Day 25

DVD - Cardio Recovery

I've been following the weight loss travails of a couple of friends on their blogs, and reading some of the comments. So many people talk about having problems with motivation or just not having the time to work out, and I've been wondering why I haven't had some of the same issues. I know I have more time than some (especially the ones with new families) to actually devote to something like this, though not without some other sacrifices. The time investment is a big deal for a lot of people, espeically busy people with many responsibilities to juggle.

That's why I'm a big advocate of working out at home. It's funny, ever since I first started working out, I've always preferred doing it at home. Part of the reason is that it is less of a time commitment to pop in a DVD when you are already at home. There is no getting to and from the gym, no having to wait for a machine, I can do it whenever I want.

One of the main reasons people dislike working out at home that I hear a lot, particularly with people who have live-in partners or roommates is that they feel uncomfortable demanding the use of the shared living space for something as "selfish" as working out. That, and some degree of self-consciousness (people are more willing to sweat in front of strangers than to huff and puff away in front of the person or people with whom they live).

But, the thing is, all relationships require negotiation and compromise. One person's right to leisure doesn't trump another's right to use the same space for a different activity a few times a week. Your partner or roommate can find something to do to entertain themselves for a little while.

I worked out at home (thanks, rowing machine!) even when I was married and living in a one bedroom apartment. I talked it over with my husband, who in general was a pretty selfish guy who couldn't stand being inconvenienced, and he was happy to let me have the living room for 45 minutes to an hour a few times a week if it was going to make me happier with myself and more healthy. My workout time became sanctioned porn time for him (not that he needed my permission or a special time for his porn habit - I was cool with it). Was I being selfish in relegating him to the bedroom? Maybe. And sure, it would have been better if we'd lived in more than a 1-bedroom apartment and I'd had another place in the house besides the living room to work out. But seriously? If someone can't find something to do other than sit on the sofa staring at the tube for a couple of hours a week - isn't that their problem?

Working out at home in a roommate situation was a little more tough to navigate, especially because a roommate is less invested in another roommate's health and happiness in the same manner as a spouse or partner. You just have to learn to negotiate for your time. This is something that happens anyway with a shared living room and television: you're never always going to be wanting to watch the same things, so you take turns with the space. It's just that instead of clearing your roommate out so you can watch Jersey Shore, you do it so you can pop in your Tae Bo and have at it. And hey, if you have DVR - there's no worry about "missing" a show. They can record it and watch it another time.

It's different, I think, if you share a big studio or loft space. That means your partner or roommate physically has to leave the only space you have, because it is all shared. And let's face it, if you are working out at home, chances are part of the reason is that you don't want to work out in front of other people, so you do want to be alone when you do it. And unless your partner or roommate gets off on watching people workout, you sweating away in the middle of the room isn't all that entertaining. Still, it's worth talking to them about, particularly if you don't like or can't afford the gym and the choice is your living room or nothing at all.