Gym Monologue
The thing about the gym is that at the gym, unless you’re focusing on decreasing what you see on the scale, the numbers go up, not down. Your muscles get bigger. The weights you lift get heavier. The time you can hold a plank gets longer. The number of exercises you can master get more numerous. However, over the last few years, there are a few things I’ve come to love about the gym experience. Here are the top 9, in no particular order
1) Endorphins
Even though I sometimes have to force myself to go, I always enjoy that natural high after a good workout. That feeling of euphoria is a great reward for the hard work I’ve just put in. You never really regret going to the gym
2) Results
It’s a long, slow process, but the results do happen if you stick with it. My father compared it to working with clay… you start off with a shapeless lump; but, every time you go to the gym, you are splashing water on that clay and spinning it, and slowly shaping your body into the figure you desire. You can lose weight without exercising, but how much more will you enjoy a strong, fit body when you finally reach your goal?
3) Health
Every Monday, when I start a new week of working out, I feel stronger than the week before. I find that I can do a few more reps, go a little faster on the treadmill, or do an extra set of weight training than I was previously capable of doing.
4) Variety
Going to the gym means that I have a ton of options available to me, when it comes to my workout routine. I go to a gym that is very basic; but even so, there are quite a few different cardio machines, weight machines, circuit training, and even training classes provided that focus on every part of the body. Every time I start to get bored, I change things up and try something new. And some gyms offer many other resources, such as aerobic classes, spinning classes, yoga, zumba, basketball, swimming, saunas, and many other options.
5) Cost
As I mentioned above, my gym is pretty basic. There are classes, but no pool. It does have plenty of every kind of cardio machine and weight machine you could want, as well as free weights and space for doing floor work. All of this, and it only costs $30 a month with no contractual obligations.
6) Clear Mind
I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve had a rough day or was going through a difficult situation and resorted to the gym. It’s a place to go where you can clear your head or maybe even get anger out. You focus on getting a good workout in and work on yourself which forces you to forget everything else.
7) Availability
A lot of gyms these days, not including mine, are open 24 hours. So, there’s no excuse for not finding time to go, even if it’s only for 30 minutes. You can get a good sweat going after 30 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical, and even the busiest among us can find 30 minutes in a 24 hour day, at least twice a week, to spend at the gym. That’s another excuse solved. There are even daycare facilities at many gyms, for those who can’t find, or afford, a babysitter.
8) Challenges
Every week, I push myself just a tiny bit harder than I did the week before. I add a workout or to my abs routine, or I go a tenth of a mile an hour faster on the treadmill, or a higher amount of weight for benching. And sometimes I simply try to beat my own previous record, whether it’s an extra rep or maxing out the amount of weight I can do for one rep. Nothing makes me happier than setting a new personal record, and realizing how far I’ve come
9) Partners
My gym partner is my best friend. We motivate each other to go when the other one doesn’t feel like it. But he’s not the only gym partner I’ve ever had. Along the way, I’ve worked out with many different friends, and we’ve always managed to inspire each other to give a greater effort than we would have done alone. This makes the gym experience more enjoyable, and allows my competitive spirit to kick in.
I recently visited the 911 memorial museum. The experience is like no other. When I first arrived to see the gigantic holes in the ground with all the names of people who died around it, it hit me. I was standing in the exact spot where 16 years ago, the towers collapsed and people lives were taken. Upon arriving and being speechless and unable to move for a while, I made my way into the museum where it only gets worse. The museum is bigger than I expected and has all kinds of artifacts from that day. For example, they showed a fire truck from that day which was used. I kept moving and went into a room where they had pictures of every person that died along w a short summary of a loved one describing their lives a little. They described what kind of person they were and how they were related to the person who died. You can either look up people or sit in a dark room while a voice read out names one buy one and gave the brief summary. It was a chilling experience when each name was called out slowly, deliberately in a moderate tone voice. I finally made my way over to the timeline area where they go through each minute leading up to the planes. There was lots of video and places you can kind of duck in to watch short clips. It was loaded with information. One of the corners really got to me which was the suicide jumpers. Watching bobbies flying out of the building is something you don’t forget. Videos of the towers falling rapidly, crumbling like nothing is crazy too. Its almost hard to comprehend something that big falling. I can’t imagine the mess. The catastrophic event will forever be remembered, and I look at it from a different aspect knowing more information now. The devastation was unreal. I had a good experience at the memorial and museum.
