The Gym Is My Salvation

Being without a job means your new job is finding a new job. It takes a long time. It can be tedious. It can be frustrating. But there’s another job I’ve also been focusing on in my full-time work hiatus. That is improving myself physically.

As I write this on a hot Monday afternoon, I’m donning a pair of overpronate running shoes, white shorts with blue and orange trim and a blue Syracuse Orangemen T-shirt. It is my gym apparel and I love putting it on and making the 5-mile drive over to Planet Fitness in Shelton, Conn. to continue working on something I should have a long time ago.

Sure, I’ve had this gym membership since I got here, but like many Americans, I occasionally slacked off and didn’t get over there as much as I should have. I blamed it on the work. As I explained in my previous entry, journalism is pretty heavy work and you pour a lot of hours into it. Doing so usually means you don’t eat as well (how many of us have had a dinner consisting of Smartfood popcorn or a piece of pound cake?) and, you skip out on the importance of maintaining physical fitness unless you’re totally addicted or committed to that task. That happened to me plenty of times while I worked for the Connecticut Post. I’d pull a long day in the office, write a couple of stories, plan for the next day, go to a night meeting to get one more story and go home by 10:30 p.m. By then, you’re exhausted and your bed or a meal is on your mind, not hitting the treadmill or the elliptical machine.

Since I’ve been sans job, however, that’s changed. I spend part of my day looking for new work, sometimes watching CNN, ESPN or whatever’s interesting on TV, read some newspapers online, make a few calls to my friends or to prospective employers. But I’ve made a point of getting that workout in.

At the gym, I am, to borrow from Jay-Z, focused, man! I spend about 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, mix in some weights, mostly focusing on the arms, back and chest, ride the bike for 20 minutes or so and finish it with a good walk/run on the treadmill before heading out to the sounds of M.O.P.’s “Cold As Ice.” (Chosen because before I bought an mp3 player and still used a CD player, that song was always the one playing when I finished my workout.) The gym is a great place to get your energy up and your confidence flowing. It also leads to more positive thoughts and energy, important when you’re in a situation that can be a negative if you let it. Plus, I don’t mind working up a sweat. You’re not there to try and impress people. You’re there to focus on yourself and set it up so that you can live longer.

Of course, you can also have conversations with people also working toward their fitness goals, be it trying to lose weight for an important social event (how many women – and men – have hurried to drop pounds in time for a wedding?) or just so they feel better in a pair of jeans or a shirt they got on sale. But as I noted before, I’m usually focused on myself and don’t socialize too often. I throw my earphones on, press play and get to work. By the way, my goal is to feel my clothes baggier on me. I won’t put a weight goal on anything because I was told by a nutritionist not to focus so much on the scale, but on how your clothes fit and how your body feels. If I feel my clothing just a loose on me when I go out for an evening in New Haven, Conn. or even back in New York City, I feel damn good about it.

Many of my close friends and the folks at the Schegg Group in Shelton, Conn. helping me in my job search have told me to keep my gym membership for the physical and mental health benefits and I couldn’t agree more. Even though it costs a little bit of money and I can be active by simply going outdoors, I like feeling the burn with the weights or seeing if I can go for more than 45 minutes on the fat burn setting. I make it a point to go to the gym at least five times a week, barring illness or an important financial/employment search matter. And time isn’t the excuse it used to be now that my gym is open 24 hours during the week. (Not on the weekends, though.) If I don’t trek to Shelton, I’ll go for a walk on the Derby, Conn. Greenway Trail, which stretches 1.7 miles from Main Street to Division Street. It’s a nice walk and pleasant when there’s just a slight breeze going. Just thinking about a workout makes me feel better and makes me feel as if I’m accomplishing something. I hope I’ll be just as dogged and determined about keeping up this routine once I’m back in the active workforce.

Not saying I’ll be looking like a Greek god with a chiseled frame in the next few months or so. But as my favorite saying goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
So now, I’ll take my Syracuse T-shirt wearing self out to the gym. If you see me on the treadmill, you’re welcome to wave hello, even if I might have GangStarr’s “Moment of Truth” blaring in my ears.