up in the gym just workin on my fitness

Observation of the week: gyms are not for fat people. Gyms are havens for those that are already in fantastic shape and spend their days pumping iron and drinking protein shakes. This observation is clearly coming from a chubby girl, but I think it's pretty obvious. There was a time in my life when I worked out a lot. Even then, I was chubby and felt huge next to some of the girls in the gym. I felt better about myself then than I had in years, but I still felt a twinge of insecurity every single time I walked into the gym.
I went to the gym this week for the first time in a while and I was convinced that I was the fattest person there. What gives? You'd think that since the diet industry is so huge there would be more fatties trying to slim down. I guess not. Truthfully, I think a lot of people feel uncomfortable going to the gym. I feel insecure while I'm there. It doesn't bother me enough to never go again, but it wouldn't surprise me if people were bothered that much. Think about it, CURVES exists because women feel too insecure to work out in a traditional gym setting. This really bothers me.
It seems like everyone should feel welcome to improve themselves. I guess in theory everyone is welcome to go to the gym and workout and get fit. The fact is though, that not everyone IS equally welcome. Anyone who has been to a gym knows this to be true. The feeling I get every time I go is a conflict between never ever wanting to walk into that menacing building again and wanting to go back every day to show those protein shake junkies that I belong there just as much as they do. And maybe that's it. Maybe I feel like I don't belong there because I'm not as dedicated to my fitness as the others.
The chubby girl in the gym will never feel as comfortable as the women with utterly perfect bodies next to her. I think it is important to remember that those women are working for those perfect bodies. Getting fit is a process for everyone. For some of us it just seems to be a longer one.