The benefits of pain

Gym.

It's been a full week and I've hit the gym three times. Before this week it was 190 days since the last time I hit the gym. The reason? My knee of course. I couldn't run anymore without the muscle in my knee snapping and I was back from Vietnam with a lack of spending money, so I suspended my account for six months. I was allowed to do it as I filled my one year commitment so they were able to grant that to me. Well my six months ended in early August and I was told back in March I would have to come in and decide if I want another membership or to end my account.

Well August came and I figured my account would be deactivated. Then they started taking money out of my bank. I went in to confront them and it turns out my account was active again in early August. The important thing is I should be going to the gym, if not for my running then for working on the rest of my body.

What's more important is that before with two days off I didn't have the time or energy to work out. Working 5-11pm Mon to Fri washing dishes and getting a ride home I had energy to work out. Working a full eight hours, plus an hour on the bus to work and back eats up that time. Well we needed to cut hours at work, and although it sounded odd, I volunteered to be cut a shift a week. I've reached the point where I'm financially stable and my goal is to be fit for the Army, not serve doctors and nurses until I'm sixty so working out is more important in my life. I have time to do that and other things beyond one day of laundry and home time, and another day of running around town as if my hair was on fire.

At first it was weird coming in, as things were unfamiliar, but that quickly faded. The first day I worked out for two and a half hours, just to get back into the swing of things. You know, hit all the old machines, test my max. strength on each machine, targeting each muscle group and feeling it break under heavy weights. I've taken it more easy since, but I've been reminded why I love the gym so much.

It goes beyond the release of endorphins, serotonin and other chemicals that make you happy. It's the fact that I'm making myself stronger, faster and better. There's something about breaking your muscle, going through the soreness and discomfort but knowing that later that muscle will be rebuilt bigger makes it worth it. It's almost as if I get some sort of pleasure out of the pain as I know it's better in the long term. Emo kids shouldn't cut themselves, they should hit a treadmill or free weights. The gym is addicting, and if I go at the same time, I see all the same people out. Also the fact that if you miss a week, what you did on your last workout you have to do it all over again.

If you want to see progress, you have to keep at it, simple as that.

I think the best thing about it comes after working out in the locker room ;) (and I do mean that wink, wait for it...) Going into the locker room, all muscles sore and bloated, tired and ready to go home I open my locker, grab a clean shirt and take my sweaty one off. Then I stop. I look into the mirror and pause. What do I see? Simply the body I'm working hard to get. All that swelling and inflammation makes those muscle groups puff up so it's like a sneak-peak of what your body will look like in the future. And if you think I looked good this summer, give me a few weeks and months. Just one more reason why I'm looking forward to next spring ;)

One last thing I forgot which is great about the gym... attractive women, tight fitting clothes and free classes such as yoga. Put everything together and you have a wonderful thing to keep me busy in my spare time, while making myself better for the future. Nuff said.