Gym Rat, Reading Fool

by

In an effort to improve my lifestyle and my health, I recently joined a fitness club. It is one of those hulking, pervasive chains that have an establishment on every other corner and are painted in garish colors. I’ve long resisted the urge to join a gym either because I was too embarrassed of my horrible fitness level or I had access to a university health center with all of the amenities and none of the membership dues. Nowadays I find myself without enrollment in a university and the college I work for is far too small for a health center. The call of an indoor pool and flexible hours finally won me over.

Now, having set the stage for you, dear reader, I will be the first to tell you, I hate working out. Hate is a strong word, but in this case it’s perfectly fitting. Old ankle injuries make walking and jogging excruciating, an old knee injury renders biking a literal pain, and sweating profusely sort of grosses me out. Alas, like most people, I press on and exercise to lose weight, stay in shape, and de-stress. A trip to the gym also gives me an additional chance to read.

For years I slaved away on my home treadmill with the television set turned on. I often found myself bored with daytime talk shows or whatever else I might run across and the workout itself seemed to drag on for ages as a result. Then I realized that the display screen on a treadmill is the perfect book rest. In college I began working out almost exclusively on a recumbent bike in order to slip around those pesky ankle pains I mentioned earlier and also found that reading was a perfect pastime to take me away from my dislike of sweat and physical exertion. If books carry me away from my daily life on the couch, why not the elliptical machine, too?

A peek into my gym bag provides a smattering of titles perfectly suited for workout reading:

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is currently the best book I have for reading while I exercise. The book’s subject, Chris McCandless, was a reader, a traveler, and an adventurer. After giving his college fund to charity and ditching his car and sundry possessions, he heads off into the Alaskan wilderness—only for his body to be discovered later by moose hunters. Into the Wild is an engrossing read. McCandless, while idealistic and bookish, is also a bit of a jerk. He cut his capitalism-loving (as he saw them) parents out of his life and spent his time hitchhiking around the country before setting off on his half-baked Alaskan adventures. I was skeptical at first, but Krakauer seems to have done an admirable job piecing together McCandless’s escapades from his journals and interviews with acquaintances. The guy had to be in great shape to do all the traveling he did on foot and hitchhiking. I can only hope by the time I get fit, I can kill a wild animal with my bare hands. Such a skill might come in handy if I’m ever stranded in the Alaskan tundra.

Stargazer by Claudia Gray is the second in her Evernight series. While it is tempting to sigh and roll one’s eyes in the aftermath of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga (which I love), Evernight is strong and fresh even in comparison to other teen vampire novels.  Bianca is a student at the Evernight Academy boarding school for vampires which recently began to accept select humans. She falls in love with Lucas, a vampire hunter from the secret Black Cross society, and trouble ensues. In the second book, Stargazer, Bianca and Lucas must find ways to spend time together after his daring escape from the school. Bianca is also plagued by wraiths and eager to figure out why the school is suddenly so fond of humans. While it is light reading, that makes it perfect for a high impact getaway. I barely feel my ankles when I read it.

Finally, what would a workout routine be without graphic novels? Not only are they light and portable, the stories and pictures are easy to digest while working out. Autobiographix from Dark Horse Comics is a recent purchase. An anthology of autobiographical shorts by Will Eisner, Frank Miller and others, it is an interesting lot. I find that comics artists often have an interesting take on life and the visual essays in this book demonstrate it time and again. They are witty, sad, and disturbing in turn, but all of the pieces I have read thus far filter the authors’ realities into sardonic and visually appealing stories.

Off hand I cannot think of a single unsavory situation that could not be improved by reading. Certainly audiobooks are also fair game for working out—and negate the need to hold anything while in motion—but those are another column for another day. In the meantime, dear reader, I wish you a good sweat and an easy time on your workout machine of choice. Any of these three books would provide good company for your next trip to the gym.

Books mentioned in this column:
Autobiographix by Dark Horse Comics (2003)
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (Anchor, 2007)
Stargazer by Claudia Gray (Harper Teen, 2009)


Andi is a recovering university academic employed by the North Carolina community college system as an English instructor. While she decided to forego a Ph.D. and career as a professor, she fills in all the free time her current position affords her with editing literary publications, reviewing, freelancing, and blogging at Tripping Toward Lucidity: Estella’s Revenge. Her work can be found in the journal, Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS), and Altar magazine as well as online in various venues such as PopMatters.com. She is a member of the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC), and writes fiction. Her turn-ons include new books and gelato, while her turn-offs are reality television and washing dishes. Contact Andi.