But I still kick ass.
I’ve been a regular at the gym since August 2002. In the beginning, my goal was simple: work off all the Mexican food and beer I was consuming as a math grad student in Austin, Texas. But over the years, my objectives gradually changed. I wanted more than to negate my indulgent eating and drinking habits; I wanted to be strong and healthy. As my goals changed, so did my diet; I began to eat to support my exercise, rather than the other way around. I developed a particular liking for weightlifting. And then I started running.
Running changed everything. I revelled in its multifaceted pleasures: oxygen, the outdoors, running with people at a 5k race, running alone with an NPR podcast, a cold smoothie after a long run, the burning sun on an Austin summer day.
Early last year my ankle started giving me trouble and no amount of rest or physical therapy has succeeded in eliminating the dull pain I experience every time I run. In the absence of running, I rely on the gym’s weights and cardio machines to maintain my level of fitness. But lately, the gym frustrates more than invigorates. I’ve lost sight of my goals. It’s as if I use the gym to manage a phobia of reverting back to the soft and squishy math dork who couldn’t run a mile without breaking for a Tecate halfway.
But these days, I don’t want to simply burn beer calories; I want to enjoy the journey. That’s why running is so glorious: the mind is invigorated along with the body. The feet connect with the grass (or asphalt, or gravel), the eyes absorb the passing scenery (rather than a TV screen), the nose takes in the fresh air (or not so fresh if you’re running in London). Running feels like freedom. The gym feels like a scam.
So last week, when I discovered that my gym membership is 3-months delinquent, I took the opportunity to get out. So far, I miss my workout buddy, and I miss the action of lifting weights, an activity I found somewhat meditative in the amount of concentration it required. But I think I’ve found my goal: to maintain my fitness holistically. That is, to transition exercise from something I do at a gym to something that emerges naturally from my other life choices. In effect, the goal is to stop exercising altogether, but instead to be active in my day to day life.
I don’t need the gym to achieve personal health and fitness. So what do I need? Stay tuned for strategy.
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I’m all for the idea of becoming more active, naturally. Being a nature lover, I can completely understand the joy in running, or walking. Plus, it grounds a person, increasing the flow of your energy (something I learned in tai chi). A habit of good posture makes a big difference, too. I loved this post! I’ve been thinking along these same lines, looking forward to the garden and much more…