What is Your Drug of Choice?

I went to 2 classes at Family Fitness this morning.... Cardio Blast and Body Pump.

The last few days I've felt the consequences of pushing my body to the point of failure in every workout on every rep every day of the week.

While I've been eating right and sleeping more and more regularly than my historical standard, my body just isn't recovering adequately between workouts to make good progress.

That's one of the disadvantages of working out and testing physical limits at 50 years old vs 20 years old.

You just can't recover as quickly....

And as a result, you hurt more.

After finishing Cardio Blast - a fast paced aerobic based workout with a lot of kick boxing moves in it, I was so drenched with sweat, I had to change my workout shirt.  Yes, I've begun bringing an extra workout shirt when I do 2 or more classes in a row, because, frankly, I'm getting to the point where I'm disgusting myself with how much I sweat..... Enough said on that.

So, I'm into the Body Pump workout and we just finished another one of those 5+ minute squat tracks, followed by a 120 rep bench press set.... and I'm about done already because I just finished 30 minutes of skipping around like a freakin' fairy and must've punched out about a dozen would be assailants in my Cardio Blast class.  I'm serious, you oughta listen to the instructors in the class hollering "Ok, upper cut to the gut, hook to the ribs, jab to the nose, right cross to the jaw, kick to the groin".....

I mean by the time I'm done kicking and punching, I feel like my arms are about to fall out of my shoulder sockets and my legs are separated from my hips and I'm ready to fall in the swimming pool and call me "Bob".

So's anyway, I'm out of breath, dripping with sweat (Yes - 10 minutes into the 2nd class, you can't tell I put on a clean, dry shirt 10 minutes earlier) and in pain after the 2nd track of Body Pump.

I step back to the ballet bar at the back of the studio to grab a slug of cold water and look over at one of the regulars that comes to the Wednesday classes.... this lady from England named Lorraine.  Lorraine has this beautiful British accent, must be in her late 40's / early 50's and has a body like a Gazelle..... she's a professed runner.... one of those tall, slim, athletic types that actually works out at these classes instead of just going through the motions like most do.

Lorraine looked over at me and I said "I'm not sure it's worth the pain" to which Lorraine replied "Well, it beats the alternative".

So I quickly quipped, "Yeah, I guess the pain of working out is less than the pain I feel when I'm not working out".

To which Lorraine beautifully lilted "Yes, it's my Drug of Choice".

To which I said "Wow!.... So Exercise is Your Drug of Choice....That's very cool.... You just gave me my inspiration for the day! I can write a blog post on this".

And I just did.

So what'll it be.....

You gonna embrace the discomfort and pain and soreness of intense exercise and the sacrifice of a disciplined diet?

Or You gonna succumb to society's beckoning and brainwashing of masking the pain of an unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle with drugs and medications?

So once again, I ask you....

What is your Drug of Choice?