Sweat Lodge.

There are people I've met who are total gym addicts. I always thought they were crazy; where's the appeal of sweating in a giant room full of other sweaty people. Sure the health benefits are there, but where's the fun? I've always been a moderately active individual; I enjoy hiking and skiing, been known to ride and climb, but could never really get behind going to the gym. It left me tired and sore which aren't exactly top on my list of fun things.

Somehow there's been a switch. I don't know if it's because I'm int he best shape of my life since moving to UT, or if it's because I hang out with people who are constantly gym-ing it up, or if it's some other reason altogether, but I enjoy my time at the gym now. I WANT to go, and I feel so much better for doing so. Two weeks back I fell on a trail and scraped my leg up which prevented me going to the gym. During that down time I had been feel awful: tired and slow and full, no matter how little or well I ate. I didn't really think about it though, and thought maybe it was just the changing of the seasons that had me in a funk (I seem to have reverse SADS; summer is depressing because ski season is over). Now that I've started going again I realize that it was the lack of physical activity. Weird.

I don't go to the gym for weight loss; I'm 5'5" and 120 lbs., I don't think I could safely lose weight. I go to train my body for climbing and skiing, and to prep for trail running. I went to PT for about a year for my knee so I work on my exercises (sometimes) to try to keep rehabing it. Now I guess I do it for my mental as well as physical health. It's my modern-day sweat lodge, where I can meditate and revitalize my mind, body, and spirit. Plus it lets me feel slightly less bad about eating 10 Krispy Kreme doughnuts over a 3 day period.