Real reality

I love the gym.  It’s one of my happy places.  And, at the same time, I know that sometimes it’s really important to get out into the world because gym reality does not always match real reality.

 

What am I talking about?  Glad you asked.  Let’s say we spend a bunch of time using the weight machines at the gym and we’re feeling pretty good because we have been able to add plates.  Great, right?  But then we need to go help a good friend move some furniture and we realize a few things very quickly.  One:  objects outside the gym are not necessarily designed to be grasped easily.  Two:  moving heavy objects through crowded or narrow space bears only a slight resemblance to sliding weights along the channels of a machine.  Three:  balance is way more important than we thought.  Four:  we don’t like our friend as much as we used to and we’re too old to do this kind of work for beer and pizza.  This may not be an exhaustive list, but it’s a start.

 

Similarly, we may love the treadmill.  We may move the speed and incline up.  And then we go for a hike outside where it might be a lot hotter or colder than we’re used to and the hill doesn’t end at the push of a button.  We may hike at altitude and realize that there’s not the same amount of oxygen we’re used to having.  Also, the path may not be so smooth.

 

Gyms are not the most varied environments.  We learn a lot when we take what we learn in the gym and apply it in the proprioceptively-enriched environment of the world, doing our everyday tasks, and working with the constant variety that we find.

 

Go play.