Are You “That Girl”?

Jun 12, 2009

So, I was gossiping with a gym friend yesterday (yes, I gossip. Shoot me.) and she was trying to explain who, exactly, was the courageous man married to No Holds Barred Naked Lady Woman. He was older and handsome with salt and pepper hair, she explained, he had a nice body. He was, she kept repeating, “You know - that guy on the Elliptical. If you saw him, you’d totally know who he was. He’s always on the same Elliptical for 45 minutes.”

I thought about my favorite piece of cardio equipment, the StepMill I’ve logged so many hours on, it practically has my Size 10 Adidas footprints worn into the stairs.

“Do you think people call me, ‘That girl on the stair machine?’” I asked her.

“Totally!” she said. “If I were going to describe you to someone else here, that’s what I would say. And I bet people would call me, ‘That girl who’s always running on the track.’”

Hmmm. Not sure how I feel about this. Of course I’m proud of my strong workout ethic and dedication. But I don’t want to be pigeonholed as the crazy stair-climbing girl. True, I would be the one responsible for said pigeonholing, as it is I who decide to climb aboard the same dang machine day in and day out. But in my defense, I’m somewhat limited in what I can do because of my neck (no running, no Spinning, no cardio classes, no upper-body weight machines, push-ups, crunches, etc). I don’t necessarily WANT to be “that girl” on the machine…yet I apparently am.

Are any of you “that girl”s? That girl on the recumbent bike? That girl In the front row of yoga class? That girl on the hamstring curl machine?

Join me – it’s lonely at the top of the StepMill.

PS For all you future “That Girls” looking to join a gym, check out my glamour.com piece - The 10 Questions You Need to Ask Before Joining a Gym.

Comments

From: Maggie S
Date: 06/15/2009 - 10:38 am

I've got two. At the gym I'm "that girl in the front row of zumba class." If I can't see the teacher, I'll trip all over myself.

Outside, I'm "that girl who runs by my house everyday". I've got pre-measured paths I use for running or for taking my dog for a walk. Both start with the same six blocks.

This also means I've always got extra bags for my dog. Can't be "that girl who doesn't pick up her dog's poo" if I'm going to be back the next day!

From: Maggie S.
Date: 06/15/2009 - 10:34 am

I've got two. At the gym, I'm "that girl in the front row of zumba class". I've got to be able to see the teacher and not my fellow class-goers, otherwise I'm tripping all over myself.

Outside the gym, I'm "that girl who runs/walks by my house everyday". I've got a pre-measured path that I use for running or for walking my dog whenever its nice out. Unfortunately, both routes start with the same six blocks, so those people see me a lot. This also means I always have to carry an extra bag for my dog. Can't be "that girl who doesn't pick up her dog's poo" if I'm coming back the next day!

From: PTC
Date: 06/13/2009 - 06:11 pm

Totally that girl. I'm either known as "the girl with the thing on top of her head" (hairdo like Pebbles, but it's longer now so not wearing it like that anymore). Also known as "the cardio queen" or the "girl who runs on the treadmill and tons of cardio"

That was in my hometown though, I don't think people really have a name for me here in NYC b/c I go to 2 different gyms because I teach classes. I am probably known as "the girl with the pigtails," if anything.

From: PTC
Date: 06/13/2009 - 05:58 pm

I am totally that girl, moreso in my hometown gym though. I've got a few descriptions, I'm sure. One being "the girl with the "Pebbles" hair," (when my hair was short and i wore it on top of my head like a palm tree), also "the girl who works out for hours...the cardio queen." Lastly, maybe "the one with the pigtails who teaches classes."

I don't think I'm "known" by the people in NYC, except for maybe the "girl with the pigtails" because I'm at a couple of different gyms so I don't see the same people all the time.

From: Robinjs03
Date: 06/13/2009 - 08:39 am

I think I've been a few "that girl"s in my time...from that girl on the treadmill, to that girl who walks in the pool after foot surgery, to my final resting place as that girl in every spinning class. I too am limited by what I can do due to my feet, and spinning is the only way I've found I can get that great sweat drenching, completely exhausting, awesome feeling cardio workout that's equivalent to the running I love and miss. Being as self conscious as I am, I've always thought people were thinking about me as "that girl" in whatever my cardio mode of choice was at the time. But I think I've finally come to peace with the fact that I like what I like, and I just don't care anymore :)