"To call running 'fun' would be a misuse of the word. Running can be 'enjoyable.' Running can be 'rejuvenating.' But in a pure sense of the word, running is not fun."
--Dean Karnazes, author of Ultra Marathon Man
Every once in a while, one will encounter an individual who claims to "love working out." Now I'm not talking about sports, or karate, or fun athletic activities...I'm talking about working out just to be working out. People who claim to "love" working out can only be one of two things: aliens or liars.
Think about it: working out involves doing physical labor that accomplishes no actual task. People run, but not for transportation. People lift heavy weights, but not because they are objects that need to be moved. People jump over obstacles that weren't necessarily in their way, punch objects that don't need to be tenderized, and pedal like maniacs on bicycles that never leave one spot in the gym. Not to mention the pain, the heat, the odors, and that disgusting salty wet stuff that gets all over your body. At face value, working out is somewhat...shall I say...stupid.
So what's the point? I often ask myself that right in the middle of a cardio kickboxing class or while running up a very large hill or during marathon forms. Even today, I was talking with a good friend (and workout-aholic) before our kickboxing class about this same topic. We came to the conclusion that one is seldom in the mood to start working out, and even more rare is the desire to continue working out once the workout has started getting hard. What's so enjoyable, however, is how you feel after the workout is over.
Today it hit me. Your body doesn't grow stronger during your workout..it's after you finish that your body starts to repair itself and grow stronger. That's also the time that feels all tingly and awesome (a.k.a the "Runner's High.") Without that gross painful workout, however, that awesome feeling can never happen. So here's my epiphany for the day:
Dude...life is just like a workout.
Sometimes God makes us do some painful, not-so-fun stuff. He'll send you to a school where you have no friends, introduce you to a boy that'll break your heart, allow you to be fired from your job, etc. He's like a karate instructor forcing you to do thousands upon thousands of roundhouse kicks. That's why a lot of people get ticked off at God...they see only the pain of the moment. The thing is, however, God knows that the only way to get that tingly-good feeling and a nice set of abs is to go through a little pain. He's not trying to punish you, he wants to give you something amazing that can only be achieved through pain; whether that be wisdom, peace, contentment, inner-strength, or some wild blessing beyond anything you've ever imagined.
Do I think working out is "fun?" NO WAY!! Am I thankful for every single workout? Heck YES.
No comments:
Post a Comment