Why Are You Doing This to Yourself?

When you tell someone that you pursue a form of exercise whose ideal conditions involve a room that is ideally set to 105 degrees and 40% humidity, and which entails spending 90 minutes exerting yourself in those conditions, you tend to get a look as if they think you’re mentally ill, and that said illness might be communicable. 

As Wee Willie Shakespeare said, “Though this be madness, yet there be method in it.” But I’ll talk a little about the method another time. For now, just assume I’m crazy, but that there are actually good reasons I’m doing this.

In general:

1. It’s something Margo and I can do together, after years of struggling to find something we could do together. The Cambridge YMCA? Margo hated the facilities. (Me? I loved it. Russell’s Celtics practiced in the big gym upstairs in the late 60s. Good enough for Russ, good enough for me.) Jogging? Not a great thing for a couple where one person is a foot taller than the other.
2. I sleep like a baby after every evening class. Actually, I could sleep like a baby after any class.
3. I’m getting’ old, Jake. This is really the biggest reason—I need to do something other than play basketball to maintain whatever humble athletic attributes I currently possess. My man Norm sets the bar high, playing basketball at age 71 with no signs of stopping. When I told him I hoped to playing at his age, he replied, “I hope I’m playing when you’re my age too.”
4. I need to submit myself to an authority figure. I need someone to tell me what to do, how to do it, and for how long. I know—I’m married. I’m already doing that. But not when it comes to my workout regimen.
5. I used to be a complete stumblebum because I had crappy balance. Now I’m only kind of a stumblebum. That’s saying something when you consider I started going to Bikram Yoga after I turned 40.

But why am I doing a 30 day challenge? A class every single day for a full month? 

1. I want to be more disciplined and tough-minded. And really, if I can develop that, I can take it out of the hot room with me. I think spending the equivalent of two full days in a really hot, humid room over the course of the challenge will probably help build those mental muscles.
2. The guy who put together (and, to the consternation of many in the yoga community, also copyrighted) the sequence of postures claimed you should do his yoga six days a week for two months to see real changes. So I think at least one time I should try to go the immersive route and see what happens. As long as I don’t have to listen to his music while doing it. I mean, there are challenges, and then there are challenges.
3. I’m pretty sure they have a party when the whole thing is over. I love parties.
4. They offer a discount on your next membership if you finish the challenge. I’ll always remember the words of my junior high math teacher, Mr. Smith: “Man is basically lazy and cheap.” In this case, I don't get both option. It’s actually lazy doing battle with cheap. I know—Sloth vs. Stingy is not exactly Lakers-Celtics, but it’s the best I can give you right now.
5. The Boston Bikram studios will donate a set amount to a local food drive for each person who finishes. So there’s a good cause attached to all this. I’ll post details when the studio has everything finalized.

Tomorrow: Totem