I need to start exercising. I’m so horribly out of shape right now it’d be funny if it weren’t so sad. So I’m looking at my exercise options, and they look approximately like this:
Join a health club
Advantages: Lots of different exercise options, like a pool and various machines.
Disadvantages: Costly, hate working out in front of people, not really motivating.
Purchase some sort of home exercise object
Advantages: Only have to pay once, it’s at home so it’s easier to use.
Disadvantages: Nowhere to put it, it’s at home so it’s easier to ignore.
Join some sort of sports team
Advantages: Easier to get motivated when you have a team to play for.
Disadvantages: Have to fit work schedule around games/practices.
Start taking Tae Kwon Do again
Advantages: Really good workout, self-defense knowledge helpful, progression through belts motivates easily.
Disadvantages: Hideously expensive, have to figure out work schedule too.
Start running or biking
Advantages: Can be done on own schedule, dirt cheap.
Disadvantages: Will turn knees into gumbo, gets kind of chilly in winter.
Continue sitting on ass
Advantages: Cheap, easy, works in all seasons.
Disadvantages: Will remain fat and out of shape, plus ass still kind of sore.
I’m leaning towards joining a sports team or taking up Tae Kwon Do again, since I’m much more motivated by doing something that isn’t simply doing something for its own sake. Plus, these things feel more like sports than workouts. And workouts just feel silly to me.
I guess I just have a problem with the idea that running on a treadmill is satisfying. I guess after a while of getting used to it, it would be. And I was happy when I swam 1km a day when I was a junior in high school…I don’t know.
Maybe I’m just making up excuses to keep myself from actually doing anything about working out. I’ve done it before, and I’ll probably do it again.
I have to see what my financial and time situation is like after I’ve been working for a while. Then I’ll have a better idea of what I can afford to do and what I have time to do, which I can then compare to what I actually want to do.
And by then, of course, I’ll be way to busy to do any of it. And so the cycle of life continues…