I’ve Quit My Exercise Class

I’ve been struggling to find the motivation to utilize the training studio my wife and I joined last year. The classes are high energy instructor-led group sessions that provide an excellent, full body workout in just 35 minutes. People just like me have achieved great results in a short period of time.

I haven’t been able to figure out why I can’t stand going. While I’m not a workout junky, I do have the motivation for other strenuous physical activity like running, weight training and swimming. For awhile I thought the intensity of the workout was causing my hesitation. Maybe I’m getting old and soft.

Then yesterday, I forced myself to suck it up and attend a class in preparation for my 2016 New Years Resolutions.

I hated it as usual and I think I know why. It’s loud and chaotic. Music blares the whole class and the instructor never stops yelling into his mic urging everyone to “Push it!” “Go Faster” “Feel the Burn,” etc. Every sixty seconds a loud buzzer goes off ordering us to SWITCH IT UP! If that weren’t enough, at random times the instructor announces a 30 second sprint and everyone goes bat shit.

My wife, who is a quieter person than me, loves it. She is an extrovert. She gets her energy from being around people and being stimulated. She doesn’t need much alone time to recharge. I’m the opposite. I need time by myself to regroup.

Swimming, running and weightlifting are much easier sells for me. I feel good when my own music is playing and my own thoughts are running through my head. I can day dream all I want without distraction. I can process my day on my own terms over a good sweat. I can savor those endorphins at my own pace; they don’t get lost in the draining chaos and distraction of a frenetic group class.

It surprises me that fully into adulthood I’m still figuring myself out. It’s only been a couple of years since I realized that I’m actually an introvert, that having an outgoing personality doesn’t mean I want to be around people all the time.

Now I understand why I prefer to eat lunch alone at the office and why avoiding the party rehash the next morning in favor of a good book is natural for me, not antisocial. And why I can quit this exercise class knowing it’s not just because I’m a lazy bastard.