Exercise should be fun
that even when people were paid to go to the gym, most were not motivated to do it.
Money could not camouflage the reality that many have lost that loving feeling for organized pain. And when the sales pitch is ‘no pain, no gain’, how surprising is it that many people just say no?
As my own children reach adulthood, I listen to their conversations about how they ‘should’ exercise, if only they had spend time with kids in general, but rather a specific few, so they cull every team to the top players.
Forgotten is the beautiful model of days past (called my childhood) in which every kid could come out to practice and to participate with the team, while only a deserving and talented few suited up on game day. The team was bigger than the perfect, and the fun of training together was its own reward. If you need a reminder of that, watch the movie ‘Rudy’ with a box of tissues.
I am a proud member of the Track B team … and will probably live longer for it. The A Team intensified their performances and ran until they were sick in the grass, striving for excellence. Admirable to be sure.
On the B team, we jogged on the track, rarely so intensely that we couldn’t keep the conversation running, and got out of school on the day of the meets to run a few races and cheer on the winners. Staying in shape in the context of community was the draw.
Recently, I’ve rediscovered ‘running’, which for me means faster than walking at a pace most likely to be the worst in any timed race. I don’t want to train for anything, achieve anything or set a record. What I like best about running is that I’m not working.
I wonder if more people would overlook the fact that they are ‘exercising’ if they could remember that it used to be fun outside. It feels a bit un-american to tell people don’t go for the gold, but I suspect that more people would try getting active if it sounded less like work and lot more like a reward.
Outside, you get a break from work, chores, family, computers and responsibilities. Take a page from your 5-yearold self and have a moment of fun where the sun is shining, and don’t let the fact that some will label your activity “exercise” ruin it.
*Kristi Stone Hamrick is a media consultant and active cupcake baker for all school functions.