How to Make Friends at the Gym

The gym is a place where all sorts of people come together to become healthier, more productive individuals. Your local gym isn't just a great place for working out; its also the perfect place to find a great exercise buddy or two. Here are some tips for easily forging new friendships while working off the pounds:

Tip #1: Scope out the Gym
At any gym, you'll find a very interesting and diverse demographic of people: You have the busy moms rushing to get some exercise before school gets out, you have the wannabe-body builder types lifting weights and making funny faces in the corner; you have the creepy old men in short-shorts scoping out young women off to the side, and then you have the people who are at the gym simply to unwind, get healthy, and take a mental break from heir hectic lives.

Ask yourself what kind of gym-going people you'll get along with best, and scope out friendly-looking individuals as possibilities for your exercise friend. Exercise on a machine near somebody who looks nice, and say hello; if they want to talk, they'll start a conversation with you. If you really connect with your new acquaintance, you can trade numbers and meet at the gym or go out for coffee a couple times a week.

Tip #2: Initiate friendships in the Right Places
There are both appropriate and inappropriate places and times to start a gym friendship. The locker/shower room is NOT the right place to initiate a conversation with a stranger, while an exercise class would be a great place to find fun, health-oriented friends. Generally, people feel most comfortable in open areas with lots of people around; don't isolate anybody just so you can talk to them.

Tip #3: Be Friendly & Casual
Your gym friends will want to hear about your fitness goals, your hobbies, and your job, but they do not want to hear your lamentations about politics or have an abortion debate at the gym. By keeping your conversation light, upbeat, and friendly, people will be drawn to you and will feel like their day has been improved simply by being around you.