I know I’m opening a BIG can of
worms by asking that question, but I think it NEEDS to be asked. And with that
said, I will full out admit that I am neither. I actually need to be more fit,
and I have been spending a lot of time at the gym trying to make that happen.
I’ve already talked about my love/haterelationship with exercise a few months ago, and believe me, there is still
plenty of hate going on! But I’ve come to a kind of peace about my exercise
routine, and at times I almost ENJOY going to the gym. The gym is the place
where it’s acceptable to be stinky and sweaty, although no one really wants to be standing next to the
aforementioned stinky and sweaty individual. Speaking of which, boy do I sweat!
It feels good though, knowing that I’m pushing myself hard and challenging
myself to do better with every workout. The question is… how much is TOO much?
Spending
more time at the gym has allowed me to observe people’s bodies as well as their
workout routines. What else is there to do when you’re standing on the
elliptical pedaling away? I watch people pumping iron to the nth degree, and I
am reminded of the ABC Wide World of Sports promo back in the late 1970s, where
you see a clip of a man victoriously lifting an enormous barbell over his head.
Does “The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat” mean anything to you? If not,
watch this: https://youtu.be/P2AZH4FeGsc. I don’t know about you, but it gives
me chills to watch athletes persevere against all obstacles. I admittedly get
teary whenever I see an athlete WIN. Win what, you ask? I could care less. I’m
a sobbing mess. I guess it’s because at the end of the day we all want to be
winners and seeing someone else come out on top means there’s a chance it can
happen for us too.
And maybe
that’s what drives these people I’m watching at my gym. They also want to
experience the “thrill of victory”. But at what cost? Some of these people
seriously look like they need to take a few days off, if you ask me! Come on, gentlemen… when your muscles have muscles and you look like you’re ready
to bust out of your t-shirt like the Incredible Hulk, I think a line has been
crossed. I know some people find that look attractive. I, however, do not. You
do not need to be sooooo muscular that you look like you might topple over from
the sheer weight of your upper body!
Social
media only intensifies our obsession with our bodies and being fit. We all know
that once we put something out there on the “world wide web”, it’s OUT THERE.
And we darn well wanna look good when we do it. Hence, all the photos on
Facebook or Instagram with people posing in their Sunday best with a caption about
how excited they are to be at XYZ
event. Subtext: “Hey world, look at me! Don’t I look GREAT?” And knowing that
someone might share your photo puts even more pressure to always look your
best. But what does best really mean
anyway?
My gym has
a CrossFit room where you actually need special access to enter. It even has
its own membership. Ooo la la! These people give a whole new meaning to
training. I was doing stomach crunches in the exercise room one morning, and
all of a sudden there was a thud so loud that the floor underneath me literally
vibrated and my heart nearly stopped. I panicked, thinking, “Did a BOMB just go
off?” Silly me. Moments later I realized it was just the CrossFit folks
dropping a weight onto the floor. ExCUSE me? Newsflash: If the weight is too
heavy for you to put it down without sounding like the building is about to be demolished,
then you SHOULDN’T BE LIFTING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Being fit
is amazing. It’s something we can strive to be at ANY age. My mom often walks around
town instead of using her car to run errands. She wants to make sure her
body stays active and fluid. That’s wonderful. But when you’re lifting insane
amounts of weight to make your muscles’ muscles have even MORE muscles or
you’re running so fast on the treadmill you might actually fly off the back, I
think there is a problem. I see a nutritionist who was also a professional body
builder early on in his career. He has
repeatedly told me, exercise is good for your health, but what you eat is critical to staying trim and fit. All the exercise
in the world isn’t going to get rid of those love handles. Cutting carbs, however,
WILL.
So for all
you super muscular people out there who think they HAVE to look that way… you
don’t. Work out. Eat right. Be FIT. But no need to look like Popeye the Sailor
man. After all, Popeye is a cartoon
character. And last time I checked, we’re living in the real world where
people have REAL bodies. And lord knows, if nothing else, my body is REAL. And
on that note, I’m off to the gym to make my flabby body a little LESS flabby!
No comments:
Post a Comment