Why don’t I go to the gym?

It’s a good question.

There’s some philosophical thinking in the answer to this question.

To start, I have to say that I absolutely WILL go to the gym soon. My weight lifting experience has evolved to the point where I really would like some guidance from an expert.

But there are problems at that gym. At least for some of us.  The atmosphere and attitude at the gym can be off setting. There are people at the gym who are very successful and ambitious about their workouts. It can be intimidating. I know that we shouldn’t judge ourselves against others, but it can really take away your appetite.

I will say that I believe that once you jump in, the discomfort will dissipate, and you’ll feel right at home. At least I hope that’s how it will be, because I intend to find out.

But for others of us, the expense, the travel time, the inconvenience, all are reasons for us to seek fitness in our own homes. It was certainly this way for me. I was facing extreme financial challenges when I began my workout program. I didn’t even buy new weights, as I explained in an earlier post. Since I had no agenda, no goal of health or fitness, I relished the privacy of that little corner of our basement storage room. My workout was strictly my own, and I made all the rules.

This manner of working out on my own became a magical experience. I’ll talk later about how I learned more about weight lifting and how my routine evolved, but I’ll say here that I was immediately amazed at how the work I was doing intuitively turned out very close to what many trainers would have told me to do. That is very significant to me.

From the very start, I’ve done exactly what seemed to feel right and feel good. I’ve challenged myself, but I haven’t’ sought to kill myself. I’ve tried to maintain a level of work and heart rate, I’ve tried to stretch and warm up and I’ve kept myself hydrated. I’ve notice if a particular exercise bothered a joint or muscle or tendon, and I’ve moved those exercises to a different slot in the lineup. In only a couple of weeks I had a really good workout program and list of exercises that I liked to do. I would sweat like a pig and my heart pounded in my chest. It felt really, really good.

We’ll go into detail about my actual workout next.

But the point here is that I accomplished a truly satisfying and effective working in a corner of a storage room in the privacy of my own home with second hand weights.

Yes, I’d like better equipment and a larger space for my exercise. Yes, I’m going to go to the gym and seek some expert training.

All this will be documented as a part of this blog, as will my trip to the doctor for medical advice.  The message I hope to convey is that you, the tubby middle aged person, can challenge your tubbiness, become more fit, look better, feel better, and have lots and lots of fun in the process.