How I learned to love the gym (guest post).

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Please to enjoy some Sunday motivation from my friend, Stephanie.

Author of MY FORMERLY HOT LIFE: Dispatches from Just the Other Side of Young.

THE BONFIRE OF MY VANITY OR HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE THE GYM

Weekends, getting to the gym is always a struggle. Today, Sunday, is no exception.

Back before I was an adult tween—no longer a young person, but definitely not old, either–I was pretty good about it.

I’d go four, five times a week, even when I was feeling a little logy.

No, especially when I felt a little logy, because I chose to believe what all the women’s magazines I write for have said: working out gives you energy, even as you expend energy climbing endlessly to nowhere on a machine made by someone who must have had a terrible childhood. The theory defies everything I learned in Mr. Budin’s physics class at in high school, but then, I was never very good at physics, and I needed as many reasons as I could muster to get my fanny on the cardio machine.

I worked out as much as the masochists experts say you should not because I’m so virtuous or an athlete or find the “scene” scintillating or enjoy watching striving macho men do things with weights that are only going to make our health care crisis worse.

No, I went to the gym for two simple reasons.

1) I was just vain enough (I look better when I exercise) and 2) just mentally unstable enough (I’m in a better mood after I’ve worked out ) to know that if I don’t, I will become someone I can’t be around. Which is a problem considering I’m stuck with myself, and so are my kids and arguably, my husband.

I went to the gym in the same spirit in which I brush my teeth: There is little enjoyment but not doing it wasn’t an option, either. I felt gross when I didn’t go.

Hence my dilemma.

I’m becoming less vain as I get older—overall, an excellent development, one I that gives me a sense of peace and relief, but one which is nonetheless significantly reducing my desire to exercise.

I no longer feel terribly gross when I skip the gym for a day, two, or even three.

In fact, it feels like the natural order of things—why would I go to the gym, really, when it’s not going to make as much of a difference in my appearance as it used to? My second reason for going to the gym is still there (I’m still plenty depressive) but now that I care a bit less about how I look, the ratio of vain to blue is off.

Does this mean I need to become more depressed and emotionally off-balance to compensate for caring less about my looks, to ensure I get a healthy amount of exercise?
I hope not, because then I’m just a hop and a skip and a deep global recession away from bag-lady city.

For all I know, that woman who wears everything she’s ever owned and mutters to herself on the street was a 43-year-old mom of two who simply lost her vanity, upped her mental instability, saw her 401-K go down the crapper and now gets her exercise by wandering from homeless shelter to homeless shelter.

Sorry, I have to go.

To the gym.

Now.

And I cannot wait to get there.

Check out Stephanie’s videos here (especially Body Image & the Ass) & PRE-ORDER her book, My Formerly Hot Life, at Amazon now.  You know you wanna…

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Comments

  1. I am just starting the journey where I no longer feel horribly gross if I skip the gym.

    Is it an addiction if I feel better when I start my day here as a mental workout LOL

    Fun guest post!

  2. Reason number to is why I exercise.

    Running is my prozac (yes I have the tee).

    Have a great sunday, Mizzy.

    • Yes! Running is my Prozac! I saw the bumper sticker and now live by the motto! Where can I get the shirt??

  3. Great to meet you Stephanie!

    Loved how this all led into homelessness (I’ve never made that connection with not working out before!!)! Saw very real examples of homelessness recently….hmmmm….all of a sudden…I think it’s time for me to get that workout in!

  4. OK
    I am heading to the gym this morning.

    Now, anyway.

    Love the weekend guest post treat, Miz!!

  5. I MUST get the “Running Is My Prozac” t-shirt. Nice guest post. A nice read before my morning run.

  7. I exercise for the same reason I do the laundry. It’s there, and it has to be tended to, or I pay a price.

    Hope I can keep enough ahead to not become that homeless lady.

  8. You know, there are always people that say a gym membership is cheaper than therapy, and I am SO with them! It’s true for me, if I can do some cardio every day (which, by the way, I HATE) then the voices in my head quiet down. My anxiety dulls. I can sleep through the night. I’ve been working out consistently for a year now, and though I’m not sure my body LOOKS a lot different, my soul is definitely much more healthy.

  9. I have a running shirt (parting gift from pal when I moved (again)) that says “Cheaper than therapy” and in small print “Nike running.” SO true. However, I made the mistake of wearing it camping where (by coincidence) friends we hang out with are ALL therapists. I just needed a long-sleeved shirt and paid no attention. They noticed. Oops. Sorry, gang! But running (when I did it regularly) was v. therapeutic. Quick and effective and FREE!

  10. The older I get, the less it has to do with vanity. But, I must say I don’t really need exercise for therapy; I’m a pretty happy person, with or without exercise. But I do need it for PHYSICAL therapy. Without exercise, I’d have a bad back, chronic indigestion, and the reflexes of a slug.

  11. LOVE this post and your writing! Ha, just this morning I woke up from the alarm to go workout, and rolled over thinking “eh, nah” 🙂

    • i’ll never wear the young hip clothes of the healthy bodied. Those days are over now that i’m over 40. Just not appropriate.

      I’ve lost the days to enjoy my daughter at the beach because i’m too worried what others are thinking of the whale in the one piece and pick ole cover up over her.

      So why am i going to the gym today?

      For me.

      For the days to come where I won’t have to miss out on ANYTHING.

      For the oh so gorgeous fitted blazers that style up a 40+ woman.

      And for the lululemon bra.

    • Thanks for the comment! And there’s always more where that came from at formerlyhot.com. Hitting the snooze button is the story of my life . . .

    • Thanks for the comment! And there’s always more where that came from at formerlyhot.com. Hitting the snooze button is the story of my life 🙂

  13. I always feel better after I exercise whether I really wanted to do it or not.. even that friggin cardio. I love the weights like Miz though! I do have to say that even though I have never had a baby, I still think being in the gym and/or doing exercise/weights makes a huge difference as we age & being 52, I have seen many stages along the way. Keep it up no matter what. It will pay off in the long run! 🙂

    On that homeless person, I have thought that too!

  15. I used to hate the gym and I went because I should.

    Then I got into a rhythm where I went because I wanted to, I wanted the release, the space, the release.

    I lost that for a bit and I’m slowly finding it again. I can’t do it for vanity but my mental health needs it.

    I actually went to the gym both weekend days this weekend and I’m glad I did.

  16. On a good day I go to the gym and feel amazing when I’m done. On a bad day..same thing. It’s my drug of choice and perhaps my Prozac too.It’s my safe place if you will.

    It keeps me sane and balanced for the most part.

    🙂

    MizFit..Love your blog and just realized you live here in Austin:) Very cool…

    cheers

    B

  17. I go to the gym because it helps me sleep better, though not through the night. It keeps me sane (arguable) and off anti-depressants, makes my body strong and flexible. Not to mention, I can eat more.

  18. Thanks to everyone who commented! Glad you enjoyed the post and it spurred many of you to hit the gym or the pavement. Would love to here more from you all at formerlyhot.com!

  20. I hate it when folks just copy and paste comments…A large amount of people just comment to secure a backlink, however, I can’t blame them because backlinking is one of the fundamentals to get yourself a good pagerank and visitors. If however the comment is pertinent to your topic, then it’s actually a much better backlink than just a simple copy and paste also, the importance of having loads of comments can be so big. Thanks for your post.

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