One Month of Exercise, and Gathering Momentum

Last night was a month of going to the gym. And here is a little secret. I am really enjoying the experience. Today I said to my wife, “only one more day this week, and it is a gym day, so I can get through that.” You might be thinking, “hey, Tim, it is only Thursday, so you have two more days, I know you are awful at math, but this might be a new low.”

True, my friend, too true, all of the above, I am awful at math, it is only Thursday, and there are two whole work days left. Let me explain my “reasoning” though. Once the alarm succeeds in waking, and forcing me from the safety and comfort of a warm, wonderful bed that day no longer counts. Since the worst part, the alarm, is over the rest of the day is just a walk down life’s path to the next loving embrace of sleep.

I have this theory that we need to change the way time is measured. Instead of the traditional passing of days, we need to measure it in Alarm Clock occurrences. You see, alarm clocks are the number one cause of death in the “civilized” world, causing more stress related illness than morning production meetings, or dentist appointments. Not that any society that uses alarm clocks should be called “civilized!” Ungodly, evil things, the work of Satan, I am sure… Ooops, sorry, I have a series of posts planned for my “More efficient method of measuring time, and its passing.” You will want to stay tuned for that.

Anyway, tomorrow is Friday, which is great, and a workout day which is great, too. I really look forward to the exertion, and work. Exercise carries its own rewards, helps reduce stress, and it just makes me feel better. I take the stairs at work more, and bring vegetables in my lunch. I have become the kind of person I used to ridicule. And, I don’t care.

Last night was “Siege Warfare” from “Ancient Warfare Magazine” and a long run on the treadmill. It turns out that sometimes the forces inside the city won because the surrounding army would run out of food. This was surprising. Most times you read about the besieged people starving, maybe that makes more compelling history. Often negotiations ended the siege long before either side had a chance to run out of most things, and if negotiations failed both sides employed espionage to win the day. What the world needs, really, is more history podcasts. Somebody should look into that.

My oldest son, who has been going to the gym for quite a while told me I should push myself a little harder when using the resistance machines. He feels that 10 repetitions (reps to us workout guys) should be all you can accomplish, that if you are not straining to get the last one, there is not enough weight. So last night I added twenty pounds to everything. I found out my oldest son can be a jerk. When I was done my sides ached, and my arms and legs were like lead. But, this morning, I feel really good. Maybe he isn’t so bad, after all.

But, enough about me. What did you bring for lunch today?

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This post was previously published on Life Explained and is republished here with permission from the author.
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