The energy of a team - something no home gym has
Dec 20 '00
My father is always mystified why when I return to our farm to visit I drive 20 minutes to a health club rather then work out at home. “We have 250 acres of land,” he says. “Most people would love to have this land. Why don’t you just exercise here?”
My Dad is right, I could exercise at the farm. After all, with that vast amount of unspoiled land there are plenty of natural ways I could burn some calories. I could go jogging, I could ride my mom’s bike, I could power walk, I could let my parent's hound walk me, I could cross country ski, I could even drive golf balls in the Spring (my dad is converting part of the farm into a golf course).
However, when I visit my hometown I choose to drive the extra miles and pay money (only $3 a day) to work out at a gym for the same reason I work out at a gym (and not in my apartment) back in Rochester: I exercise harder and better when I am amongst other people who are sweating too.
Perhaps this is because growing up I was always involved in scholastic sports. In elementary school I played soccer and softball and in high school I played varsity basketball and field hockey. I loved being on teams — sports like cross country, gymnastics, skating, or track were just not my “speed” because they were more individual. I loved the unity, spirit, power, and energy of being on a team — it pushed me to try my hardest all the time, whether it was in practice or the finals of the New York State women’s basketball championship (which my team made during my junior year of high school!!!!).
This is not to say that everyone who played team sports growing up prefers to work out in health clubs today rather then work out on their own. My father, for example, was an excellent high school, Division I, and minor league baseball player, but I don’t think he has ever set foot in a health club. To this day, he prefers to exercise in his own way (like chopping wood or lifting 1,000 pound marble slabs - no joke) without lots of people around. I, on the other hand, am the opposite. I work out at least five days a week in a health club and in a health club only.
Usually at the club I will do step aerobic classes three days a week and use cardiovascualar machines like the treadmill or Cybex machine on the off days. I also lift weights about twice a week. Yes, I could do all of these things in my apartment with the right equipment and video tapes, but, like I said, there is something about being among other people who are working out that makes me work out harder.
The majority of the time I'm at the club I do not even talk to or look at anyone else. I don’t try to call attention to myself by wearing butt thong things like you see in the Bally's commercials or makeup. I just go about my workout quietly and unassuming, but with focus and intensity. I’ll listen to my Fleetwood Mac, watch CNN or MTV on the club’s televisions, daydream, drink my water, etc. However, while I for the most part ignore everyone else there I am fully aware that there are other people around me sweating and grunting and pushing their bodies to the limit — all of which creates an energy and motivation in myself to work hard. This is an energy I cannot get when I work out on my own.
Now, just as everyone who works out has a favorite brand of sneakers that is JUST RIGHT for them (mine are New Balance by the way), everyone has a way and place of working out that is best for their bodies and minds. If you work out or think you would work out better alone, in the privacy and comfort of your own home that’s great! You will probably save money and be able to fit your workouts more easily into your schedule. You will also be able to work out even if a major blizzard prevents you from getting to the gym (oh the joys of living in Western New York!) I, on the other hand, know that working out with my own equipment is not for me and that barring a blizzard, driving to my health club is just the warm up to an hours worth of speed and drive.
Thanks for reading this Epinion. Like it or hate please just rate it!
~caurieanne
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Epinions.com ID:
caurieanne
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Location: Upstate New York
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 26 members
About Me:
I am a native upstate New Yorker and freelance writer who currently lives in Rochester.
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