You’re single, busy and sick of meeting men at bars. Can’t you ever talk to a guy without him spilling beer all over your new pedicure?! As a frustrated single lady you probably hit the gym a few times a week to decompress a little, and maybe your eyes are starting to wander to that guy on the treadmill in front of you.
However, let me gently caution you against casually dating any of those cute boys in cut off sleeves (are sleeves really that restricting?). Just because you’re sober and wearing tight clothes, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to have a fling with anyone in this bunch. Here’s why:
You may look incredibly adorable in your latest Lululemon leggings (although maybe their sheerness is why you’re getting hit on so much), and watching a guy bench press a gazillion pounds might make you start to sweat a little harder. Still, try to evaluate if it’s just your endorphins going crazy with weight-lifting lust. It’s tempting to drool as you watch him rock out to his Ipod, and to wish he was dead lifting you instead of those weights. Once you come down from that runner’s high, though, you might realize he isn’t as sweet as you thought; now you have to watch him flirt with that new yoga instructor multiple times a week.
Kettle Bells, Not Wedding Bells: Really, you should be just as cautious dating someone that sees you work up a sweat every week as you would be with a co-worker. That is to say, only get into something there if you have a really strong feeling about it. Don’t dip into the pool of gym guys if you’re going to go through them as fast as your last ab work out. And avoid those that are clearly more into their water bottle of Muscle Milk than getting to know you. Assuming your work out buddy doesn’t, um, work out, you’ll be stuck either having forced awkward conversations or having to sneak into the gym at 6am every morning to avoid him.
Safe Space: Like I said, if your flirtation doesn’t go as planned you’ll be left feeling weird about going to the gym. And really, do you need more reasons to convince yourself not to go work out? The gym is our mental solace: a place to get in shape, but more importantly to unplug for a bit from the real world. Once you bring dating into it, now you’re thinking more about what sports bra makes your boobs look good instead of letting yourself detach from the world for a minute. While a little flirtation never hurt anyone (except if you trip on the treadmill while watching the guy in front of you), proceed with caution. It’s hard to ignore all the hormones whizzing around the gym, but don’t (bench)press your luck by diving into the dating pool there. Take your gym time as time spent on YOU, and you’ll be in the best physical and mental shape of your life.
