Working Out - The Best Form of Self Torture

Working out is just another way to say you are participating in self torture. After all, you choose to work out, and then after you are done, if you sit down for just 15 minutes, suddenly you feel as if you can’t move a single muscle. Odd considering you just moved the hell out of all of them.

My sister is getting married next February, and although I am usually pretty obsessed with working out (in a manner that comes and goes), I decided to get back on the band wagon and get myself into shape. I know it is the bride’s day, but I want to look good too. So, yesterday started my obsessive self torture routine. This morning - I could barely move.

My muscles were sore and my body complained with even the simplest and mundane of tasks, like using the bathroom. Who would have ever thought that sitting down on a toilet seat mimics squats! Yet, I decided to torture myself once again today… a little cardio, a killer upper body workout, and my favorite - hip adductors and abductors!

I finished up and I was feeling pretty good, even though my body, which was once supported by legs, was now being supported by jello. So, I sat down to eat my lunch and then proceeded to check my Facebook and Hubpages accounts. In that short time, it was enough for my muscles to say, “Ha! Ha! You will never move again!”

Okay, so that is not true. I still got up. It was painful. My body moaned and groaned and pleaded for me to stop, but it got me thinking. Why is it that so many people enjoy this form of self torture? And who decided this is what we should be doing to stay healthy?

Okay, so that isn’t entirely true. After all, if you look back into the caveman days, did they ever spend money to belong to a gym that would just result in torturous treatments to your body. NO - they did not have the facilities to do such things, nor did they have the need.

Cavemen were never fat, and they never thought anything about how big their biceps were or how much their butt cheeks popped! You would never catch them grabbing a stick and hoisting two rocks on the end to make a torture device to make their biceps buldge. You never caught them randomly squatting, just because they thought it was fun. Jumping Jacks - even though it requires no gym type equipment - I am pretty sure they didn’t randomly do those either.

Yet we do!

Obviously, we don’t live in the past. We don’t have to hunt for our food or work in the garden each day to survive. We dodn’t have to walk everywhere we go, nor did we go periods of time wondering if we would survive from day to day. They had a tough life. We do not. If we so choose, we can jump in our car, drive to the nearest fast food restaurant and order something off the dollar menu. In mere minutes, we have gotten food and have burned absolutely no calories to do it.

The lifestyle of a caveman made it necessary to stay fit and strong. The lifestyle we live today, means if we want to stay fit and strong, we must work at it! That is why we produced these torture device to strengthen our muscles!

Since we are obviously not cavemen, and with technology these days that cause us to spend more time sitting on our butt then working our butt out, the question becomes what sort of torture device you should employ. The options really are limitless.

Several people opt for the gym. They might figure that paying for a membership will motivate them to go. It is also a form of social interaction, and if you are a parent with young kids, it might be away to get in an undisturbed workout. A gym also is beneficial for those who want to use weights and don’t have the space or money to create their very own home gym. Some even have pools, saunas and hot tubs. Now doesn’t a hot tub sound nice and relaxing after a torturous workout? Others even offer plenty of classes to participate in so you don’t get bored and quite long before getting back your six pack.

The other option is to workout at home. Obviously this is the cheaper option. You can create your own workout with squats, lunges, push ups, sit ups… the exercises are endless. The best part - no equipment is needed. The problem - you might lose motivation after awhile and your TV or computer might have a stronger calling then your yoga mat! Other great forms of home based exercises include numerous workout videos or just taking a walk around the block. If you want to make it more exciting, pull out the bike and ride like you did when you were a teenager!

When it comes to torturing yourself with a great workout plan, the options are endless. Whether it is a home-based gym or one you have to pay for, the idea comes back to the same thing. If we want to be healthier and have strong muscles, we will gladly do various forms of self torture to get there!