It's 5AM and my alarm goes off. I hit snooze.
It's 5:30AM and my alarm goes off. I get up, change into workout clothes and go to my basement to sweat, laugh and sometimes cry.
This is my daily routine 5-6 days a week. Being completely alone and working out.
This may seem sad to you extraverts.
To my fellow introverts this is heaven.
I know a lot of people need group fitness to push them. I need solitary workouts for the same reason.
Comparison
Unlike the group fitness lovers when I workout with others I start to compare my form, my unathleticism, and my lack of coordination.
When I workout alone I compare me to me. Did I do this workout better than yesterday? Am I getting stronger? Is that a new muscle!?!?!
I Let My Freak Flag Fly
I also freely express myself. I am not a dancer but when I do a dance workout alone I break off a piece. I record parts of my workouts to check my form and watched one of these sessions in horror. I'm really really bad! (But I could win the $10K on America's Funniest Home Videos!)
I don't care because I have a blast! I sweat my guts out and I let my freak flag fly! For 30-55 minutes I'm an accomplished dancer feeling the music, letting go of the real world and entering the fun where I get a huge hit of endorphins for my efforts.
Peace
I read the book 10% Happier a few years ago. This book explains several forms of meditation from the point of view of a skeptic. One form discussed is walking meditation. A great way to describe this is from a Berkley article on the subject:
I realized I was doing this with my workouts!
I feel my entire body, what it's capable of, it's limitations (I have bad feet) and it's strength.
Being fully present in my workout creates so much peace for the rest of my day. A moment of escape into my body and simply feeling the movements.
Ideas Galore
I would be lying if I said I lived in the "walking meditation" zone my entire workout but when I don't, something else happens that's equally powerful.
I get the BEST ideas!
Sometimes I could fill entire sheets of paper with the ideas that flow out of me during my sweat sessions.
Are they always award winning? No. But they typically lead me down a different path than I've traveled before.
Private Therapy Sessions
In 2015 my solitary workouts were used for throwing killer pity parties. During a particularly difficult cardio program I cried every single day. It's like the physical labor caused the emotions I was holding in to break out.
To this day that program holds a special place in my heart because it carried me through a dark time when I needed to deal with my emotions, be weak, be real and not be judged.
So yeah, I workout alone, in my basement.
AND IT'S AWESOME!