Truth be
told, it’s mostly hate. Oh, before you judge, you should know that I was one of
those twenty-somethings who used to wake up at the crack of dawn to go to the
gym before then working my 9-5 job on Wall Street. Ah, the good old days…
waking up at 4:45 a.m. in my tiny Hell’s Kitchen apartment to throw on my gym
clothes and walk to Times Square where I waited outside the old Army recruiting
station for the Broadway bus to take me downtown. (It was the 90s, folks, and
getting on the subway at 5:00 a.m. seemed terrifying to me. Or I was just a
wuss.) I felt so powerful and proud… awake and on-the-go while most of NYC was
quiet and sleepy. These days, the only thing I do at 5:00 a.m. is head to the bathroom for my early morning pee before going right back to sleep!
Something
has definitely changed over the years with my former love of exercising. Now
that I’m on an eating program aka Weight Watchers (http://jewoppy.blogspot.com/2017/02/i-am-colorful-and-so-is-my-food.html), exercise has become a part of my regular routine again. And even though I’ve tried
to convince myself I was enjoying it and getting into it… I’m NOT. I do NOT
like it… at ALL. I’m sorry but I don’t want to stand next to some sweaty, stinky
person on the elliptical as they frantically pedal away to some imagined
destination in their head. Guess what pal… all the pedaling in the world ain’t
gonna get you to the Bahamas. I equally dislike getting on the treadmill and
glancing over at someone who’s already been on there for over AN HOUR – ever
hear of the law of diminishing returns? If you want a long run, try running
outside… or better yet, don’t eat that piece of chocolate mousse cake the night
before so you don’t have to feel guilted into running for three hours to burn
it off! Seriously. Or what about the exercise classes? At least those offer an
alternative to the monotonous routine of the equipment. True, but usually the
music is so abominable that I cannot get into it. Who wants to work out to an even
more pumped up version of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It”? Not me. (And
yes, an instructor was playing that song yesterday during one of her classes.)
I think
we’ve all become obsessed with exercising to a point where it’s not even
healthy – at least mentally anyway. As already evidenced, I’m not currently
obsessed, but I used to be. I would go to the gym even if I had a fever and was
hacking up a lung. I was literally addicted
to exercising. I’ve decided I don’t want to feel that way anymore. I would
rather find alternate ways of exercising that I actually enjoy.
What about
dog walking? After all, I am a dog
walker. You say “But dog walking is so slow. How can you really feel a burn
with that?” Point is, you don’t. But when you do seven walks in one day, trust me that there is some kind of burn by
the end of it! And I was in the best shape of my life to boot. These days, I
don’t do as many walks, but it’s still a good way to keep my body (and my
metabolism) moving. And I get to spend time with fur babies. Hello! We all know
how much I love to do that.
And of
course there’s hiking. I LOVE hiking. I’ve climbed mountains in other
countries, as well as this one, and it never gets old. And it is HARD work. I
once laid down on Mt. Olympus in Greece and cried because I didn’t think I
could go any further. (Thankfully, I was wrong.) Even if there is no mountain
involved, hiking gives me a natural high and certainly gets my blood
pumping. And in the summer, you can find
great places to go hiking AND swimming!
And then
there’s running… I’ve had a lifelong love affair with running. Although I could
barely run a mile in high school, I have since changed my ways. Admittedly I
don’t enjoy running on a treadmill, but I absolutely adore running outside for
many of the same reasons I love hiking. There’s always something to look at and
keep your attention away from any pain you might be feeling. With hiking you
get to look at the wonders of nature, and with running I get to look at the
wonders of NYC and there is a lot to wonder at, very often in the most humorous
of ways. I used to do a six-mile run in Central Park and it was one of the
favorite parts of my day. I didn’t really feel like I was exercising. Running
can be euphoric for me… the “runner’s high” really is a thing. I’ve had some amazing conversations and heart to heart
talks while running with my pals. (Yes, I’m talking about you Michele!) It can
almost be a spiritual experience.
And that’s kind of where I’m at
now… trying to find ways to exercise where I forget I’m exercising. So maybe
that means I need to go find some 80s music night at a club and dance, dance,
dance! (Dancing is yet another thing I get overjoyed about.) Or try roller
blading (yes my nerdy self owns a pair of roller blades) on Saturday or Sunday
afternoons in Central Park where they still do a roller disco party (http://cpdsa.org/our-story/).
It’s been going on for over twenty years and it’s super fun. And yes, great
exercise.
And all this being said, I know
that I still have to do some of my exercising at a gym or in a classroom. I
recently purchased a yoga mat for that purpose and am looking forward to giving
that a whirl. But for any of you folks out there who feel like me and want to
take the work out of their workout…
spring is around the corner. Let’s get outdoors and find creative ways to find
the love in our exercise routines. Look for me in Central Park – I’ll be the
one taking breaks to pet dogs. FYI, that's my version of interval training...
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