Football as my Workout Inspiration

Super Bowl tonight. It’s a shame, I still never got around to getting into football, although I feel closer to it than ever! I feel that the day will soon come when I will watch it and understand what’s going on.

Speaking of football and athletics though, I’m always impressed by all of that training that they do. It inspires me to stay active. I know some people pick celebrities that they admire to motivate them into working out.

I can see why this would work for some people. She looks freaking amazing. But Britney Spears circa 2001 doesn’t do anything except for make me miss Britney Spears circa 2001.

Although I’m as narcissistic as the next person, the main reason I exercise is to work on my lung capacity, cardiovascular system etc., so the things that motivate me tend to fall on the less glamorous side. In short, I need to be able to visualize the athleticism I’m trying to attain–which brings me to my #1 source of inspiration right now: the game sequences from “Friday Night Lights”. My friend PH loves razzing me by finding parallels between Tim Riggins and myself, but when I told him that I use Riggins as a workout inspiration, he was a little concerned.

Understandable. I get that it’s a little weird that I channel the fullback on a popular TV football drama when I go for a jog. Apparently, Miley Cyrus is the only person who is allowed to have a socially acceptable alter ego.

But finding motivation is tough. Some people are disciplined enough to exercise 3-5 times a week as a regular part of their routine. To them, it’s cake. Facile. I am really not one of those people, and I have to remind myself everytime as to why I’m going. I strongly dislike climbing stairs, only to feel like I might collapse and fall down them at any moment. I want to have the option of running a considerable distance in case I’m late for something. And I’m a bit bratty, so this is one of the most productive ways of satisfying my competitive streak. Plus, if there’s a zombie breakout, I’d prefer to be on the surviving end of things.

So seeing that physical, aggressive gameplay in Friday Night Lights is what drags me away from my computer down to the gym. I pick Riggins because he’s got that reckless 110% throw-yourself-into-it attitude about football that I like having when I hit the track. I certainly don’t want to look like Tim Riggins (he’s a bit too muscular for my skinny jeans) but he embodies my reasons for staying active.

I’ve also been fortunate to have work out buddies, and Twitter has been an unusually good help as well. I’ll usually tweet that I’m about to hit the gym so that I have to hit the gym, or else I will be forced to endure horrible guilt and shame if I don’t.

That’s all for now. Cheers to better health!