On exercise

There’s a great opening monologue in an episode of Seinfeld where Jerry is talking about working out and getting in shape.  Essentially, he surmises that everyone is working out and getting in shape simply to get through their workouts.  Aside from exercising itself, we really don’t have anything to get in shape for, so we’re sweating away at the gym simply to prepare for tomorrow’s workout.

The whole thing makes me laugh because, well, it’s true.  Once you graduate from the high school and/or college sports arena you really don’t have a whole lot of reasons to stay in shape.  Aside from all the health benefits associated with regular exercise, of course. 

I just find it somewhat ironic that if I unintentionally miss a day of exercise I fret and worry and generally feel bad.  And yet, I’m not training for a marathon, I’m not involved in any organized sports, and I don’t have to rely on my legs to get me to work each morning, so missing one day of working out probably isn’t the worst thing that could happen in my world. 

Part of it is psychological.  When I exercise I feel better, so by the simple law of mathematics the more I work out the better I feel.  But I also like to just “stay in shape.”  In shape for what, though?  For cruising the aisles at the grocery store?  For walking up and down the stairs at work?  What am I getting in shape for?  In reality it’s nothing.  I’m getting in shape simply for the sake of getting in shape, and while that is a great thing sometimes when I stop and think about it I just can’t help but laugh. 

I’m really not sure where I’m going with this one.  And maybe that’s okay.  Sometimes it’s good to linger on the path of rambling thought just to see where you might end up. 

I suppose on some level the whole exercise deal has been ingrained in me since I was little.  I played sports for god knows how many years and was essentially always “in season.”  Working out is just a part of my life.  And while it isn’t always something I enjoy doing or look forward to, I still feel better about myself when I step off the treadmill and start to catch my breath. 

It feels like an accomplishment.  And that is so important.  Because that means even on my worst day, when nothing is going right, I know that I can throw on my gym clothes, fire up the treadmill, and see just how far I can go.  Each day I can always go a little farther than the one before, and sometimes that’s all it takes to brighten up a dark day.

So maybe it’s not for nothing after all.