Olympian in Training

I originally wanted to post this as part of the previous post, but found I had more to say and decided to split the two. Lucky you, two back to back posts.

I have not once been to a gym. I don't lift weights. I don't do treadmills. None of it. Why? It doesn't make sense to me. Why should I pay to exercise? Isn't the exhaustion and fatigue the price I pay for staying in shape? No pain, no gain. Or if you're a gym member, no monthly fee, no pain, no gain. I should clarify that I do pay a small monthly fee to use the university's recreational facility. I do this so that I can play racquetball and basketball on nice courts. I also have access to the climbing wall, aquaplex  and other facilities I never use. Now that the commercial is over, I can say that the majority of the center is dedicated to workout equipment. I walk by these people every time I shoot hoops. There is always someone on every machine doing a simple repetitive task they could easily do without the machine. I can easily walk in place for an hour or walk up the same set of stairs without spending a single cent. My favorite are the guys lifting weights. If they want to do heavy lifting I have some boxes in my garage they could move. I mean, these are the reverse moving guys. Outside of the gym, if I want heavy lifting done, I pay the movers, they don't pay me.

I like to exercise in ways that don't feel like a chore. I do this via sports and other activities. If I'm going to be active, it might as well be entertaining. I don't get the appeal of using a treadmill. If I'm going to be walking I might as well go somewhere. The gym to me is like a place for people to exercise with training wheels. They can't quite do it on their own and still need some help from machines. Personal trainers are like their parents pushing them from behind. Some people get so excited and are so committed to fitness, they have home gyms. They pay thousands of dollars for all the machines they use at a gym, stock their basement or other empty room with this equipment, and then never use it.