One Day Can't Hurt

Behavioral experts say that it takes eight weeks for an activity to become a routine. I guess that means that after two months of gym membership I am right on schedule because I have been going frequently enough that if I skip a day it feels as though I failed to accomplish all my goals for the week. I suppose that is a good thing, but at the same time I don't want to become one of those people who becomes obsessed with working out, which is why I am just as happy that I haven't reached the point where I feel the need to workout on what would otherwise be a holiday. After all, I am not training for anything special so I don't view taking a day off once a month as the worst thing in the world. (In reality, every word of this post so far is just me trying to justify why I plan to skip out on Friday's trip to the gym in favor of sleeping late.) The good new for me is that, judging by how crowded the place was this morning, I am obviously I am not alone with this plan. It seemed to be extra-busy this morning, as everyone was working out very hard to earn tomorrow's second plate of turkey and a Friday of doing anything but going to the gym first thing in the morning.. But for every gym member who figured they had earned an extra helping of pie there are those people who will never skip out on their workout regiment, no matter what the date happens to be. It is most likely because of those people that as I as leaving I noticed a sign which stated that the gym is going to be open tomorrow from 6 AM to noon. I couldn't help but feel a little sad for everyone that statement involved.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and crap on people who are dedicated to staying in shape - it is a very admirable trait to have. If I had been a little more enthusiastic in the past maybe I wouldn't have to go to the gym as often now. ("Working out now so I don't have to work out later" probably won't be the next big sports marketing slogan.) Still, even the most ardent supporters of physical activity will tell you that skipping one day won't undo all the hard work you have done leading up to it. In fact, your muscles might even appreciate the extra rest and respond better the next time you work out. I know every body responds differently but every physical fitness expert can agree that there is such a thing as too much exercise. But the main reason this really bothers me is the same reason I get annoyed at professional sports teams when they schedule games on holidays - the people really who are getting screwed over in this deal are the ones who have to work that shift. While I will enjoy watching football tomorrow at least a small part of my brain won't be able to stop thinking about all the stadium workers who would much rather be at home with their families but need the job and can't get the day off. They don't want to be working there but they probably need the money. Also, the NFL makes so much money for that team that it is worth it to inconvenience their workers because they turn over half their crew every year to begin with. I am just not sure it is how I would run a business if I were in charge.

It is entirely possible that I feel this way because I am not a fan of Black Friday and plan to avoid shopping this weekend at all costs. Still, I am not that naive - I know time is money and the days of every store being closed on Thanksgiving are over (which isn't the worst thing in the world because many people will wake up in the morning and realize they forgot something). Obviously, if you get a job in food services or retail you can't very well expect Thanksgiving off. The holidays are when these stores make most of their money and you have to know that going in. The thing is we aren't talking about the typical busy Thanksgiving or Black Friday retail establishment here. This isn't a jewelry store or small market who needs to provide a valuable service to the community while making every last dollar to make sure they can stay open next week - this is a small, local gym which isn't even part of a bigger franchise. They could close the gym for one day and it wouldn't end up costing them too much money. In fact, I feel like the place will be mostly empty (if anyone even shows up at all), so between the electrical bill from having all the lights and TVs on for six hours and paying the poor employee who has to sit through that unproductive shift (because you know damn well the boss won't be the one who works tomorrow), I'm actually assuming the company won't be able to break even. Now, you may think that most gym employees are personal trainers who would be working out anyway or other health nuts who only work at the gym so they can get paid to workout. To that I would reply that you clearly haven't been to my gym. It's just a job and not a lifestyle, which could be why I actually like this gym more than any of the ones I have been a member of before.

I think the larger, cultural problem here is that thanks to the advent of 24-hour gyms the workout nuts have come to expect to be able to workout whenever the mood strikes and actually get angry when they learn that there may be people out there who want to enjoy a day off with their families rather than watch them do lunges. It all just seems so unnecessary because if these people are so determined to not gain any weight tomorrow they can always go for a run or do some simple exercises in their own home (as I have said more than a few times, all the gym really does is give you the opportunity to perform the activities you avoid doing in real life). The home stretches may not be the elaborate exercises they normally do but beggars can't be choosers. At least this way no one else is inconvenienced simply because you don't have anything better to do. Ultimately, that is probably why this bothers me so much: I spend most of my life trying not to mess up anyone else's plans and here are these people who are going out of their way to do so. That is always a dickheaded thing to do but especially on Thanksgiving. Honestly, not screwing over your fellow man should be the most easily-attained of all your holiday goals. So, hopefully when I go back next Monday I'll discover the owner changed their minds and kept the place closed. I'll even allow these workout nuts to consider it their Christmas present to the people who work at the gym (even though they will probably expect those people to be at work on Christmas).