The Reach Out: Brittany Van Horne
The comedy writer says, "I desperately want to be one of those people who say they enjoy working out," and that being "stir crazy" led her to start walking daily.
Brittany Van Horne is a comedy writer who has written for Paramount+, Adult Swim, McSweeney's, and The Cut.
Van Horne has worked on the digital teams for Full Frontal with Sam Bee and Entertainment Tonight, and is currently developing an original pilot.
I was very keen to find out about Brittany Van Horne’s “tortured” relationship with exercising.
Is keeping active an important part of your life?
It should be, but it's not in a big way. I've always had a tortured relationship with exercising, so it really fluctuates. I desperately want to be one of the people who says they enjoy working out, but I just can't seem to make that happen.
There have been points over the last year when I was going to the gym every single day, and other periods where for long stretches I don't go at all. My one constant is taking a daily walk. It's a way to trick myself into being active without really feeling like I'm doing much.
How did your exercise habits change during the pandemic?
Being at home every day, I got into a gym routine for the first time in my life. At one point in the pandemic, I was going to my apartment gym so much that the employees would make little comments about how often I was there. (I didn't like that so much -- being reminded that other people notice me in the world is excruciating).
But my daily walks, which I still maintain, derived from the pandemic. I was going stir crazy from being home so much, so like many people, that little walk became the one thing I looked forward to every day.
Does being active help you to come up with more creative ideas?
It might if I ever allowed myself to be alone with my thoughts when I was exercising, but unfortunately, I don't. My relationship with exercise is so tortured that I need to always make sure I have something actively occupying my brain otherwise I'll get bored and give up, like a child. But my fiancé and I do talk about creative ideas when we take walks, and it's always nice to have a sounding board.
What motivates you to keep active and exercise regularly?
I wish I could say it was a desire to be really healthy and feel my best, but if anything motivates me, it's vanity. At one point I asked my fiancé to teach me to start lifting weights because I wanted to be a badass with huge muscles. Of course, eventually boredom outweighs my vanity and I give up. But maybe one day I'll stick with it long enough to see results... or find a more noble motivation.
Do you wear an Apple watch or FitBit to remind you to walk and move more?
Absolutely. Again, much like a child, I find anything is easier when I have some arbitrary goal to reach where I'll be praised, and that includes walking enough for my Apple watch to be proud of me. I love that it sends me reminders to do very inherently human things like stand up once in a while. It's really sad.
While exercising, do you listen to podcasts or music, or watch TV?
I've done it all, but I find that I have the best results watching a really dramatic TV show while I'm working out. Something so engaging and enthralling that I don't have time to think about how much I hate the exercise.
Is there a sport or fitness activity that you think you might like to try?
I've always loved rock climbing, and I'd really like to join a rock gym and do that regularly.
Thank you, @_brittanyv
I appreciated hearing about Brittany’s “tortured” relationship with exercise. I’m sure she isn’t the only one who doesn’t love ever minute of working out.😄
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