Welcome to the gym.

Leave your jackets and problems at the door. Say goodbye to the world and hello to your sneakers, a pair of headphones and yourself. Forget whatever's been troubling you that day and focus instead on the steady rhythm of your feet hitting the treadmill over and over again, focus on the beads of sweat dripping past your brow down your forehead. Focus on the feel of your heart beating in your chest, the even pulsing increasing steadily as you continue your battle against yourself.

Welcome to the gym.

The boy or girl you like becomes something more than just a mere crush when you're in the gym. Instead, they are pure motivation. Their eyes bore holes in your back pushing you to keep going, to run that extra mile, to do that extra rep, to increase the weight just once more even though seconds ago you swore you couldn't do it. Even when they're not looking at all, their presence is enough to push you just in case you happen to catch their glance. Enemies have a similar result in the gym. Their snarky looks and superior grins turn every set you do into a contest. Never backing down until they do.

Welcome to the gym.

A place of peace and sanctuary. For a couple hours everyday all the stress and pressure of the outside world melts away as you pick up those dumbbells. Nothing matters except for heartbeat in your chest and the pleasant burning in your muscles telling you that you're making progress. For a couple hours everyday all you have to worry about is the next set or the next mile. Music turned up so loud there's no room for anything else in your head.

Welcome to the gym.

Everyone here is welcome. There is no judgment when it comes to the gym whether you're 100 lbs or 500 lbs it makes no difference to the treadmill or the bench. Whether you're male, female, an athlete, an honors student or anything else. It doesn't matter the only labels you'll find at the gym are the ones on the machines. This is a place of bettering oneself physically and mentally, always pushing and fighting to beat your greatest competition. Yet the one you need to beat is not the girl running the six-minute mile on the treadmill or the boy benching 200. The one you need to beat looks back at you in the mirror because the only true competition that exists in the gym, the only person you can really beat, is yourself.

Welcome to the gym.