Working it all out

Inertia.

It can suck you down. It can keep you going. You may have heard it put thusly: an object at rest tends to stay at rest. An object in motion tends to stay in motion.

In case you don't believe in science, it's true.

You get into the habit of getting up and going to work every day. When you lose your job you get into the habit of getting up whenever the hell you feel like it. I apparently find it hard to motivate myself to do many things. It's far easier to stay at rest. There are so many things I can do at rest that I enjoy like reading and writing, watching movies, pondering life. But my ass isn't getting any smaller with the all the answers I may be gleaning from the universe.

Since I no longer find myself employed, and have yet to be blessed with any kind of steady income, it's time to look at the expenses I can cut back on. One of those things is my gym membership. Yes, it's no new story. People sign up for gym memberships and then never use them. I've been using the fact that I pay $30 a month for it to actually go but even that has ceased being a big motivating factor, sadly. The apartment complex I just moved into boasts a sparkling pool and a gym. I have already taken advantage of the sweet, sweet pool action and have already worked on my delicious Greek tan. That's right: I don't get sunburned. I wear an SPF 4 suntan lotion. I am a Greek Goddess. Now I have been burned. One day I spent four hours on the beach. Got a burn. Two summers ago I spent hours at the waterpark with my cousins and no sunscreen at all. Burned. And I believe I came away from cheerleading camp one year with a sunburn on my face. But really, that's it. Envy away.

People think that living in Arizona automatically means you're tan because of the amount of sun we get here. What people forget is that for 6-7 months out of the year it's over 100 degrees outside and ain't nobody gonna lay out in that. We spent a lot of time in the sweet AC of the indoors. So I have to slowly reacclimate myself to the sun. At the moment that's about 20 minutes on each side, or Let's All Go To Bed by The Mother Truckers from top to bottom. I will work my way up to 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day.

This afternoon I threw on my sweet new gym clothes, grabbed my apple green Nano & matching earphones and wandered over to check out the gym. It's a small room with one recumbent bike, two treadmills, two elliptical machines, and one all in one gym. You know what? Works for me. I've only been using the treadmill at the gym as, once again, it's too friggen hot to be roaming around outside. Those months have passed. The east and west walls of the gym are mirrored and the machines face a wall of windows. I didn't realize how much of a difference it makes to walk on the treadmill while looking outside. The time flew by. With the help of American Idiot by Green Day, of course. Far more interesting and entertaining than watching the back of other fat asses heads or sporting events I'm not interested in, or CNN. Christ. Can't we throw a movie on or something?

Another bonus of this small gym is the TV in the corner hooked up to a cable box. I didn't see a remote anywhere but even with my short legs I could probably reach the controls. Slap on the Deadliest Catch marathon and I am good to go, man. And yet another bonus of the space is that I had it all to myself. I could stand there and read the info on the wall about how to use the all in one machine without feeling like a tard or getting stared at or anything of that nature.

I walked over to the gym in less than one minute. It's right there. And it's free. I'm not paying an extra $30 a month for this badboy. The only downside is no access to trainers but really, I don't have the money for that anyway. Given the location and the price I have even less excuse for not getting off my ass and getting over there. I grew up an athlete. I have an athletes body. Muscle memory is on my side. Now I need to get out of my head, stop thinking everything to death and Just Do It.

Bo Jackson knew what the hell he was talking about.