The Stairs at the Gym

Source: Unsplash

I try to do some sort of exercise every single day, which often includes going to the gym in what ever city I may be in which is often New York. I literally live just a couple blocks from the gym in New York so the excuses to not go are few and far between. But there’s always one hurdle I must overcome before I hit my fitness routine. 

The stairs. 

To get to the fitness center, I have to take the stairs to the 5th floor. And each set of stairs is actually a pair that zig zags up to the top. Welcome to New York. Once I’m at the top, I’m fine but for some reason I find those stairs so daunting. 

Now I know it sounds silly to avoid stairs at a fitness center but it’s less physical and more emotional. I work out hard so I’m not afraid of the hard work. It’s just those stairs. 

So yesterday I was in the headspace to examine my own psyche about this and had a realization: it’s not the work out itself nor is it the walk to get to the gym. And it’s not really the stairs themselves either … it’s what they represent. 

Those stairs represent the prep work. And for me the prep work isn’t nearly as rewarding as the work itself. A little bit, yes, like the three-block walk. But too much prep makes the work seem unobtainable. Once the prep is done, not so much. Ready, willing, and able. But sometimes if the prep is too much, we avoid the work itself. 

So much so that I sometimes think about skipping a workout because the stairs make me anxious.

It’s not the stairs, it’s the barrier that the stairs represent. It’s all the prep work to get something done that puts up a barrier to get it done. 

I’ve got an entirely new outlook on those stairs, or any other prep work. Because the truth is that I love the work, so why shouldn’t I love the prep for it too? I’m going to embrace those stairs as much as I embrace my workout. In fact maybe I’ll just sprint up those stairs and make them a part of my workout. There you go. 

With this new outlook, I’m going to make the prep for doing something I love something I love just as much.

Solid. What’s your experience? JIM