Each summer,
I try to trim the fat off my body
with exercise
with protein shakes
with vegetables.
Women want a hard body
and they won’t look at a flabby one
Trust me, I know.
I’ve been at the pinnacle of performance
and into the depths of anonymity.
It feels great to have the sun on my shoulders
playing golf and going for bike rides
in the summertime
to be the bronze man
to be desired by women, and respected by men—
that takes work, among, all the other jobs I have to do.
Teenagers have a metabolism, and nothing but time
while I have a limited window
to make myself look like a limited edition show-piece.
I have never been obese
but I have flirted with the idea,
and I don’t want to be huge.
Basically, I’m doing this for myself
because it feels good, to look good
to be lighter, like a feather-weight fighter.
Even in my peak physical condition
I contemplate the absurdity—spending countless hours each day
doing repetitive movements
lifting tons of weight, with no purpose, but to tear my muscles
and burn fat. Doing all that work, for no pay. If people were paid to do it, they would quit,
but it’s a teenage satisfaction, most adults don’t know
because they won’t walk anywhere
or go to the gym.
I remember…
when all I wanted to do was to get a 6-pack and big biceps
and I did
I took those guns for granted
and that washboard, was never used to wash clothes.
My favorite history professor described physical exercise and dieting
as the mortification of the flesh. He was over 300 pounds.
Not me.
There’s a movie I like to watch
where the warden has gotten fat, during his comfortable career
and Kirk Douglas is a 70-year-old inmate
full of life and fit.
He gets out of prison and hooks up with a 30-year-old woman in spandex.
You can be free,
but if you don’t have the body
it doesn’t feel half as good.
It’s no joke:
you are your body
treat it like a temple
and sacrifice your flesh
to the gods of pain
Your brain will work better
Your body will live forever
Women will want you more than ever
You are Atlas,
the god
unwilling to shrug—unless
it’s 30 reps, with 45 pounds in each hand.
Intellectual Shaman 
Smart women look for the wise , not refuse for the flabby. But you got to be healthy.
Diet – Did you try protein diet? I dropped two dress size in one year. It’s a practical way of diet in my experience.
exercises – try dancing to music, it is enjoyable than gym workout. and you won’t look like scary in biceps at the end of the day.
I am sure you true love kiss is on her way, my dearest Bro.
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Pretty hurts…
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Going to the gym and sweating my ass off is, in my mind, a total waste of time and no one can’t make me do it. I tried once; didn’t like it.
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Hit the train. Read a philosophical book while you journey to your destination. Exit the train at the station of your choice. Disappear into the mountains and woods. Tackle the route to the top of the mount while you think about the book, your life, and reality. This exercise is much more complete than going to the gym. It does not only strengthen your body. It consolidates your whole being.
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Yes, I’m reading Alfred Adler right now. I’ve been reading the existentialist philosophers, but I think I’ll switch to the classic theorists in psychology.
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I prefer philosophy over psychology. Especially younger works on psychology tend to have the stench of self-optimization. I never got what we should optimize ourselves for.
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Hi Malzkorn, I prefer the time when psychology and philosophy were merged as one. It can be difficult to seperate the two, especially at their roots. Some of those early theories will blow your hair back, like Freud, Jung, and Adler.
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I tried working out for a while. I gained my ideal weight but this was not a life-changing moment. People look to much to the exterior of things.
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Yes, very true! I wish we could see the inside of people. We can, but it takes time.
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Whether male or female those whom truly love you will love your personality and spirit first and foremost. You can be the most beautiful person in the world but if you have an ugly heart you are ugly, you can be the ugliest person in the world but if your heart is beautiful you are beautiful. I wish people in the world weren’t so shallow minded.
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I think people are unhappy because they exist on the surface, and they haven’t gone deep. Thanks for your thoughts, Sara!
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