First of all, the gym doesn't belong to you. I do not care if you have been there for 3, 4, or 20 years- It is not your gym and those people have a right to be there just as much as you do. I have been going to the gym for about 2 years now, and of course I do notice around this time of year, a lot more people are back. However, the difference between myself and you people complaining of "all the room being wasted and equipment being stolen" is that I'm genuinely excited to see new people getting into the gym in the first place.

"They're probably just going to quit in 2 weeks anyway..."

So? Even if they do, at least they went out of their comfort zone for the past two weeks and tried something new. At least they TRIED in general. They could've wasted those two weeks by eating poorly and staying in bed ,but instead they made a change and tried something new. It's not your right to bash them for the amount of time they choose to spend going to the gym. You should be happy that they went at all.

So you had to wait an extra 5-10 minutes for your equipment. Get on the floor and do sit ups, push ups, or walk laps around the gym. If you're that big of a gym rat, I'm sure you can come up with a few additional things to challenge your body while another machine is occupied.

At some point, you were just starting too. REMEMBER THAT. It's important to beat that into your brain because like everyone else, we all have to start somewhere. I remember first starting at the gym and I felt really self conscious. I kept saying-"I bet a lot of people here can tell I'm new..I can't find a single thing I'm looking for." There were some machines I didn't know how to work, and there were times I even went home early because I was too afraid to ask anyone how to work them. If you see a new person at the gym, instead of giving them dirty looks because you think "they're going to quit anyway" how about introducing yourself, letting them know you're here if they have any questions, and that you're happy to see a new face here!

Your comment could make the difference for someone starting out at the gym. When I first started, I had never been to a gym before in my entire life. I was way out of my element and I went back and forth wondering if I should just stick with "at home workouts" that I ended up never finishing or even starting anyway. It took one person to see me struggling and offer a hand for me to say..."You know what, maybe this won't be that bad after all."

Just be a decent human being. Treat other people the way you would've wanted to be treated when you first started. It's like going to a brand new school. You don't really know what to expect. You don't know if what you're wearing will be made fun of, or where to go. It just takes someone who knows what they're doing to offer a hand to change your entire day. Don't be one of those people that causes another person to hate their first day and never want to go back.

I go into the gym with full confidence because I've made the right friends. They're the ones who smiled at me immediately when I first started..they're also the ones who lend a hand to ANYONE struggling-not just me. My New Years Resolution is to try and help others the way certain people helped me when I first started. If I can give those people a certain sense of confidence when coming to the gym, maybe they'll want to continue going and bettering their life. It's definitely worth a shot.

Don't be the reason someone doesn't want to better their lifestyle.

No one likes that guy.