I regretfully read Colleen Shea's Friday column, and I feel she made a mountain out of a molehill. The column started out griping about UF's health promotion initiatives, but Shea spent most of her time exaggerating the gym's atmosphere. Is it bad for UF to promote healthful lifestyles? Is it a problem the GatorWell tents hand out free condoms? And for as many parties as I see on and around campus, can it hurt to educate students about drinking responsibly?
The gym is not that hostile of an environment. Due to the high demand of treadmills, the gym has decided to offer the convenience of reserving cardio equipment for those of us with full schedules. As for the weight room, if you do not know what you are doing, you need to ask a staff member for help because you could easily pull a muscle or otherwise hurt yourself. If you want to start lifting weights, I would recommend finding an experienced gym buddy.
I don't feel UF is "bombarding" me or making me feel guilty. If anything, these efforts are to counteract the new Starbucks locations and multiple fast-food restaurants on campus. If you really want to succeed at living more healthfully, you need to have a better attitude about it. If one bad experience at the gym is going to make you delve into a life of Ben & Jerry's and triple cheeseburgers, then you probably do not have the drive to stick with a workout regimen long enough to make a difference.
