«Yes, but what about ugly programmers? It’s not as simple as walking outside and meeting someone. You first have to go to the gym and beef up, and that takes too much time, etc … it’s too much trouble – in the end, a bottle of vaseline and an Asian schoolgirl porno account is more efficient.»
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For most of my life, I disliked the ideas of gyms. Seemed to me like a human hamster wheel. Why run without actually going anywhere (treadmill) or lift weights without actually building something?
But after doing a guided test training and then trying it out for half a year, yeah, it has its uses. Doing the gym in the morning, now each day, for either some light strength training or running is a great way to start the day. It also saves some water costs, as you can use the shower there. My body feels much better, I have more energy, and I might live a little bit longer.
And in actually going to the gym, my views have changed quite a bit:
The treadmill is actually a win-win, as you can read or watch videos while running (headphones). You might run without actually physically going anywhere, but your mind is another matter. A larger iPad (e.g., 10.5″) with a small remote (GoodReader can work with some) allows you to run and turn the pages while running. Although with most speeds, you can simply swipe.
Lifting weights — if done with an eGym that set the machines to your values and visualizes what you should do (rhythm) — allows you to think and reflect. I only wish that the displays would always be dead center, not to the side. With a few machines, they are off-center and you have to make sure you only look at them with your eyes. If you turn the head and do the exercises, it strains the neck.
While I like that people leave you in peace, I wish I would get more feedback when I do the exercise badly. Even the employees are rather reluctant to correct you. Perhaps using different colors for the armbands (with the ID chip) would work here: Green armband or green clip on it would mean: «Please give me feedback, I’ll appreciate it.» After all, procedural memory is hard to change and needs frequent reminders. Other colors would be possible, but are optional, e.g., orange: «Please let me work in peace, just say something if I risk hurting myself.» But one color (green) would be enough.
Speaking of people, with one or two exceptions — mostly those who do not wipe the machines after use — I was positively surprised. People of all walks of life, and all fitness levels. In general you just do your own thing and they do theirs.
Hmm, and if a gym wants to create a killer combination, a small onsen would do it. Separated by sex, with a washing area (while sitting) and one or two larger pools with hot water. Not a spa, you don’t spend the day there. Just wash thoroughly after the exercise, rinse, then go into the water for 15 to 30 min, rinse again, and that’s it. But that works wonders to feel refreshed and relax the muscles. (They should probably skip the «no tattoos» policy, otherwise there would be hardly anyone who could use them.)
So, overall, I can highly recommend a good gym. If you want to get fit, moving — burning calories, training muscles — is only one side of the coin. The other is reducing calorie intake. You rarely burn as much calories as you think, even with strenuous activity.
But yeah, great way to start the day, move, reflect, read, watch videos — highly recommended.