Hanging Out at the Gym

I watched a TV show recently on "celebrity workouts". I think it was on the Discovery Health Channel, but I can't seem to find it listed on their website. On this show, they interviewed some celebrities and asked them what their diet & fitness regimen was to keep them in shape. Most of them were honest to admit that didn't exercise regularly or eat well to maintain their beautiful physiques since they had won the genetic lottery.

One person who shared their exercise regimen was LL Cool J, who looks like a chiseled ebony statue. Apparently, he works out for two hours a day doing a combination of cardio, weights and calisthenics. He also emphasized that when he goes to the gym, he focuses and really WORKS OUT, as opposed to HANG OUT. In contrast, check out this article in LA Times (you'll need to subscribe to look at the full text but it's free) about how some folks loiter around gyms:

Almost every gym has its small population of hangers-around, those who spend as much time -- or more -- shooting the breeze as actually exercising. Flexible work schedules -- or sometimes no job at all -- allow them to spend two, three, sometimes five hours a day among sweaty bodies.

That's fine, but if you're spending a lot of time socializing at the gym, be cognizant of the fact that that's what you're doing. So the next time you catch yourself complaining, "I don't know why I'm not losing any weight - I work out for [two, three, whatever] hours a day at the gym", really think about how much time you're exercising.