Torture at the Gym

So I have been stepping up my workout routine lately. I have been trying to get back into the flow I had going prior to the play starting. Usually at lunch these days you will find me in the gym, trying to stave off the munchies or do a little bit extra to reach my goal. It's hard to stay motivated sometimes, but the good thing is that I no longer have the temptation of office provided snacks in the kitchen anymore. In my previous company they were kind enough to have snacks for the employees and as you can likely imagine, they were quite popular. Here though, other than the occassional time when donuts or bagels are brought in, it's a bit easier to maintain control. There is a gym on the ground floor where I have been going for the past few days.

I have been working out for quite some time now. I started during my final year in my undergrad and have been working out ever since. I have been lucky in that I have been able to (somewhat) maintain my weight though I am nowhere close to where I was a scant 8 years ago. As such, I can safely say that I am somewhat knowledgable when it comes to matters such as going to the gym and all. One thing almost any gym-goer will tell you is how much they hate doing cardio workouts. Cardio workouts include doing the bikes, treadmills or my favorite, the elliptical machines. You're basically not going anywhere no matter what speed you set; and if the scenery isn't moving, you sure are going to feel the time drag by.

When I first began working out I also used to walk on the treadmill my parents had bought. We had situated it near the TV so that it was possible to watch while working out. That was a huge motivator right there. I watched anything and everything and soon, my complaints of having to walk for 30 minutes disappeared and I began regularly walking for 45 minutes or more. When I started going to the gym full time I was happy to see that TVs were in the cardio room there too. However, when you aren't in control of the content, that's when it can become a bit.... torturous.

For example; I was at the gym yesterday and normally the television is tuned to either the news or something mindless enough that it is a sufficient distraction to make the time pass. When the World Cup was on, it seemed as if every treadmill, elliptical or whatever, was moving that much faster. In any case, it helps pass the time. Usually the elliptical I choose is situated such that I have a good view of either ESPN or the news (what can I say? I'm a nerdy sports fan). Yesterday, either by mistake (or intentionally) the program was tuned to the Food Network. Now I don't know about you, but I do enjoy eating good food and I do enjoy cooking. It was so hard to not get hungry after watching all this. The fact that I had my headphones on and was listening to music was good in that I couldn't hear the appetizing descriptions of what was being prepared but it was agonizing.

Finally, 45 minutes after I began, I hopped off the elliptical and dranks a tall glass of water. It helped re-hydrate me, but it also filled my stomach to prevent me from binge eating something I really shouldn't be. I found it funny how many times previously I had seen food commercials while working out but they never really affected me. But the sight of food being prepared was such a temptation that I was going nuts! One other thing I noticed about the channel was that there were such ironies going on. The cooking show chefs would always say, "Now add a leetle beet of budder" and then drop an entire stick into a pot. "Now stir; an' wee bee righ' back' after thees commercial," would be their words before a commercial break and then the first thing shown would be an ad for a weight loss company like Jenny Craig or Nutri System (Dan Marino, are things really that bad?).

I finally made it through the whole time and I showered and left the gym. I felt proud for having stuck things out and not breaking down (not completely breaking down anyways). It's a true test of will power and it's a good way to break that habit of eating all the time or eating the things that may not be good for you. I think I'll keep watching things like "Fear Factor". I definitely don't have motivation to eat roaches or beetles so I think I'd be motivated to keep running then.