Running Over Excusable Obstacles

In a recent post, I laid bare the lame excuses people think up to justify why they don't go to gyms. Among the lamest were 'I wouldn't know what to do when I got there," "The gym staff is rude and unfriendly," "I am too out of shape to go to the gym." Generally speaking, I am loathe to excuse those who rationalize why they don't workout and rarely, if ever, do I not question that particular person's sincerity. That was all well and good until yesterday when I heard two excuses that completely silenced me. So convincing were these excuses that, had I been in the same circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised to hear these very same excuses escaping from my mouth. However, unlike those people whom I wrote about in that past post who, after reasoning why not to go to a gym, simply did not work out at all, this new group have people have simply changed their workout routines. Rather the excuse ending all conversation of exercise, these people have simply found an alternative method thereby viewing their excuse as an obstacle to be overcome.

Who am I talking about? The Iraqis, dear readers, the Iraqis!

In his article, Iraqi Exercise Craze Pumps Up Home Fitness Business, Mike Tharp discusses the increasing trend of Iraqis electing to set up home gyms rather than venture out to any number of commercial gyms that have opened in the last year in Baghdad. However, instead of being afraid of the gym staff or the gym itself, the Iraqis have been home gym-ing themselves for fear of police checkpoints and the possibility of car bombs. While I don't speak for anybody but myself, I have to say that those are two pretty solid excuses. In fact, I don't think a better excuse can be made up. Though the situation in Iraq appears to be getting better and better with each new day, as Tharp points out, "Despite the dramatic drop-off in violence, Iraqis keep a wary eye on security, and some don't want to make any unnecessary trips. And no matter what the incident numbers say, you still don't see joggers and walkers along the banks of the Tigris River as you did for a few months after the 2003 invasion".

But the potential for violence (and even death) has not deterred the Iraqis from exercising altogether. Since they couldn't go to the gyms, the Iraqis brought the gyms to they. In the last year, people like Zahir Khalaf, who runs his own sports gear shop on Rasheed Street in the oldest section of Baghdad, has seen sales nearly double in the past year as more and more Iraqis are purchasing gym equipment for home use. And what's the most popular machine? Try a $120 Chinese-made treadmill or an $80 portable sauna. While China is not known for the manufacturing of gym equipment, Iraqi sports equipment stores are full of various Chinese made gym products because, as Murtada Kathum, a 21-year-old sports store owners noted, " Chinese gear is available, reliable and cheap. They export to everybody".

I can't believe I am saying this but the Iraqis exemplify the attitude that all of us should have when it comes to exercise. Instead of simply giving up when the path to the gym is blocked, the Iraqis found another route. They did not let police checkpoints and car bombs rattle their motivation and their pursuit of health. They stood up to their obstacles and said, "You are not blocking my path today!!" (though they probably said this in Arabic). And while I cannot speak to the quality of the gym equipment the Iraqis are using, I can certainly applaud the quality of their perseverance in the face of those who get in their way.