Exercising rights are a mental thing; also a physical thing.
The mental part is realizing the benefits of the physical thing.
How often has someone doubted the benefits of either?
When they do cast doubt, they do it from a couch eating bonbons.
By now no one should have any questions about the benefits of exercise.
Sure there are those unconvinced because their workouts have never got them anywhere close to their unreasonable expectations, like losing weight and getting strong.
Why?
Because they didn’t change their diet.
They joined a gym for the company and never break a sweat.
Or, they have the wrong metabolism.
And it’s all valid. What isn’t valid are the expectations of expressing exercise rights.
If you can get up, then get up.
If you can get up and move around, then by all means do it.
But there’s no where in this world that you’re waking up to the thrill of an exercise routine and suddenly think you’re ready for the Paris Olympics.
How about the Olympic Trials? Nope.
Any professional league? Huh uh.
Run a marathon? Don’t do it just to say you did.
But if you have those things in mind, things that are over-achieving for your former self, keep up the momentum.
Working Out For The Next Generation
Before I got married I used the Portland State University gym.
It was full of strong men and women, athletes, and power lifters.
You could tell the professional staff, the teachers, instructors, and professors in the room.
They seemed interested in the other people there instead of focusing on their gains.
I worked in the neighborhood and got in there during lunch hour. I felt very virtuous.
One of the young women at work asked me about my workout, so we made a date after work.
She wasn’t used to seeing strong men and got distracted. It happens.
We went a few more times until it became clear she was working on more than her body; she wanted to work on mine.
She was nice, more than nice, but when does a gym date turn into something else?
I don’t know, because once she got straight on her purpose I ignored her.
Gym guys can be like that with their mono-focus.
Besides, I didn’t have time or room to fit her into my schedule.
She was a serious woman looking for a serious man and it wasn’t me.
I already knew how it would go if we spent more time together.
She would get overwhelmed thinking this was the one, that I was it, then I’d have to meet her parents, her friends, and the rest of the serious stuff.
Working around her was enough fun for anyone.
Once I was sitting on the couch in the break room and she came in behind me, covered my eyes with her hands, pressed her boobs against the back of my head and said, “Guess who?”
She was more than nice, so nice and so fun that any responsible guy wouldn’t take a chance at wrecking her happiness.
It wasn’t going to be me. I’d already wrecked enough happiness. All I was up for was gym company and that was fading fast.
Love the line that you kept it for three moves and then got rid of it- which was a workout in itself. I laughed out loud!
That’s the secret of the home gym, you get fit when you move it, or stay fit just to move it.
I think the guy I gave it to donated it to his church, which seems fitting.