Occasionally I complain that I don't get enough sleep because I get up so early. And I complain when my muscles are so sore I can't perform basic tasks like walking down stairs or washing my hair. But for the most part, I love working out. I look forward to it. Really.
So I've started to get slightly annoyed by the universal assumption that I'm torturing myself as means to some all important end.
1. When I mentioned that I go to my gym every morning to someone I'd just met, he said something like, "Well, you'll be happy when you get results." He said it pretty innocuously, but I bristled. Is his implication that I'm fat and out of shape and am spending a major portion of my free time working out so that I can fix that? He clearly assumes, (though I smiled when I told him,) that I don't want to go to the gym. Does he assume that because I'm fat? Is that just the universal assumption about exercise in our society? I decided he was too new an acquaintance to have that political argument, so I kept smiling and said, "I'm happy about it now," and let him interpret that as he chose.
2. A co-worker, with whom I've spoken about my training and early morning schedule a lot said, "You're torturing yourself so much these days."
3. Almost every article I read online or in magazines about fitness is about motivating yourself to work out or forcing yourself to work out. They are always from the point of view that you don't want to do this, but you should.
Don't get me wrong. I know I'm one of those people. I've spent most of my life in that place where I had to motivate myself to exercise because I thought I should. It was hard. Arguing with myself about whether or not to exercise was damn hard work. But even then, exercising wasn't. I always enjoyed it while I was doing it, and always felt good when it was done. It was only the thinking about it part that was hard. I like to think that if, when I was still in that place, someone had talked about working out as a joy, an indulgence, a way of pampering myself (the way people talk about going to spas or eating chocolate ice cream) I would have had an easier time with the decision.
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2 comments:
You're in the same position as people that are vegetarians/vegans (hang on, this will make sense). People think that you are "denying" yourself by not eating meat and dairy- when you know that you are making the only correct choice for yourself and there is no denial.
Enjoy your workouts and thank your lucky stars that you do enjoy it. All those people- are the ones that will clog up the gym the first two days of every month- and will then disappear.
I just found your blog and I *had* to comment on this entry.
The reactions you've had from people who "just don't get it" are exactly why I never talk to my colleagues about my gym routine - even though the fact that, because I use public transport, I lug a big gym bag (plus sometimes a smaller bag for my boxing gloves) to work every day.
I agree with Kat - pity those who don't get it and move on!
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