For some, the turn of apple cider to hot chocolate, “Thriller” to “Jingle Bells” and falling leaves to snow flurries, calls for more than just cozy holiday cheer.
Instead, it may elicit feelings of discipline, a drive for change and a personal dedication to bettering oneself, commonly dubbed as a Winter Arc.
Junior Robert Myers discussed how he first got involved in the gym.
“I always wanted to do it, but I was too young,” he said. “I went over to Hilltop, and that’s when I first started, I worked out there for a year, and just recently, moved over to Be Fit KC.”
Myers said his first inspiration to get into the gym spurred when he “saw people doing it around him and online.” This seems to be a common way the gym community grows, by inspiring others through reaching personal goals and sharing individual experiences.
As a place used not only for getting stronger, the gym is also a place of fellowship people pushing towards a similar goal.
“I meet all [kinds of] people at the gym,” Myers said. Especially for young adults, the gym provides a perfect opportunity to meet others in similar walks of life, with similar interests. While Myers said he’s always in his arc, a main contributor to his ability to be consistent lies in “over time, just seeing the progress, seeing the growth.”
Along with the perk of new friendships, the ability to reach physical goals and be involved in a universal community, the gym also often improves one’s mental state and fosters a space for positive cognitive processes.
“[The gym has helped] strengthen my mindset [and be] more determined,” Myers said. “[It helps me] push through hard things.”
Similarly to Myers, junior Kinleigh Hildebrand got inspired to go to the gym through her community.
“My brother got me into weightlifting, and I would work out with him” she said. “Then I would start working out on my own, and I just love doing it.”
After starting in “the gym after Covid,” Hildebrand has made immense progress over the years.
“I’m always in my arc,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been locked in for the past like three years, [going] consistently every day.”
However, showing up isn’t the only factor of being a gym-goer though, as nutrition plays a huge, arguably more important, role in physical development. It’s important to fuel one’s body enough to recover properly from the physical challenges working out brings.
“I hit my protein goal every day — my body weight in protein — and I make sure I eat enough and eat healthy,” Hildebrand said.
She continues to spread the love her brother showed her by spreading her own love of fitness. “I introduced my friend to the gym, and now she goes on her own every day — I’ve put so many of my friends on the gym,” she said. “I’ve also met people through the gym.”
Hildebrand agrees with Myers that seeing goals come to life through hard work is one of the highlights of the gym.
“Seeing myself improve, and seeing my muscles grow,” she said. “It’s so rewarding seeing the results. [Beyond physical, the gym] makes me have better mental strength — [it] definitely also keeps me motivated. I feel so good after the gym and ready to do everything.”
