"There's no fun in fitness. There's no fit in funness. There's a reason. Burning, aching, pain, and frustration are closer related to STDs than they are to a good time. To recap- fitness equals syphilis." -Me...Monday, May 9.
Fear not, my opinion on the subject hasn't changed. I am fully convinced that fitness is never fun, no matter what 24 Hour Fitness, Gold's Gym, Curves, or my trainer says. I will agree that exercise is necessary, and that it does things to your body that are classified as "good, healthy, and sweaty", but in no way does that translate to FUN. Eating a double cheeseburger is fun (or, for my veggie readers, a tofurkey burger with extra furkey), feeling the burn is not. Lounging on the couch in your p.j.s after a long morning of making coffee is fun, chisel'n the "V" is not. Jumping on a trampoline and pretending that discoordination is actually technique is fun, a major calorie burn is not.
By no means am I using this blog to judge those who seem addicted to fitness (I prefer to do that in person), but I do want to share a fundamental belief with you. PEOPLE WHO SAY THAT THEY CRAVE FITNESS ARE LYING. Whew, I feel better. I believe that people like the satisfaction of working out. I believe that people like losing weight, developing some sick pythons, and feeling the sense of accomplishment that comes from a workout, but I do not believe that they just don't feel right about the world if they don't get in a run. All of us know what it feels like to crave- to want something so much that it can permeate your thoughts to the point that are looking at your best friend and seeing a scoop of ice cream where her head should be- this is normal. Craving a nap so badly that you actually test the hardness of your office flooring- this is normal. Craving an elliptical? Give me a break.
Someone, somewhere, did research on how long it takes to develop a habit and stick with it. I have been working out regularly since last September and the only thing that forces me to stick with it is the knowledge that my trainer knows where I work and would actually show up outside my office with a whistle, stopwatch, and a full supply of bizarre Canadian motivational sayings, and force me to learn how my stapler can actually help me tone my traps. The fact that I show up at the gym doesn't mean it is a habit because, I can promise you, if I could get the results of exercise without actually exercising, I would. Merely doing something every day doesn't make it a habit, and doesn't mean you would choose to do it if you didn't HAVE to do it. Just because millions of people go to work everyday doesn't mean they would show up if someone offered them the benefits (health care, paycheck, bad coffee, quality time with people they don't like) without the actual work.
A final thought on this topic- people who run/jog/speedwalk/do that weird thing that elderly men do when they think they are running but actually look like they are having some sort of bizarre speedwalk seizure while wearing a sweatband...there are people who do this everyday- rain, heatwave, hail, parade days....how can I explain what causes them to do it everyday? Mental Illness. Just because it doesn't appear in the DSM doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Heather, I love you and miss you! You always make me laugh. On topic: there is a crazy old man in my hometown that does the old man run everyday, no matter what. He also has tshirts and sweatshirts made up with his total miles ran in his lifetime. Sometimes he even holds baseballs in each hand. Haven't figured out what those are for though.
ReplyDelete~Lacey