The word exercising is not in my vocabulary. In fact, “let’s get swole” would not be a phrase you’d ever hear me say. I’m all for staying fit and living a healthy lifestyle, but going to the gym would never be my idea of fun. As a five-foot-eight-inch male who is fairly thin, I’ve never had to exercise to keep my shape. My entire family is all relatively skinny so I’ll have to thank my genetics for what I’m working with. “Hey Genetics, is this all you’re giving me? This is how muscular of a person I’ll be? Okay, alright. That’s fine with me.”
My workout routine consists of very few activities. Walking up and down Bascom Hill effectively keeps my legs in shape, putting books in my bag and carrying it on my back works out my arm and back muscles, and getting out of bed in the morning does an adequate job of giving me toned abs… sort of. When it comes to exercising, there are three types of people: those who are lazy (me), the people who like to run because they think it is a “fun time,” and the gym rats. I’ll never understand the last one.
Whenever I see guys and girls walking to the gym in their sweats, yoga pants, mid calf socks, tank tops and ear buds hanging from their head, my instinct it to ask “Why?” But truthfully, I am happy they’ve found an activity they like to do. While they’re walking into the SERF, I’m across the street helping myself to pizza and a scone. Look at all of us as a student population being happy.
I’d be lying if I said that whenever I do see a really muscular guy I’m not intimidated. When his arms are bigger than my head, I am a tiny bit scared. I judge these guys in how much it would take for them to knock me out. If Mr. Gym-Rat could just flick me and I’d be out cold on the pavement, that’s when I know this isn’t a person I should mess with.
A guy in my dorm described every muscle besides your thighs as “vanity muscles.” I guess then that would mean I definitely don’t work out my vanity muscles at all.
You’ll never see me lifting unless it involves getting food to my mouth. I guess the idea of “getting bigger” was never something I thought was very important. Why run if I’m not going anywhere? If I am going to exercise, I like to do an activity that is fun at the same time.
I am from Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, so biking or rollerblading around one of our many lakes would be an interesting activity for me. One time I vacationed in Arizona and I went hiking, Whitewater rafting, and horseback riding. These kinds of exercise are more tailored to how I view working out because there is purpose behind them.
Here at UW Madison I referee Rec Sports, which is my form of exercise each week. As you can tell, I am not completely against exercising—I just prefer to do it in another form.
So, whether exercising is your thing or not, just remember this phrase: You do you. Just know that whenever you’re waking up at 7 a.m. to get in your morning workout, I will still be lying in my bed under my covers till 9 a.m., Sunday through Saturday.
Owen is a freshman and a new columnist for The Daily Cardinal. What is your take on the need to exercise? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
