The Noise in my Head

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January 6, 2013 by little hurdles big race

Have you ever seen those people at the gym with the big earphones?  Or cans as they say in my business..  They have suddenly become very popular with the “cool kids” thanks in part to Apple and Dr Dre.  I confess I have been very judgemental of these guys at the gym.  I mean really?  Do you really need headphones?  What are you a DJ?

But here’s the thing…I hate my earbuds.  I seem to go through them faster than I should.  We all know they are not cheap.  The original Apple ones are ridiculous – as soon as you turn your head oops they fell out.  The ones that fit in your ear canal are better but I unless they have the size adjusters I often feel like I am getting gauges for my ear canal.  But, even with changing the size – something is wrong with my right ear.  I didn’t wrestle in college so I have no good excuse other than my right ear is a 1/2 size.

So, I admit I was curious about the headphones.

I bought a pair of noise canceling headphones for my airplane ride to Alaska earlier this year.  They were not the powered ones but they worked just as well I thought.  Those are not gym ready.  So I found myself at Best Buy today and yes my shopping addiction came over me and I walked out with a pair.  Not the Beats by Dr Dre or one of the insanely over priced Sony models, but a pair made by Monster Cable.  I eventually settled on these because they were on sale, low profile, girly white and light blue, and most importantly when I wore them they didn’t jam my earrings into my skull.  Yes, I know I could simply remove my earrings when I work out – stay on point…

So here I was about to walk into the gym with my new workout accessory.  Boy I felt silly – although I really didn’t know why.  Our method of music/entertainment is just as much a part of our work out gear as our tennis shoes.  So despite my trepidation I walked in with headphones awkwardly hanging around my neck…no one laughed and pointed, no one gave me an eye roll.

Now it was the moment of truth.  I plugged in my iPod, chose my playlist, and put the headphones on…

Nirvana

They are awesome!!!   I can have them at a comfortable level and still don’t hear anything.  The overhead music – gone.  The two ladies who are screaming at each other over their machines – quiet.  The thud, thud, thud of the treadmill I abhor – silent.

So, in the words of Carrie Bradshaw, “and just like that, I became one of those people”.  I didn’t realize how different my gym experience would be when I wasn’t constantly fiddling with my ear buds – changing the level, pushing them back in my ears, the sweat issue 😦  Do what makes you comfortable and takes your mind off little things that eventually lead to frustration.  How silly is it to ruin your workout because you are embarrassed to bring your iPad, or your shoes hurt, or the TV at they gym isn’t on the game.  Bring it, get a shoe fitting, ask to change the channel.  I assure you the money or time you spend making yourself feel better will yield much better results and make you feel better about going again.

And don’t judge like I did – everyone is just trying to work it out.