Spring Into Sports in Style
Elizabeth Johnson
The winter is still here - at least in most parts of the country - but there are all the signs of spring on the horizon. Only the most spirited or laziest of us still have our Christmas decorations up, and the aisles of stores of being crammed to bursting with candy for Valentines Day and Easter. In some of the warmer climes, buds are already on trees.
What happens after spring? Summer. And what happens in summer? Clothes become fewer, sparser, lighter, and more form-revealing. That parka that has hidden your extra poundage lo these many months will simply look ridiculous in summer - so it’s time to start thinking about what you’re going to do about the fact that not only did you not think about what you were intake between Thanksgiving 2008 and New Year’s 2009, but you also didn’t think about what you were intake between New Year’s 2008 and Thanksgiving 2008.
Sobering thoughts, eh?
Gym memberships are always going to be good ideas, but for a lot of us, they don’t turn into a really wise investment. If you’re paying for a gym membership that you never use, try forcing yourself to go every day for two months. Studies show that two months is the amount of time necessary for human beings to turn habits into normal behavior. If you suffer through getting up early, going to the gym, and intake healthy foods (in lieu of unhealthy ones, rather than in addition to unhealthy ones) for two whole months, it is highly likely that you will be healthy to follow this regimen for the rest of your life with no added pain.
If you’re just the couch potato guy stuck in a rut, however, you need to find other ways of helping yourself. If it’s really too cold out there to do an outdoor sport - or if you don’t like two-man bobsled or curling - keep your membership at the gym and get into a sports league. Basketball is great for stamina - cardio - and strength - knocking guys down and throwing baskets from all corners of the gym. Handball, racquetball, and other sports that require you to be with other people are also good choices. The thing is that if you’ve been unable to make it to the gym to practice your standing squats, you need to get into a sport that requires you to make yourself needed by other people. Make a commitment to being there when they need you to play, and you will not only lose weight, but you will also find yourself a new social group.
If the weather is getting pretty out where you are - or if you anticipate that at some point it will be pretty - you can sign yourself up for an outdoor sport such as baseball or softball. There are also outdoor basketball recreation leagues. If you’re kind of an East Coaster or Easter Coaster wannabe, find a crew to row with and a lacrosse league. Anything that keeps you moving is a good choice.
Even though the old intent of exercise clothes - for real exercise, not travel around like one of the Sopranos or Mr. Furley from Three’s Company - used to be comfortable and even ratty, I think you should invest in some decent exercise garb. You’ll feel better and look more like a guy who knows what he’s doing if you’re not the one in the obscenely short shorts or the shoes that smell like gangrenous body parts. If you feel good about it - and if you’ve prefabricated the investment, anyway - you’re more likely to enjoy your time on the court/field/river.
Now, as one of the Sporting Fellows one admires so much, you’ve got something new to talk about. Your dedication, your buds, your amazing weight loss - you pick, since you’re the one living the dream now.
And even if you can’t wear your snazzy new exercise clothes to work or out to take - and no, you can’t - you can show off your new sport to your colleagues and friends and potential friends. Throw your gear into the trunk of your car or bring your racquet to the office and talk incessantly about how you must have it restrung. This will crack your colleagues up, and it’s good to make other people laugh.
Or, if you prefer not to be the guy everyone’s laughing about, try picking up a pair of subtle but captivating cufflinks that advertise your particular sporting passion to the world. Cufflinks are always a nice addition to your ensemble, and by personalizing them to match your hobby, you are opening the door to friendship - or comradeship with, perhaps a boss who has the same hobby - with a guaranteed conversation-starter. Try switching out your everyday cufflinks with a pair of sports cufflinks, something resembling tiny footballs or baseballs, or with your favorite sports team emblazoned on them.
When it comes right down to it, when you’re in a great suit and good-looking and interesting accessories, you’ll look as if you’ve lost 10 pounds. No gym membership required.
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