Obsession Within Fitness

The gym is a very significant part of my life. I go to the gym 3 times a week. I take about an hour out of my busy schedule to go and workout because physical fitness is very important to me. Throughout my life, I have never been where I wanted to be physically, even now. I was always too skinny, too weak, and never athletic enough for my personal satisfaction. I would often be upset and not happy because of my physique. Thus, I turned to the gym to strive towards my goals for fitness and never looked back. I’m constantly trying to improve myself self and the gym serves as a place where that is possible.

The gym has many components within it that define itself. As you walk into the gym at the Georgia State University recreation center you can immediately hear the loud noises that reveal people working hard in the gym. The sound of grunts and clashing of weights attack you from the minute you enter the GSU recreation center. The gym is comprised of two floors to fill all the equipment needed to accommodate all the gym-goers. There are multiple types of equipment on both floors to work out different parts of one’s body.
The top floor is compromised of mostly cardio equipment and machines. As soon as you enter the top floor you can hear the sound of the treadmill operating and people’s feet stomping on the surface of the treadmill as they run. People fill the treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bike to get some cardio work in.

People intensely running and pedaling with their feet. The top floor has

Dumbbells and treadmill in a gym

A visual of the gym

machines for everything one can possibly imagine to workout. There are machines for your back, legs, chest, shoulders, and abs. People constantly working out, there is always some people coming in or going out. The extensive amount of equipment found within the gym is needed to accommodate all the people that wish to work out in today’s society.
The bottom floor is comprised of more free weights for the people that are hardcore weight lifters. The floor covered with a black mat to take the impact of the heavy weights people drop while working out. Mirrors lining a large portion of the gym to allow people to constantly evaluate their progress on their bodies. The bottom floor also has a locker room for people to change into their workout clothes. The locker room also has a scale for people to constantly monitor their weight. Water fountains on both floors to hydrate people while they progress through their workout.
The people at the gym vary on gender, race, and ethnic background. People come in and go out throughout the day. The gym usually has many people and often one has to wait in order to get a certain machine or equipment. Most people keep to themselves, just have headphones on and focus on their workout. Everyone has athletic wear on. People are sweating, grunting, and breathing hard from exhaustion.
Now let’s take a look at someone at the gym in particular. There was a man working out at the bottom floor of the gym. He was a white guy, about 6 feet tall and was very muscular. He was very lean, toned, and vascular. Currently, he was doing the bench press. The man walked up to the bench and started putting the weights on the barbell.

A man bench pressing

A man bench pressing

He started with 45 pounds on each side and placed a clip to hold the weights on the bar. He lay down on the bench and placed a firm grip on the symmetrical sides of the bar. With a strong push, he lifted the bar up and slowly brought it down to the chest and back up to the top to complete the rep. He continued to do that for about another 10 times before placing the bar back up on the rack. After a short break and a sip of water, he was back to the bench but this time with an extra 25 pounds on each side. And again starts the repetition of bringing the weight down and back up again. It was clear that he was experienced with the bench press. Like a well-oiled machine, the man lifts the weights with a strict procedure, making sure every rep is excellent. On his next set, he asks his friend to take a video of him benching. After he finishes the set he takes his phone and watches the video back to critique his form and improve upon it. The man continues for another 2 sets, doing everything with focus and specific mechanics. In between sets he often checks himself out in the mirror. After he finishes the man continues to other equipment to continue his workout for the day.
In this day and age, a lot of people have a perception of unrealistic body standards. The self-consciousness that gets produced through unrealistic body standards perpetuates the strive towards an obsession with fitness. Many people work out, but it becomes a problem when it becomes an obsession.

Oppression in Society

Dear John Lewis

I read pages 100-173 and in those pages, a lot of things happened. The first major occurrence in those pages occurred with the testimony of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer. She was harassed because she had attempted to register to vote. She was arrested and beaten in her prison cell. The president tried to remove it from the air by calling a press conference. You took a trip to Africa and learned a new word, Uhuru, meaning freedom. On your trip, you met with Malcolm X and he had helped you realize that the struggle in Africa is similar to that in America. Dr. King became the youngest person ever to receive a Nobel peace prize. A mass protest is set in Alabama to be able to vote.
I felt a mix of anger and hopefull. I was obviously upset and angered to see the harassment and harsh treatment the people of the movement had to go through just to be able to vote. But I was also happy and hopeful to see that people were working towards a better future and trying to make a change for the better. I was also a little bit encouraged to fight back against any injustice seeing the lengths people went to in order to vote.
The story, like the previous pages, show peoples struggle to be able to vote and be an active member of their community. However, the issue at hand is bigger than just voting in the south. The issue is about fighting for freedom and against the oppressors that oppress the oppressed.
Today the best approach today is to go and vote, the thing that many suffered to have the right to do. We have to respect people’s sacrifices by going and voting. We can help raise awareness in places where there may not be fair elections or an oppressive system.

Sincerely, Uzzal Das