I used to mean something quite different when I said I was ‘going to the gym’.

Things have changed. Going to the gym now requires more going, and a lot less pokemon.

I have been going to the real gym now since October. Despite what I said earlier I find myself normally enjoying my time there. But lets be honest the gym can feel like an intimidating place for a person who feels more geek than jock.Because of this I have found it important to try to carve out a geeky safe space for me as I seek to gain a better level of fitness.

Maybe you are like me. Maybe you want to keep your geek while gaining some health. Here are a few tips and tricks that I make use of;

Your Clothing– When I started going to the gym I made sure my geek was plain for all to see. I love my geek t-shirts. You saw my Zelda shirt on a previous post but I have others.

Truth be told because I sweat like crazy when I work out I have been slowly collecting more suitable workout clothes than t-shirts. Still the t-shirts are pretty awesome.

Your Music– This is where I really shine. When I listen to music it is pretty much all geek inspired. Some of what I listen to is straight out of a video game. The ‘Dr. Wily And The Robot Masters’ album titled ‘It’s Time For Revenge… Let’s Attack Aggressively‘ has two great Megaman 3 tracks that get my blood pumping. If you are looking for something more subtle I would suggest a playlist inspired by the music from Supernatural. I find a lot of inner strength when ‘Carry on my wayward son‘ starts to play.

Your Exercise Equipment– In my gym almost every treadmill, exercise bike, and elliptical comes equipped with a TV. I flip mine to ‘Space’ Canada’s sci-fi channel. Space has new shows in prime time but during the day it runs a lot of reruns of tried and true shows. I seem to normally work out during the ‘Stargate’ block of shows.

For Bonus Points Geek Up Your Locker– Maybe the best way to really enjoy a private moment of geekiness is setting up your lock. For example you could make you lock the first eight digits of Pi (31 41 59 26), or you could use the Lost numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 32).  As for me I like to use a directional combination lock so I can use of a variation of the konami code…Please don’t break into my locker.

The gym is not always an easy place for a geek to be. But with a little effort on our part, when can still geek out while we work out.