The Gym Issue... Again
I try very hard because I know trying is half the battle. Every time I make the very difficult decision to go to the gym, I put a smile on my face and do my best to psyche up. As I'm gathering my gym things and putting on my shoes, I start with the positive self-talk - "It's going to be a good workout", "You need to workout", "This body doesn't happen by accident", "You love the results", "It'll give you more energy". That kind of thing. However, by the time I hit Manchaca and William Cannon, I usually downshift a little bit as I will the car to continue driving toward the gym. The self-talk loses some of it's positivity - "Just go. It's only an hour or less", "If you go, you can have pizza for dinner", "You can do shoulders. You like shoulders". Then I pull into the parking lot, park, and step out into the sunshine. The self-talk slips even more toward the negative - "FUCK! I don't want to be here" and "Just do it, Fat Ass. You saw that flab in the mirror", for example. This is when the will to be fit kicks in. I make my way to the door, pull out my membership pass, and exhale. Usually, it's "Fuuuuuck...." or "God Daaaamn it..." that is probably said in a louder voice than I intend. It's no wonder the fit little boys at the desk barely smile at me. Three steps in and not even halfway to the locker room, the icky, sapping, negative energy washes over me. At this point, it's all I can do to stay.
Yes, try as I might, I hate my gym. I'm not going to name names. I'm sure it's a fine gym for most people. It sure is popular. Of course all those folks may not perceive energy the way I do or simply not give a shit one way or the other. A gym is a gym to most people. They go, they hate it, they stop going, they start again, they hate it, they stop going again. Wash, rinse, repeat. Because they hate working out so much they assume they should hate their gym. Or maybe their dumb asses actually like the gym. I don't know. I can't tell. And really, I don't care. All I know is that i despise it.
I've belonged to several great gyms in my day. I will name names here - Norton Pines Fitness and Tennis Club in Spring Lake, Michigan (though it's gotten pretty big these days and I'm not sure I'd like it as well now) and St. Michael's Fitness Center in Texarkana, Texas (small, quiet, perfect for me... and they let members use the Spin bikes outside of class). I haven't always enjoyed working out, but I've usually enjoyed the act of going to the gym enough to get me there. The workout may have been just short of misery, but the energy in the gym seemed to make it tolerable.
Until now. I'm suffering through the double-whammy - I'm in an anti-workout phase AND I hate my gym, which is why I hardly ever go. This week I could only work up the courage twice (in my defense I went on a four mile walk another day) and that's not good enough to keep this forty year old body fit. It seems to me that I have two choices - suck it up and stop my bitching OR quit this gym and find a new one. I know of another gym in town that I've been meaning to check out. It's smaller, closer to home, and the monthly fee is just about the same. Sounds like a winner right? Maybe, maybe not. Smaller gyms tend to come with restricted hours. I'm not sure I want to give up the 24 hour availability that mass fitness affords. Not that I've gone at odd hours yet, but the fact is that I can. I could workout before I go to work at 6am or when I get off at 10pm. It's nice to have the option, however if I hate the gym and never want to go, what are the chances I'm going to go at those weird hours anyway? Probably slim.
I think tomorrow I'll check out this other gym. Maybe I'll like it and I'll find my interest in working out rejuvenated. A gym goes a long way for me. If I like being there, it's easier to get myself there. Then all I have to do is suffer through a quick fifty minute workout. No stress, no mess. In, out, done, gone. Just like that. The fact is that I need to workout. I am fond of saying that this body doesn't happen by accident. It's quite true. I have to whip my body into submission to stay like this and, at forty, I need to be mindful of health issues and the like. Working out will add years to my life by cutting down on all sorts of risk factors. I can talk all day long about wanting to be healthy. It's a lie. I like being hot. I'm not going to apologize for it. And if I'm hot well into my seventies, so much the better.
Yes, try as I might, I hate my gym. I'm not going to name names. I'm sure it's a fine gym for most people. It sure is popular. Of course all those folks may not perceive energy the way I do or simply not give a shit one way or the other. A gym is a gym to most people. They go, they hate it, they stop going, they start again, they hate it, they stop going again. Wash, rinse, repeat. Because they hate working out so much they assume they should hate their gym. Or maybe their dumb asses actually like the gym. I don't know. I can't tell. And really, I don't care. All I know is that i despise it.
I've belonged to several great gyms in my day. I will name names here - Norton Pines Fitness and Tennis Club in Spring Lake, Michigan (though it's gotten pretty big these days and I'm not sure I'd like it as well now) and St. Michael's Fitness Center in Texarkana, Texas (small, quiet, perfect for me... and they let members use the Spin bikes outside of class). I haven't always enjoyed working out, but I've usually enjoyed the act of going to the gym enough to get me there. The workout may have been just short of misery, but the energy in the gym seemed to make it tolerable.
Until now. I'm suffering through the double-whammy - I'm in an anti-workout phase AND I hate my gym, which is why I hardly ever go. This week I could only work up the courage twice (in my defense I went on a four mile walk another day) and that's not good enough to keep this forty year old body fit. It seems to me that I have two choices - suck it up and stop my bitching OR quit this gym and find a new one. I know of another gym in town that I've been meaning to check out. It's smaller, closer to home, and the monthly fee is just about the same. Sounds like a winner right? Maybe, maybe not. Smaller gyms tend to come with restricted hours. I'm not sure I want to give up the 24 hour availability that mass fitness affords. Not that I've gone at odd hours yet, but the fact is that I can. I could workout before I go to work at 6am or when I get off at 10pm. It's nice to have the option, however if I hate the gym and never want to go, what are the chances I'm going to go at those weird hours anyway? Probably slim.
I think tomorrow I'll check out this other gym. Maybe I'll like it and I'll find my interest in working out rejuvenated. A gym goes a long way for me. If I like being there, it's easier to get myself there. Then all I have to do is suffer through a quick fifty minute workout. No stress, no mess. In, out, done, gone. Just like that. The fact is that I need to workout. I am fond of saying that this body doesn't happen by accident. It's quite true. I have to whip my body into submission to stay like this and, at forty, I need to be mindful of health issues and the like. Working out will add years to my life by cutting down on all sorts of risk factors. I can talk all day long about wanting to be healthy. It's a lie. I like being hot. I'm not going to apologize for it. And if I'm hot well into my seventies, so much the better.
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