Don’t Think Of It As Exercise
Thursday, July 5, 2007
by Marilyn Freedman
Out on the town last night I met an old school friend who was my exercise buddy at a gym that I belonged to for a year. He was wondering what had happened to me. I told him that I had gone back to my old gym, my second home. I had really missed the familiar faces, the greetings, and the small talk that had become part of my morning routine for years. The lure of cheaper fees and underground parking could not make up for the lonely workouts if the one person who would smile when they saw me wasn’t there. There are people who tell me that they like to go to their gym, exercise, quick in an out, and don’t want to talk to anyone. I, on the other hand, look forward to going to the gym and there have been many a time where I’ve gone, worked out for 10 minutes, talked for 20, taken a shower and then started my day. Socializing makes hard work more enjoyable, isn’t that so? Some of us need to be motivated to exercise and there is no better motivation than an exercise buddy. Toronto has some great walking trails. There are also coffee houses on every street corner. I’ve been walking outside with my friends in the mornings on the days when I don’t go to the gym. What the girls and I do is an hour walk, followed up with a cup of coffee (in my case, tea). We’ve been blessed this year with a beautiful summer. Grab a friend, or more, and head for the great outdoors! You’ll look forward to the next walk.