The Gym: Is it an escape or a job?

iPlatano
iPlatano Posts: 487 Member
in Motivation and Support
Some people view training as a therapeutic escape. Others view it as a job that just needs to get done. How do you view it? I want to hear what you think!

If you see it as a job, please watch this video if you want to learn how to enjoy working out!: http://youtu.be/BrNLVng8r3k
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Replies

  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
    It gets me away from my children. I love them to death but I think we all know they can be...oh what's the word I'm looking for...trying sometimes.
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,099 Member
    Both, on days my lifting buddy is with me it is fun. On days I go alone it is a job, but I always enjoy it by the end of the workout.
  • Jenjenthejetplane1
    Jenjenthejetplane1 Posts: 130 Member
    I see it at an escape its my time to work on myself and make myself better each day.
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    Exercise has always been therapeutic for me. It's a way to clear my head.
  • Whyareyoumad
    Whyareyoumad Posts: 268 Member
    I was telling my wife last night after a pretty good work out how much I love working out. I crave it, not sure if its an escape per say, not from work, nor the kids as they are pretty self reliant at this point. I just enjoy the feeling of working out and getting stronger.
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
    haha the gym IS my job.... which is why I am a member at a different gym from the one that I work at. When I'm working out for me, it's and escape, and when I'm working out for work (teaching a class/training a client) it's not my workout so it's a job.

    That being said, there are some days that even my workout feels like a job, but usually once I get moving that feeling does away. I've found that doing things that you enjoy doing makes exercise not only much more fun, but something that I look forward to doing.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    It's a job I don't get paid actual money to do, and the pay off I do get takes a really long time to show up. But hey, gotta do what you gotta do.
  • tabbyblack13
    tabbyblack13 Posts: 299 Member
    I use the gym as a reason to get out of the house so I guess its an escape.
  • honsi
    honsi Posts: 210 Member
    I see it as a job that I have to do, its how I stay motivated. However over time it has also become a sociable thing as I have made friends there and now have my posse of gym buddies
  • robabob3
    robabob3 Posts: 79 Member
    Its both and so much more, no matter how I'm feeling before I walk into the gym I always feel so much better when I walk out, how many things can you claim that of?? So for me its an easily sustainable habit.
  • Pensworth
    Pensworth Posts: 31 Member
    When I first joined my gym the trainer said that the gym should be your second home. I wouldn't say I feel that connected with the place, but it isn't something I dread like I would have in the past. The gym helps get me out of the house and away from both my desk and all the food in the pantry. It gives me a sense of accomplishment sometimes, when I feel I worked particularly hard. For me the gym is just a new aspect of my life that I'm still getting used to, and finding new things about it to make a priority.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    neither?

    I do it because it's what i love- but it's not therapeutic.

    it's what I love- much like dancing- it has it's ups and downs. I don't view it as a job- but there are days I am beyond frustrated or upset with it because I'm not getting what I want out of it.
  • Shock_Wave
    Shock_Wave Posts: 1,573 Member
    Wouldn't say a job although that would be great if I got paid to work out lol.. My take would be a painful quest to see how good I can become. I lift painfully hard but cardio is painfully boring but it feels good if that makes any sense but its only temporary. But hey I look and feel better all the time so that's a nice trade off.:tongue:
    The only pain I don't like is when I over use my joints and they start to throb at night then I have to take pain meds.:cry:
  • nineteentwenty
    nineteentwenty Posts: 469 Member
    I never wanna go, but once I am there I am pumped!
  • _Calypso_
    _Calypso_ Posts: 1,074 Member
    90% of the time its theraputic and helps me clear my mind. There are days I don't want to run/workout.... but after I get in my zone - I'm glad I started!!
  • dcmassena
    dcmassena Posts: 11
    I love working out, I always have, I just let life keep me away from something I love doing for way too long. For me the difficult thing has always been making time to get to the gym. Now I'm getting up at 5:00am so that I can keep my other commitments and still get my workouts in. It took me months to get back into it after years of being lazy, but now that I'm up and working out again I feel so much better. I'm happier and healthier.
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
    Most of the time it's therapeutic for me, just like my running is. There are days when I feel like it is just another thing to check off the list, but we all have our ups and downs.

    Recently though, I joined a more boot camp-styled gym (Kaia Fit) and it's really given me a joy in the gym that I haven't had in a long, long time. (I've been going to the gym since my teen years.) I think sometimes you just need a new format or style to help get that zest back into your workouts if you're suffering from "it's-a-job" syndrome.
  • RacquetChick
    RacquetChick Posts: 164 Member
    I love going and often have trouble getting everything accomplished. I love getting stronger, seeing my friends, playing racquetball. I am pretty sure I could spend all day there but then it might not be as fun. ;)
  • clareyoung80
    clareyoung80 Posts: 177 Member
    I hope to get back to my workouts being a joy or escape. At the moment, I'm a little too out of shape and it's a little too uncomfortable to be a joy. Or, I need to start embracing the uncomfortable-ness because it will always be uncomfortable.

    But that's a great video!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    At times it is a chore that I just need to get done, but for the most part I love lifting.
  • skeo
    skeo Posts: 471 Member
    For me, it's a job that I enjoy going too. Not something I need to take my mind off of things, but it's something I must do in order to live happily how I choose too.
  • cortezpj
    cortezpj Posts: 129 Member
    As this point in my life, working out is a chore. It's another thing I have to do. I don't hate it but I know I could enjoy it more.

    My plate is pretty full right now and family committments/obligations can easily make for 12 to 14 hour days when I factor in work. My weekends are filled with bonafide chores (laundry, housekeeping, errands, etc.). During the work week, I'm lucky that I can take a break and go for a 15 minute walk once or twice a day and that's definitely an escape from the office.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,021 Member
    I'm a trainer.....................it's both.:laugh:

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    I love it, but it is an escape. Ear buds in, music is loud, and all I'm thinking about is picking up the weight.
  • Jeneba
    Jeneba Posts: 699 Member
    It is a Joy and a Blessing!
  • PrincessWarior
    PrincessWarior Posts: 71 Member
    For "MOI" its both......
    My mind escapes from reality, my muscle workout.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    Both. Sometimes the gym is the last thing I want to do. Sometimes I can't wait to get there. But I've never finished a workout and said, "Damn, I wish I didn't do that".
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    ok so I clicked on the video and I see this guy explaining how to build a mob softener for minecraft. And I'm like ok, its a funny video, meant to make fun of "the grind" in life or video games. Then I notice the "you may skip this add button":laugh:

    The actual video is worth a look even if you don't think of workouts as work.

    I think of it as an escape. Escape from piles and piles of homework.
  • FckUrExcuses
    FckUrExcuses Posts: 80
    It use to be a chore but now it has turned into a habit and i always look forward to going, i never see it as a direct stress relief but it does help calm me down if having a bad day :)
  • PNewmanTx
    PNewmanTx Posts: 16 Member
    It's more of a "job" for me, because my true escape is diving. I know it's important to stay in shape, and my workouts allow me to keep shedding pounds, building my endurance and actually eat some of the "less healthy" things once in a while and still not blow my nutritional plan.

    That being said, I do enjoy the payoff I get from working out.

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