What we can do to shield ourselves from today’s hyperreal culture

I'm currently reading the excellent book "The Trouble with Paris" by Mark Sayers. Mark talks about how today's media culture drastically influences our perception of what life is about. Many people today feel that their lives are inadequate and insignificant only because they fall short of the ideal of celebrities, movie actors or computer game heroes.
I find this book a real eye opener and would like to recommend it to anyone of you who can at least partly identify her/himself with what was said in the previous paragraph. I would like to share some passages of the book here that particularly spoke to me:
"In many ways the real world is the flip side of hyperreality. It is the same world in which people have lived throughout the course of human history. I think that we know that deep down, but we prefer to live under the illusion that the hyperreal dream is just around the corner for us. The mundane nature of our real lives simply seems to make the glamour of the hyperreal world all the more appealing."
"With fast-paced music videos, action-packed video games, and a vast array of other forms of entertainment on offer to youth in the West, young people at the beginning of the 21^st century are accustomed to being constantly entertained […] Life is NOT edited like movies are. In reality we have to face the mundane nature of life: we have to wash the dishes, pay the bills, and rest our bodies to survive. […] When we do encounter the inevitable periods of the mundane in life, we become bored and see this as evidence of the poor nature of our lives. We say to ourselves that if our lives really meant something, we would not be bored; we would be doing something interesting all the time."
Mark goes on and offers a lot of practical help how to live a significant, meaningful and fulfilled life despite the often obtrusive media culture surrounding us. Such a great and helpful book!

How to enjoy your time at the gym and make the most out of it

I spoke to many people who really don't like spending time in the gym. Also my personal experience is that I often don't enjoy carrying out

It's a pity as the gym can really be a place where can spend our time efficiently and effectively by improving our health while enjoying it. I discovered a couple of simple things you can apply to have a much better time at the gym.

Save time

Choose a gym that is within max. 30min jogging distance from your living place. If you already dress up in gym clothing and run there you not only save the time changing your clothing but also the usual warm up time.

Don't compare yourself

The person next to you might have the perfect body but I guarantee you that he or she will envy you for some other part of your body e.g. the features of your face or your skin colour. Be aware of the fact that most people usually desire what they don't have at the moment.

Focus on your goals

Always keep in mind why you are here? Is it to please your spouse? Is it because of the great feeling that a healthy body gives you? Is it to look good in the new piece of clothing you just bought? Visualise how great it will feel when you accomplished your goal.

Take a friend with you

Everybody is so much more effective when other people are watching. It is also so much more fun to chat between different rounds of exercise. I also love to have someone counting e.g. when doing bench press.

Choose specific music

Create a playlist with music that you deliberately choose and that helps you to stay energised throughout the entire workout.

Pray

If you keep up the dialogue with God and ask him specifically for things like motivation, peace and joy you will be amazed by how much better and meaningful your workout will be.