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2010-04-04

Statutory Warning : This addiction is not injurious to health

When I mentioned to one of my friends that I was working out while on vacation in India - I was taken aback by his reaction. He said just one word which dint even mean anything closer to what I was looking for. He said - DEPRESSING...yes just one word -depressing!

For starters - I fail to understand how can being religious about workouts be termed as depressing. I would have rather expected someone to say “wow - that's impressive" because the hell it is. To drag yourself out of the bed early in the morning when you are on vacation and snuggled under your favorite comforter in your own bed...your own room - it does take a lot of effort to get up and go to the gym. But fortunately for me - depressing as it may sound to anyone - working out is an obsession.

I hate to join the bandwagon of people where they claim to be obsessed about their morning coffee, or evening runs irrespective of weather - but cant deny it - I have climbed the train full of people where we carry an obsession to survive.
To some, my obsession for working out comes across as an act, or rather an act to overact … but who cares!!!

I am no fitness guru - and neither my diet nor my body can contradict that. I don't intend to give any lectures on eating right and workout regimes. I hog like crazy and eat sweets in my sleep and don’t have a Victoria Secrets model-body ( oooo how I wish :) ) body that would say something. But all I know is that working out is an important and inevitable part of my daily routine.

The rising heart rate – gives me a certain high. One of my workout-buddies tells me it’s the secretion of the hormone “dopamine” that pulls us back and back yet again to the gym. Could be!!! But I don’t believe in all that. The reason I go to the gym is because now it is a part of my system as much as brushing teeth first thing in the morning.

I am not anorexic and won’t starve myself to death if by some unfortunate reason I missed my workout – but now I would definitely be highly “depressed”. It’s an addiction – yes – and a good one.

People have innumerable excuses for not working out – the one I find most stupid and funny is – what if I stop going to the gym, I will put on weight. But my dear excuse-maker – why even let that happen in the first place. Just the way nothing can stop you from gorging on food – nothing should come in between you and your gym.
There’s a certain freshness you feel after a workout inspite of all that sweat. It’s also an amazing stress-buster. And if something that offers you all this and as a bonus helps you maintain that bod of yours – why run away from it?

May be I talk more than I actually workout… but I know these talks have always made people around me feel guilty and at the same time - motivated. No one around me can escape the sourness that comes innately from within me – when they try to “boast” that they have been slacking about working-out or have been too busy. I think they are rather lucky to have me in their company… atleast my sarcasm and ranting works in their favor .They have nothing to lose by listening to me – actually I take that back – all they will lose is lethargy, stress and those calories !!! :)