It sounded like a good idea at the time. Hubby had been doing it for months and suggested I join him at an early morning spin class at the gym. With class starting before the sun came up, I thought I could get my exercise for the day with plenty of time to get ready for work. Sounded like a plan to me.
Before I go further, let me state that I have never been a morning person. I love the morning; it’s just that my body clock seems best suited for staying up late and consequently, sleeping late. In the evening, when most people are slowing down, I’m getting my second wind. If I’m not careful, I find myself gaining energy and forgetting about the late hour.
The challenge, though, is making time for the gym in the evening. Sometimes it’s hard to put things down, get home, eat dinner, walk the dog and get to the gym before it closes. Yeah, I know – we should probably join a 24-hour gym. But ours is convenient and you know that’s a big factor when it comes to working out.
So Hubby’s invitation to get up early was intriguing. He’s also a late-night person, and I figured if he could get up early for the gym then so could I. My alarm was set, I’d picked out my clothes for the morning, I was in bed at a decent hour – this should work, I thought.
As soon as my head hit the pillow the alarm went off. At least that’s the way it felt to me. Peeking one eye out from the covers, I noticed it was still night time. Dang phone alarm – must be broken. I hit the obnoxious thing and it stopped buzzing. Yet ten minutes later it went off again. Looking more closely, I realized that it was time to get up for the gym. Ugh – why did I agree to this?
I fumbled around and got ready, splashing cold water on my face, rubbing my eyes, touching my toes – anything to try and wake up. “Hubby, are you ready?” I asked. Zzzzzzzzz – was all I heard in the dark bedroom. “I’m not going this morning,” he said. “I stayed up too late last night.” Are you kidding me? Here I am, up, dressed and barely conscious, so we can have a bonding experience at the gym and you’ve decided to sleep-in?
I decided to go anyway. It seemed wrong to be at the gym to watch the sun rise, but there were a few cars in the lot. Most of the spin bikes were already occupied with people peddling away as though being chased by a rabid dog – and the class hadn’t started yet. In a daze, I found an open bike and sat down, pretending to be awake. I wondered if they served coffee – now that would be a plus.
“Okay everyone – let’s spin!” the instructor shouted. “Turn your dials up! Now jump! Let’s sprint!” Sprint? To where? While spinning is a great work out, it’s also an exercise in frustration. You pedal for an hour and never get anywhere. I was pedaling for all I was worth yet still in the gym.
Sweating profusely yet happy that I was getting my workout done, I was convinced the class was half over. Glancing at my watch I realized we’d only been spinning for 10 minutes. I closed my eyes and tried to listen to the music; I think I actually fell asleep while pedaling. My legs were numb and my eyes were only half open.
Who are these people at the gym in the wee hours of the morning? And the instructor was way too happy for such an early hour. She’s the same ultra-bendy person who tries to teach me yoga, and who I had just seen at the gym less than twelve hours earlier. I’m convinced that she’s a very attractive zombie – zombies don’t ever sleep, do they?
This is why I don’t accept a job that requires me to be at work at an early hour. I’m not productive early in the morning, even in an exercise class with music blaring. It’s important to know one’s strengths and weaknesses, and I am fully aware that my body clock doesn’t wake up early. No amount of caffeine will do; it’s best if I work at a company that allows me to arrive at a decent hour.
No zombie jobs for me; I’m looking for something with a 9:00 start time. And no spinning involved.
© Tami Cannizzaro 2012 All Rights Reserved
Like Tami, I was terminated once (By my best friend, BTW – he is now on the board of the agency I lead, so I got him back – ha!), but you don’t have to be unemployed to learn something from this book. 
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