Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Downsides to Working Out

I know you guys actually read my blog because you love my pessamistic self-deprecating humor, right? Then you've come to the right place! I actually like working out most of the time. Sure I complain about it, but the sense of accomplishment of a completed workout far outweighs the downsides of actually working out. With that being said, there ARE downsides...and here they are.

1. Sweat rashes. TMI maybe? Oh well, I'm just being honest! I get sweat rashes a lot, usually either under my arm, in the crook of my elbow, inside of my thigh...wherever I sweat a lot. No amount of baby powder completely cures this problem. It makes wearing shorts and a tank top unsightly in the summer.

2. Blisters. Even with careful planning, bodyglide, strategically placed bandaids and buying the correct shoes for your feet, blisters still happen. And they suck. I always manage to get blisters in the most painful and annoying places.

3. Raging hunger. The more I work out, the more I like to eat. Which completely negates the fact that I worked out. It's an endless vicious cycle.

4. Being tired at 8pm. Ok, in truth I would probably be tired at 8pm even if I didn't get up at 5:30am every morning to work out, but the working out ensures that I could put my head down at 8pm and fall asleep instantly. It also makes me completely useless at night because I'm so tired and lazy.

5. Having to shower twice. Some people like to shower. I do not. I do it out of necessity of course, but when I go to the gym in the afternoon or evening, that means I have to shower again and that makes me unhappy.

6. Sweaty ponytail hair. In case I hadn't already mentioned it, I sweat perfusely when I work out, and that usually equates to have sweat drip off of my ponytail, which is just the grossest thing.

7. The DOMS. That would be delayed onset muscle soreness for those of you who do not obsessively read fitness magazines like I do. The DOMS usually occurs the day AFTER your workout and then continues on for at least another day after that. Squats give me the worst DOMS.

8. Annoying or inadept class instructors. There is nothing worse than leaving a class feeling like you could have done more because the instructor clearly didn't know what they were doing or were just half-assing it (I have had this a lot with instructors who teach multiple classes in a day...by the time they get to the evening class, they have nothing left). It also sucks being demotivated by Fitness Barbie in her pink leotard and neon white teeth. When all you can thinking about is wanting to snap off her head, it's hard to focus on how hard you're working.

9. Permastink. You gym goers all know what I mean..."permastink" is the permanent smell your gym clothes take on no matter how many times you wash them or whatever fancy pants detergent you use. Gym clothes can clearly be distinguished as gym clothes by the way they smell.

10. Pre-planning. Working out takes a lot of pre-planning. If you're a runner, you have to plan your route, water stops, etc. If you are a morning gym goer, you have to pack a bag to go right to work, or pack a bag if you are going right after work. That's just a lot of WORK. For lazy girls like me, that's the number one reason I would skip the gym if I didn't live less than a mile away and had the option to change and shower at home.

What is your least favorite part of working out?

15 comments:

  1. OMG yes to 6. Except that my hair isn't long enough for a ponytail and it falls on the back of my neck so...yeah. I just feel nasty.

    I guess the only other part I truly hate is getting up at 5am. Meh. It's worth it in the end, though...and it gives me good excuses to straight up cancel dates with guys I don't really want to go out with (you know, because changing it to 9pm won't work for me if I have to be up at 5am...).

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  2. I sweat like a man too! I really need to start getting up early to get my workout in because like you, I HATE showering twice and not showering after I workout is just not possible. Not possible because when I sit in sweat gym clothes for longer than 15 minutes my back breaks out and is just totally gross!

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  3. Hahahaha love this. So true. All of it.

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  4. So true! I hate feeling tired so early and strategizing about what days to wash my hair. I've totally experienced DOMS from planting flowers this weekend - who knew?!

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  5. OMG I love this post and can relate to all of them! I HATE how my gym clothes always smell and I thought it was just me, now I know it happens to everyone! My biggest annoyance about working out is washing my hair. I try to wash my hair only twice a week, but the hotter it gets outside the less likely I am to be able to pull this off because I get SO sweaty!

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  6. Bandaid blister block will change your life! PROMISE! :)

    My fav part of working out is.... being stronger than 75% of the boys in my gym!

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  7. I am happy to know that I am not the only one who falls asleep at 8:00

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  8. The morning workout routine is brutal for my evening activities - I am luck if I am not in bed by 9! Oh I feel old just saying that!

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  9. If you haven't already, try a strip of sports tape in places you are prone to blister. Works really well for me, also the blister bandaids (with the sports tape over them). I agree with hating showering twice! My hair really can't take it, but it feels gross not to when it's dripping with sweat!

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  10. Agh these are all sooooooo true. I really don't like how much planning has to go into working out. I have to make sure I've had enough to eat beforehand, that there's been enough time between eating and working out, that I have enough time to shower, that it's not too close to the time I need to go to bed, and so on. Such a pain :/

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  11. All very true! My least favorite thing about working out is the time it sucks from my day, not just from the actual workout, but in preparation for it and all the showering/getting clean after! I don't understand how some people can work out during their lunch break - I need at least 30 minutes to get ready after each workout :p

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  12. Permastink. YES! I have a lot of clothes that just reek. I only wear them to workout so I don't really care, but it's still gross.

    DOMS is my biggest complaint. I feel like I'm the only one who's ever sore. No one talks about it. Or maybe I'm just the only complainer. I love complaining.

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  13. I totally get the blisters with frequent or long runs. And the whole planning/time suck thing gets to me too, a little bit. If only I didn't have to work...

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  14. I get a lot of chafing under my boobs. How does that even happen? That's definitely a downside.

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  15. Gah the permastink really sucks. And the raging hunger. And the planning.
    I wish it made me able to sleep at 8 p.m. though. I suck at sleeping.

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