Today in the gym I thought the Force while doing cardio, and how it applies to my daily workouts.
I came to the realization that George’s ‘religion’, with all it’s Campbellian and Jungian references, mirror’s the choices we all face in our day-to-day lives, but for me none more so than how I train. Frequent Fitness Club forum members know that I tend to train hard, pretty much 5-6 days a week. Today in the gym someone even commented on how “all-out” I go every day. But it’s not easy, and most days it’s a struggle to stay focused and to continue to push myself. Bear with me, the Star Wars analogy is coming.
When I’m hitting a wall or trying to psych up for another set of intervals on the cardio, or trying to struggle through the last couple reps while lifting, I look for ways to push myself. Often I reach down and pull up dark imagery: being trod upon or looked down on, people not believing in me, not believing in myself, striking back. Sometimes it’s intentionally belittling myself similar to how sergeants motivate in the army: “come on, you’re worthless, you’re a slug, don’t be a wimp”. These ‘dark’ places rely on anger, hatred, self-doubt, and fear and trust me; they get the job done. But it’s the easy way out, because truth be told the amount of oppression I’ve faced as a middle-class white male is pretty negligible and my platoon commanders in the army were pretty decent folks (the self doubt and self loathing part I find easy tho, but don’t we all if we look hard enough?).
In short, it’s easy to use anger and hatred, or even vanity to generate the short term strength you need for that final lift. I find when I do though, I can be a pretty scary guy, the person people don’t want to say Hi to at the gym, or even make eye contact with. Drawing from ‘darkness’ can linger as well, and yup, the rush from using negative imagery to feel stronger can be addictive. Sound familiar?
It’s definitely harder to use positive encouragement on yourself to make it through tough parts of a workout. Telling myself “Come on, I know you can do it!” and staying positive doesn’t come naturally for me. But it does work, and the rush is the same once you accomplish something that you though would best you. Sometimes, it’s realizing that working out is, in itself, the rewarding and fun part, and that it’s actually fun to be pushing yourself in the gym. On the occasions that I realize this, It’s actually a peaceful feeling, and the workout is in itself less stressful. I start smiling like a fool and going longer or harder than I think I otherwise would have. And it’s contagious: people around you get into it as well, and the vibe in the whole gym can perk up, and I find myself being asked for spots, or just hopping in to support other people’s lifts if they’re struggling.
So there you have it. It’s easy to wield the dark side of the Force, and yup, power can be addictive. The light side is harder to draw from, but it benefits you and those around you.
Will I still draw from the dark side while working out? Yup, 'cause I like it and it’s a release of sorts, but that doesn’t mean I’m making the right choice…
So… if anyone has a perspective on this, wants to share their thoughts, or just call me a geek, go for it.
Sorry for the tl;dr post. 
–Amberite
@Neilisntwitty on Twitter
