Does anyone else chose gym over social stuff??

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Not all the time, but often times I find myself having to make a choice between getting my workout session in, or meeting up with friends/family for dinner or an event. I don't do it all the time, but quite often, I tell them I can't make it and go to the gym instead - I feel like if I go to every social thing I'm invited to, I will lose out on a lot of the workouts I told myself I would commit to doing. Here's my question.....I'M okay with that choice, but sometimes people ask why I can't make it, and then I'm super hesitant to tell them...um, I'm skipping your event to go to the gym. A lot of times they have not made the same commitment to work out, and that is 100% fine, but then they don't understand why I would skip and I feel a little like a jerk.....does anyone else do this? What do you tell people if/when you chose the gym over their norwex party???
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Replies

  • takumaku
    takumaku Posts: 352 Member
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    Meh, who cares what other people think. I treat gym night like other people treat kid's night, date night, pizza night, worship day, family night, etc. It's something I have committed to and I respect that commitment by sticking to it.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I ate myself to 560 lbs. and was pretty much trapped in my house for over 2 years, I alienated everyone in my family over the course of a decade do to my seclusion and not wanting to be involved with the world that was going on around me.. It took 4 1/2 years of dedication both mentally and physically to regain control of my life and my relationships with those friends and family that never gave up on me. I do not take anything for granted anymore and my time with my friends and family is in my mind THE Most important part of my life. I can (and do) alter my workout schedule so not to miss any events in my life now... It is easier for me to get up at 4 a.m. and get my work out in on a Saturday morning so that I can make my grandsons wrestling meet, or getting together to play trivia, or etc.... Life is far to short and I wasted way to much time making it all about me in the past and all my problems, so today my priorities have changed.... But everyone may be different this is just me........ Best of Luck
  • dnamouse
    dnamouse Posts: 612 Member
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    I adjust my workout schedule around events. But I don't have a lot of events to go to LOL
  • BurnBabyyyBurn
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    Me me me! Total introvert here. I'd rather work out than go to the bar or clubs. I don't even drink so it's not even fun going to those places anyway... Also, it depends who I'm gonna be around when I'm out haha.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    i've actually canceled things with friends because i have to work out in the morning.
  • myth4ever
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    The gym is my social gathering as I go in with headphones on and hoodie covering my head! Party over here!!!!!!
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    Always, sometimes over work too.
  • PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot
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    First of all - your screen name is the best name ever. I concur 100%.

    I tend towards being an introvert. As such, I'd much rather go out for a decent hour-plus run than do many other things. Unless I'm very comfortable with someone, I almost find any social scene tiring, I tend to worry far too much about what people think of me, and would rather get some decent alone time to recharge.
  • laurenrrogers
    laurenrrogers Posts: 7 Member
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    I have several times been invited to dinner and passed it up to go to the gym. I just tell them if they move the time a little later I can join them, but if not I will try the next time. I can't justify going to eat dinner, knowing my love of food that isn't good for me, over the gym. I have invited my friends to go for a 3 mile walk with me and sometimes they actually come with me. This allows the social time with my friends and gets a good cardio workout in at the same time. I figure my friends will have to learn to love the healthy me better than the me they have helped enable to get fat (my friends have always enjoyed hanging out with food and adult beverages).
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,932 Member
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    Find friends who like to work out and then do something afterwards. I'm missing my old running group for this reason. We would always get our run in, hit an onsen, then go out for the night.
  • skierxjes
    skierxjes Posts: 938 Member
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    I gave up drinking in college so I could go to the gym at 7, 8, 9:00 every night. It was primo. No one there and I gave up booze and lost lbs like cray cray.
  • TruckersWifeTruckersLife
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    We live in a small country town so not much happens here but when it does I do my workouts so I can go to the events and it don't hurt to have a rest day it does the body some good not that I have many rest days but its nice to socialise and talk to people that you haven't seen in a while
  • DebraYvonne
    DebraYvonne Posts: 632 Member
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    I live away from family so connections are important. I can work around my workouts to see my friends. I def. need to do better with my workouts
  • gloriaeffe
    gloriaeffe Posts: 75 Member
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    I find myself in the same situation very often. Friends organize dinners, drinks, meetings... and all I want to do is go to the gym. So I do it.
    I tell them that I prefer to go to the gym and if I feel up for it I will join later. They complained for months about it and couldn't understand, I think they still don't really understand but at least they stopped complaining and treating me like someone who needs help.
    it's about priorities, mine at the moment have the gym towards the very top. And it's also about what makes you happy, and I feel great when I am at the gym, so my friends will have to wait.
  • resistance_freak
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    I go to the gym at least 5 times per week, so I will frequently have to tell people that I can't make some event due to a commitment I made to myself to take better care of myself.

    Now, I will try to move things around my schedule to accommodate other things that I want to do, but in most cases, gym time has priority over anything social.

    This might be selfish, but it's my MO anymore. And I do like the results I've seen.
  • JMel86
    JMel86 Posts: 124 Member
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    I tend towards being an introvert. As such, I'd much rather go out for a decent hour-plus run than do many other things. Unless I'm very comfortable with someone, I almost find any social scene tiring, I tend to worry far too much about what people think of me, and would rather get some decent alone time to recharge.

    This. This is exactly how I feel.
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
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    I have pushed back a Friday evening workout to Saturday afternoon in order to attend a social event, but it doesn't happen often. All of my friends and family (especially my husband) understand that working out is an important part of my life. I have no problem arriving a little late due to a workout session as well.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I rarely have to make a choice. And when I do its almost always the social obligation because that's the anomaly.
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
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    I try to do gym before a social event, having said that, I try not to be too social because it usually means food & drinks and I can't help myself.
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
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    I choose pretty much anything over social stuff. This includes -

    - washing my car
    - doing dishes
    - cleaning the bathroom floor with an old toothbrush
    - organizing my sock and underwear drawers (see what I did there?)