Finding What Floats Your Boat

My husband runs six miles a day, 13 at a clip on the weekends.

 

My husband's "toe shoes,"
worn without socks,
smell so bad, they live outside.

He’s into it, with those Vibram Five Finger shoes and an app on his phone. He reads about running.

If you ever see me running down the street, look for the person chasing me. He’ll be carrying an axe. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be running.

I’ve tried running many times over the years. It’s free, it’s convenient. And I hate it.

I’ve tried cycling. Here in Houston, you must have a death wish. Plus, I don’t like the little outfits.

I would really like to like swimming. But there’s the depilation, putting on a bathing suit, getting into a cold pool.

Some people, God bless ‘em, like to socialize while exercising. Not me.  So, exercise classes aren’t for me. Neither is exercising with a buddy.

However, perversely, I do want people around. If I had all the latest gym equipment at home, all of it would instantly become clothing racks.

Given all this, it might seem like I'd never manage to find exercise I will do. But I did and have been doing it for years.

This may sound sick to you (I can't get my husband to go), but I like going to the gym. I have a music player packed with very fast tempo songs (like the Hives). With that and the closed-caption TV and the people around me (with whom I have zero desire to interact), I’ve got just enough to engage my monkey mind.

The thing about exercise is that you have to pick something you like, or can at least tolerate. It may not be the free thing. It may not be the cool thing. But it has to be something you will do.

You might even come to like it.