5 Things You Will Relate To If Your Partner Is A Fitness Freak, A Gym Rat

Among the many kinds listed by Mallika Dua as Tinder dates in the viral AIB video, the gym freak seems to be growing with every swipe. The easy acceptance of metrosexuality seems like a step away from the overpowering masculinity almost being the operative word here. And they don’t mind becoming a gym rat in the process. From measuring inches, men now have started comparing biceps in the race of who is the bigger man. 

This has brought the fitness freak in them at par with the already tense race of women constantly haunted by the perfect size on billboards and magazines. One must pay attention to the term fitness freak and not health conscious or mindful. From the perfect protein shake to that one-minute plank, this creed’s life runs not on the ordinary clock but Fitbit. Heart rate to a number of steps counted, when two such fitness crazy people meet, that is a match made in heaven. But what happens when you are dating a gym rat and you are not a fitness freak? Well, here are five things that you will be vigorously nodding to if you are in a situation like that.

5 Things You Will Relate To If Your Partner Is A Gym Rat

Before you start wondering who is a gym rat let us tell you it’s a fitness enthusiast whose life revolves around dropping into gyms and sports training venues. Your partner could be a bodybuilding freak, a health spa junkie or a cycling enthusiast but end of day their life revolves around fitness and they can be called nothing else but a gym rat. While he heads to the gym straight from work your life is about lazing on the couch after work with a jug of sugar loaded orange juice and some nachos and salsa for company. Well! you and your partner are already like chalk and cheese. You will be able to identify with this article if you have a gym rat in your life.   

1. Fitness is priority

I remember losing a friend to the box of CrossFit. Her life became about the multiple body movements, numerous headstands and her CrossFit buddies. Her life was full to the brim with her fitness regime, office, deadlines and Fitbit tracked sleep.

Sometimes, in between running from post to post, I see her and all she can talk about is her toned calf muscles and the ten-minute headstand she did. If this was the amount of my disdain at losing a friend’s time to a fitness routine, imagine being in a romantic relationship with this. Yes, it can be very taxing. I have heard of the fitness freak husband who chooses the gym over family and trust me it’s scary. 

2. Preachy preachers on food and health

You can be as crazy about your green juice and Pilates as you choose, but how about letting me decide what I want to do with my body? It starts off with a well-meaning effort to make you realise the importance of staying fit, which then verges on to an overbearing amount of advice and condescension.

Every person has a different way of looking at their life and level of commitment towards their fitness routine. But the gym rat takes it to a new level and expects you to follow suit. Just like a vegetarian chooses a lifestyle, similarly, a fitness freak chooses his or hers.

It can be a tad bit bothersome when most conversations end with a Paulo Coelho version of ‘you can become as fit as me, try it’.

2. Eating out is out

Unfortunately, if you are a foodie, your relationship with a fitness freak is balancing on a very serious knife point of food habits. If your partner goes to the gym too often chances are they would eat out as less as possible. Your date nights can very easily fizzle down to dates in milk and a bowl of oats. You had your eye on the lovely French patisserie that has opened a branch in your neighborhood and the weekend when you both could make the time you had plans to make it a romantic date there.

But what fun is it if your understanding but freakishly fit partner is sipping water, while you dig into that perfect crème Brulee? Your partner can be a killjoy when the matter of eating outcomes to play.

3. They are recipe whiz kids

Having put one’s life on the disciplined path of right food and exercise, the gym rat has had to sacrifice a lot of things. But in that struggle, most of these people acquire a surprising number of simple, healthy but extremely delicious recipes.

In reality, you don’t have the time, money or lifestyle to eat out every day, and that is when the crazy little partner of yours plays the crucial part of the healthy chef. It does not hurt to let go of the harmful carbohydrates, unnecessary gluten in your food if healthy cuisine can taste that good!

4. Insta-fanatic

In all probability, your phone along with your partner’s, is full with the numerous half naked pictures of your partner stretching, spinning, climbing, flexing or just standing in the glory of their fitness. The gym selfie has become the plague of your life; sometimes it comes into your nightmare to haunt you.

But you adore the way they get so ecstatic at the little improvements every day at the gym. It is hard to not smile when they come running to you with that perfect picture or flawless tricep flex. (Yes we know you loathe standing next to the gym rat but that’s a story for another day). They are running on the happy hormones that are the prize of fitness. It is infectious, that kind of positive energy!

Having a gym rat for a partner could be tough because they keep prioritising gym over the family, you might end up feeling your partner goes to the gym too often and you might hav eto sacrifice your food habits and time for them. But he positive side of having a fitness freak for a partner is there is always some rub-off effect.