Having Control Over Changing Your Life

One of the underlying themes in my blogs, I think, is self-improvement. As my summer classes are coming to an end, and I still haven't found a job, I've been really thinking about joining a gym or something. The gym I used to go to called me up the other day offering $19 a month with no inscription fee, but I don't even know if that's particularly good. I had left that gym because a lot of their machines were usually broken; it was hard to get a spot to work out in especially around rush hour with limited spots.

After experimenting with jogging, yoga, the cookie diet, and even deciding whether to wear makeup or not, I've gotten to the point where I feel like I need to do something. I've started to think about joining a cycling class, or try out pilates, something different. I've never done either so maybe what I could really use is change, and maybe my body will respond positively to it. Maybe I need something different from just jogging, or eating 106-calorie cookies meal replacements, and find something new and innovative. Really, I think the core reason for my laziness and lack of motivation is that I haven't been excited about sports for a while.


Some of the advantages I see in being active are things like clearing one's mind, getting that sense of accomplishment, getting the sense that that you're contributing to something better for yourself. There's something about saying, "I went to the gym today" that makes you seem like you take care of yourself, you're somewhat of an athlete, and you seem to make smart choices. I don't know why it makes me think of this, but it's definitely something I'd want to exhibit. It also got me curious, so I asked a couple people about their opinions about working out.


I spotted one of my friends sitting with some buddies at a table at school. I went to go say hi and introduced myself to his friends. My friend Kyle was sitting down with Isabel and Mark. I asked them if I could ask them a quick question, explaining that it was for my Social Context class, and they understood. We just had a quick dialogue as a group about the idea of going to the gym.


Kyle began by saying that for guys, going to the gym was an appearance thing. "It's all about the arms," he claimed, and I didn't disagree with him. He did however, agree with me that it helps him clear his mind. He said sometimes he goes in to the gym in a terrible mood, and after about half an hour of doing weights he could already feel better.


Isabel was enrolled in a gym last year but didn't like the experience. She didn't like the idea of just running in place for 20 minutes, or lifting stuff repeatedly until she saw results. She said she much preferred sports, or some kind of strategy game to work out. I have to agree with her, but once women hit 18, a lot of girls stop sports. Teams because more mixed, people can't make some games, there's a lot less commitment. I don't have a problem playing against 35-year-olds, for example, but I would prefer playing with people my own age. She countered by saying that at school there are some teams that consist of women much closer to her age, which is true, but again the levels of competition could vary.


Finally, Mark told me about how he likes going to the gym for mostly the same reasons as Kyle, but simultaneously because he and his friends go there together. It's kind of like a guy hang-out thing. He said, however, that his girlfriend has never been to a gym. She thinks that the enclosed space is smothering, and so she much prefers outdoor sports like hiking and skiing, stuff like that. As he was telling me that, I couldn't help but feel like outdoor sports are kind of boring... I feel like I would get bored just walking around by myself, not seeing other people working out around me. Maybe the only outdoors sports I would consider would be biking and snowboarding.
Anyways, after I took mental notes about our conversation, I thanked them and headed home. Isabel and Mark both kind of brought up the monotony of going to the gym, and Kyle and Mark both mentioned how going to the gym is good for appearance and clearing one's head. Sometimes going to the gym can be a social thing too. But I'm just looking for physical exhaustion and mental willingness. I'm looking into a pilates school, a YMCA that just opened up, and a Femme Fitness. I think initiating research is already half the battle.

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The image is from Google.