I HATE GYMS

This is  not new news.

In fact, I have blogged about my loathing of gyms in the past.  (Click here.)

Right about the time of that 2011 blog post, I rediscovered running. I had sworn off of it in high school, thinking any running that did not include something like a basketball in front of you, or a field hockey stick in your hand was pointless and boring.  Fast forward in life – with a few teenagers in the house, I found that I absolutely LOVED the metaphor of “running away from home” each time I set out for an afternoon jog.  The kids would get home off the school bus, invariably sputtering angst and hormones, and I would lace up my sneakers and run away!

At some point in the run, I would start to remember that I had to run all the way back, too.  While my runs were not long, they were a healthy way to move through the turmoil of life with teenagers.

We survived high school.  We got the kids started off in college.  All was going swimmingly.

But.  The “but” that is ever present.

BUT:  as you make your way through these phases of life, you tend to forget that the passing phase is also passing years, and your body is aging.  More than the mind might like to believe.

Running is now over, and not by my choice.

So what to do in order to work through life’s latest phase?

One sister recommended swimming.  It really would be the best form of exercise for the ailments I am facing.

But.

God this sounds shallow, BUT:  after deciding to commit to accepting my curly hair, retiring the hair iron and the straightening products, the idea of having to deal with my hair TWICE in one day is just too much.

For admittedly shallow reasons, swimming is out.

I should have ridden my bike more when the weather was good.

But.

BUT: since I have not learned how to change a flat tire, I don’t just get out and ride on my own.

Out of laziness, riding my bike is out.

A recumbent bike is also an ideal form of exercise for my particulars.

But.

BUT: recumbent bikes are housed at gyms.

I hate gyms.