a ‘moderate pace’ (which I later realised was code for ‘you’re going to regret this in two minutes’), and I tried to keep up. I lasted a full minute before my legs started to feel like jelly. I slowed down to a walk. Was I doing this right?

Next, Mark guided me to the weight area, where people were lifting things that I was pretty sure were designed for bodybuilders. ‘Let’s try some light dumbbells,’ he suggested. I picked up the smallest pair I could find, thinking it would make me look at least semi-competent.

As I started my first set, I immediately regretted every decision that led me to this moment. The dumbbells felt heavier than I expected. My arms started shaking halfway through the set, and I could feel my face turning redder than a tomato.

‘Great job, Eddie!’ Mark shouted, completely oblivious to my internal struggle. ‘You’re a natural!’

‘Natural,’ I repeated under my breath. I was barely holding on to life.

By the time the session ended, I was drenched in sweat and ready to pass out. But I couldn’t leave without the obligatory selfie, right? The gym had ‘cool lighting,’ and everyone was doing it. So, I awkwardly posed in front of the mirror, holding a dumbbell like I actually knew what I was doing.

Later, when I met up with Faisal for lunch, he immediately asked, ‘How was the gym?’

‘Uh, brutal,’ I admitted. ‘I think I was on the treadmill for two minutes before I almost died.’

He laughed. ‘Two minutes? You’re a legend, bro.’

‘Not in the way you think,’ I muttered.

Lesson of the day: Fitness fads are real, and they can be just as overwhelming as your coursework. But hey, at least I can say I tried, right?"