There's a fly in my creme bruleé

Author: Katie Hylas

Why is everyone on this campus obsessed with working out? Isn't it weird that it's completely normal here for people to spend a huge chunk of their Fridays in the gym? Or to count the chickpeas and lettuce organized aesthetically on their plate? Every day, the gym is completely packed.

Constantly working out seems to be a crucial aspect of the Middlebury culture. Football players and English majors alike all pile into that pleasurable bubble of a complex and sweat themselves into oblivion. Working out and eating healthily is like a religion here. A common comment in the dining halls is, "I feel so guilty that I didn't go to the gym today." Hello! It's not a shrine, it's a fitness center!

Often the first thing a visitor to the school notices is how unbelievably fit everyone is. "No one is overweight here," one visitor whispered to me in the dining hall. Everyone is ridiculously skinny and they work their butts off (literally) to get that way.

The campus in and of itself is a giant gym. So many people run or bike constantly that I get confused, and often almost hit. I wonder, Should I pick up the pace? Is my high school track coach lurking around the corner screaming and holding a stopwatch?

If one has a weak stomach and finds overly apparent spandex bottoms to be nauseating, it must be like walking through a haunted house to get from BiHall to the CFA. Our campus is haunted by zombies staring blankly as they walk on with their iPod minis strapped tightly to their arms and Kelly Clarkson's Since You've Been Gone echoing through their earphones.

One has to wonder about the implications of such a culture. Sure, it's good to be fit and active, but is it possible that we take it too far? Many students here feel pressure to be as involved in exercising and eating cautiously as their peers are.

Any inconsistency in the body is subject to scrutiny. A walk into Ross can feel like standing naked in front of the entire cafeteria. Is everyone looking at my stomach? Can they tell I skipped the gym today? The workout culture raises self-imposed expectations and can cripple self-esteem.

Generally, America values thinness in women and strength in men. I suppose that's why the women in the gym concentrate on the elliptical machines and the men dominate the weight portion of the gym.

The media floods us to lose ten pounds in ten days through glorified images of barely clad skinny-minis. It's no wonder that Middlebury has adopted such a culture. Maybe we should be wary of Middlebury's work-out-aholic way of life.