Gym Rage: Show Them Some Love Instead
Dear Reader,
Gym Rage: Show Them Some Love Instead
On Monday and Wednesday evenings, I channel my
inner Dwayne Johnson and hit the weights at a
local racquet club while our older son has a
blast on adjacent tennis courts with his coach
and friends.
Tonight, I found an empty machine and began a set
of seated rows when I heard someone holler at me
from across the room – a man who had been chatting
up a female member marched toward me and barked
“hey, I’m still on that, go use something else!”
Had this happened when I was in my early 20s,
I might have kept my head and eyes down until he
was right by my side before exploding up with
a right elbow to drive parts of the ethmoid bone
of his skull into his brain. Well, maybe this
is what I would have fantasized doing while
one of Bruce Willis’ earlier characters was
still fresh on my mind.
Had I been in my 30s, I likely would have used
a calm tone to tell this highly juiced up chap
that perhaps he could consider using a friendlier
tone, and that I would be happy to work in with
him, alternating sets on the same machine – chances
are very good that such a response would have
prompted him to swear at me.
Today, being in my early 40s, I didn’t say a word.
I finished my set, stood up, looked him in the eyes
for about 5 full seconds as I thought about what
to do, and then moved on to do some pull-ups.
As I was resting in between sets, I felt a tap
on my shoulder – it was John, a well-liked trainer
at the club. With a look of concern, he said that
he saw what happened and wanted to know that I was
okay.
Absolutely, John, the guy bullied me, and in return,
I gave him some love. The manner in which I meet gym rage now is different than in the past.
John didn’t quite get it for a second or two, then
cracked a knowing smile. That smile of understanding
made my evening.
Call it energy conversation. Or maybe call it knowing
from experience that rarely does anything good come
from trying to reason with someone who chooses to
behave like that to prove his worth.
Ultimately, taking a few seconds to restrain ourselves
when we are provoked and responding with love is
the best way to preserve our health and hopefully
inspire others to a better place. And sometimes,
responding with love involves saying nothing
and moving on.
I can’t claim to show such restraint in all similar
circumstances. But it sure felt great to choose the
response that best served my health and core values
this evening. May we all have more such moments
in the days ahead.
I’ll be taking a bit of a break over the next few days
to recharge the batteries and find the boys some
new snow boots. So I have just one new post to
share with you until I write again next week – it’s
a short list of 9 of our favourite purchases from
Amazon in 2015. On this list are:
– A commercial-grade anti-fatigue mat for the kitchen
– A Japanese rice and legume washing bowl (brilliant design)
– The perfect yoga mat
– The most comfortable running and walking shoes I’ve known
– A stainless steel French Press coffee maker
– The best stainless steel water bottle for the hottest of days
– Top notch compression arm sleeves
– Our go-to sun umbrella for mobile protection against sunburn
– A super comfortable self-inflating sleep pad
More commentary and links on these 9 items can be found at
our blog here:
http://drbenkim.com/natural-
Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and peace-filled week
ahead. And to all of our readers in the United States, a
safe and merry Thanksgiving weekend!
Ben Kim
Thought of the Moment:
No matter how long we have traveled down the wrong road, we can
always turn around.