Sweat is sexy: How to meet your match at the gym

Looking for a date this Valentine’s Day? Try finding one in your gym

Since Valentine’s Day is approaching, Relaxnews contacted Bela Gandhi –– who runs a Chicago-based Smart Dating Academy –– to advise singles looking for a date on how to hook their crush while pumping iron. Gandhi says people are usually their own best matchmakers, but offering singles some new ideas to tweak their routine –– say, at the gym –– can lead to lasting relationships. “When you’re working out, you have endorphins and adrenaline pumping through your system. Studies have shown that these hormones put you in a heightened state of attraction, so the gym is a great spot to meet someone,” says Gandhi.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK; PICTURE FOR REPRESENTATION ONLY A good first step is to update your workout wardrobe A good first step is to update your workout wardrobe, says Gandhi, who advises men against tank shirts and fluorescent colours, and advises women to mind the threshold between sexy and vulgar. Next step, take off your headphones, start out with a tour of the gym to check out who’s there and try your best to look friendly in order to make yourself approachable. While seeming approachable is important, it’s up to you to break the ice, reveals Gandhi –– and this applies to both men and women. “What have you got to lose? Conversation is like tennis, someone just has to serve first,” she says.

A chivalrous gesture on the part of a man –– like grabbing a fresh towel for an attractive woman who’s headed to a pilates class –– could brighten her day and lead to some small talk. For women, make him feel like the alpha-male by asking him to spot you on a machine, or complimenting his kickboxing skills. The environment is full of props, Gandhi points out, so ask a potential special someone in the smoothie line if the Spirulina-Sunrise is really as good as it looks.
Once you’ve got them talking, don’t try to be quirky, be original. Don’t get too personal just yet. “Thank goodness for the weather. If we didn’t have weather to talk about, most conversations wouldn’t begin,” says Gandhi. Small talk leads to big talk, she reminds us, so there’s nothing too passé or too generic to use as a conversation starter.