To me, there is nothing more intimidating than stepping foot into the free weight section of a fitness center.

Grunts and groans spout from every direction; the sound of three-hundred-pound weights slamming the floor pierce my ears and I can almost see the rough calluses forming on the hands of every individual.

Most of the people are men who, to me, appear to know exactly what they are doing; moving from one exercise to another without pause or question of what to do next.

The cardio hub is usually in an entirely different area. In this corner I see joggers on treadmills — usually reading something like “Shape” magazine or watching the news on the flatscreens hanging from the walls in front of them. Women usually dominate this area and always seem to know the exact right time to increase their incline or speed.

While walking through both sections of the gym and observing the polar opposite environments that each one creates, a question arose: “Why don’t these people intermingle?”

Men actually do creep over to the cardio section for a quick ten-minute warm-up or to get a cardio burst after a rough set of weights. However, the women seemingly have no reason to shift to the free weight environment.

I think that most women feel lost in such a hard-core atmosphere and are intimidated to test the waters. Drifting to the machines might seem like a better option; however, approaching a foreign contraption and trying to copy the image of the proper form in the diagrams might not be any less embarrassing.

The one aspect of gym ethic that women need to understand is that it is totally okay to work out on the “men’s side” of the gym.

First of all, you will be considered hard-core for even stepping foot onto their turf. Being the only girl — or one of a few girls — lifting weights is something to be proud of.

Second, everybody is far too invested in his or her own workout to judge you. The men, who are perceived to know each one of their sets by heart, assume that about all the people in the gym as well.

Everyone goes to the fitness center for a reason. The gym, ideally, is an atmosphere of mutual respect for individuals who are invested in their health and wellbeing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not knowing exactly what you need to execute in the gym at every second of your workout. There is nothing wrong with picking up a seven-pound weight instead of a forty-pound one and there is nothing wrong with doing something seemingly confined to the opposite sex.

You do not need a shaker bottle full of the best whey protein to make a name for yourself in the gym. Simply being present and investing time in yourself and your wellbeing deserves all of the respect in the world.