Walking in a Winter Wonderland

So, yesterday, bright and early, I packed for the day including gym clothes for when my work day was over. I had gone the day before and was determined to overcome my overwhelming hatred of everything gym-like and actually make use of my year membership. I'm not sure what it is about the gym that I dislike so much - I've tried for years to adjust. Maybe it's the mass of people on quasi-torture like machines stuffed in spandex looking like they're in pain or having birth. Maybe it's knowing that I have to wait in line to actually become that person myself. Maybe it's just aesthetically crappy.

Either way, by the end of the day yesterday, I had completely talked myself out of going to the gym. The weather was crappy and I was tired. Yet as I hopped on the #6 bus, the guilt began to gather. I had promised myself that I would really try to keep going, and here I was on Wednesday skipping out. So as soon as I got to my apartment I changed into workout clothes, and spent 1/2 hour doing lunges, situps, medicine ball work, and pushups. Yet, at the end, the guilt was even worse - saturating my comfortable apartment and forcing me into my warmest clothes to go for a run/walk outside in 3 inches of snow. As I grabbed my Ipod, I looked over to my chubby kitty. He was on his back, tummy in the air, licking his favorite green fur toy - oblivious to my need to exercise.

It started, really, as an exercise in futility. Snow and ice everywhere. But stubborness prevailed, and I managed a workout of about 40 minutes - I decided when two cars slid on the ice and collided about 5 feet from me, that I'd had enough.

I also had a minor, if significant, epiphany. A major reason that I detest the gym so much is because of the monotony. You run, but you don't go anywhere. You don't talk to anyone really, but there are people everywhere. Last night, I had good tunes, a beautiful night sky, and great scenery - I enjoy seeing the people out and getting to know my neighborhood. I like running and actually going somewhere. Granted, those preferences will probably play second fiddle when the snow reaches over a foot and the temperature dips into the negatives numbers. Then, off to the gym. Maybe I'll get used to it, or then again, maybe I'll just whine about it until the spring..haha.