I must confess I am not a huge "gym rat". In fact, I try and get out of going to the gym as much as possible. But alas, my boyfriend's powers of persuasion are strong, and occasionally (after much complaining and after he reminds me that working out together was how we started dating in the first place) I go to the gym. While my enthusiasm is lacking, the people watching in such an environment is fantastic and so, after a half hour or so the other day of solid people watching on my part (or "working out" as my boyfriend called it) "she" walked in.
"She" is that girl who thinks she's on a date. She wore PINK brand sweatpants from her junior high self's pajama drawer (which were so tight you could see the underwear lines from her junior high self's underwear drawer) a Cami (yes a Cami) with a lime green push up bra underneath (matching the sweatpants... Nice touch) and looked all around like a hot mess. But WHAT she was wearing wasn't that big of a problem to me; it was mainly WHY she was wearing it that made me want to drag her out of there and stick her in her car.
Clearly she (like myself) didn't come to the gym often. She had no idea where to go and she was aimlessly following two other guys. She carried two shaker bottles (one with water and one with what looked like pre-workout in it) and looked perpetually confused. She was dressed for a "gym date" and she was acting as such. Bending over more than necessary, stretching a lot more than normal... She was there to impress her gym friends.
After a solid (not really) four minutes of workout, she lets down her hair and shakes it out. She's channelling some sort of Herbal Essences commercial but it's coming off more like a dog out of water. She was easily read like a book and her male counterparts could see it.
Sweetheart, stop trying.
The most impressive girls at the gym don't need a guy to show them around the gym (I am not one of those women by the way). The most impressive girls are dressed in leggings and a baggy shirt, covered in sweat... Not the girl in full makeup with straightened hair and perfume on.
Don't play in to societal roles that suggest you need a man to make your workout worthwhile or to impress one when you're doing your own thing. Don't play yourself down or act like something you aren't to get attention. At the gym, I KNOW I'm the underdog. I'm OKAY with it. Channel that confidence (or lack thereof) wether you are looking to pick up a gym hottie or if you're there with your gym hottie and you'll be just fine.
As for "her"... man up and ask him out yourself already! The rejection would hurt less than the muscles you're about to pull in your neck from flipping that hair around that much. Plus, if you start a relationship out by going on gym "dates" when you really don't like fitness, chances are you'll have to continue that through the duration of your time with the guy. Trust me on this one.