Working It Out

Posted by Manda(rific) on August 13, 2011 in Assorted Ramblings, Ramble | 1 comment

Some people like to exercise. I am not one of those people.

I never played sports as a kid. I spent most of my time in front of the computer or on a stage or reading books. I don’t “work out.” I get worn out when I run for more than 10 yards. Lifting weights are too much work.

It’s funny though, as I’ve gotten older (those of you in the older-than-me peanut gallery can keep your traps shut) I’ve started to realize that Working Out Doesn’t Have To Suck. In fact, I don’t even have to “work out.” Last summer when I was biking everywhere and hooping all the time, I was in pretty impressive shape. I wasn’t even trying to work out. I was trying to have a good time and get to work without running over tourists in my Celica.

At any rate, I picked up my hoop for the first time in months this morning – sad, considering that I haven’t hooped all summer and it’s nearly fall, but it was nice. I didn’t even pick up the big hoop – I went for the two small ones I bought at the Dollar Tree ages ago with the intent to work on my hand work/weaving until I could afford to get a nice set of twins¹. I put on some Lady Gaga. I sweat.

It’s funny, I always looked at working out or exercise as something that had to be torture to be useful. It’s not supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to be healthy. Sort of how salad is supposed to taste absolutely terrible unless drenched in some kind of fattening sauce. But that’s the trick, I think: you’re supposed to like being healthy, so maybe you should like exercise.

Me, I like hooping. I love hooping. The first workshop I ever attended involved lots of talk about your chakras and hippie stuff like that. I dig that. I totally believe it. Hooping makes me feel relaxed, grounded, like I’m in some kind of amazing spiritual shape. Not only do I feel like I’m burning calories, but it just makes me happy. I tried hooping in front of the mirror earlier. I am not a smile-y person. I think I come off grumpy more often than not. But man-oh-man could I even see on my own face that I was having fun.

I think it’s important to do something that you enjoy that’s considered exercise. It’s good for the soul. It makes you happy. If you try running every day and you hate it, maybe that’s not for you. That’s not going to do you any good. Me, I’d be so pissed off from having to run, I’d probably go eat a dozen cupcakes injected with Baileys to drown my sorrows in food and liquor. That’s useless.

So, I dance. I do what everyone probably has done at some point in behind closed doors in front of a mirror² and just let loose and have fun. I’m telling you. Good for the soul.

Any other exercise-haters out there? What’s your secret? Yoga? Squirrel Shotput? Any other hippies out there?

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1. Hoops, not children.

2. Oh, quit being perverse.