As John J. Lennon writes in an article for Men’s Health, he is one of roughly two million men doing hard time around the country for whom strength is both physical and mental, survival and salvation. So he works out. Hard. Every day.
EXCERPT
I’m 42 years old now, wiser, sober, twice married and twice separated, ambitious and alone. Living in a cell for more than 17 years, I am self-absorbed. I, I, I. Journalism helps me. I report. I empathize. I write. I publish. I’m not eligible for parole until 2029. I’m depressed, I know I am. No antidepressants, though — scared they will fuck up my creativity. My balance is earned in endorphins. Nowadays, workouts have become more for my head and heart — free weights, calisthenics, running.
Staying fit in the joint is about being ready, but not to the extent that the media portray it. Like you guys out there, most of us in here exercise to experience that good, tired feeling, to let out frustration, to quell anxiety. To stay healthy, we have to do our thing in the most unhealthy part of the prison, the part where most prisoner-on-prisoner violence goes down. We have to do our thing in the yard.
Read the full story at Men’s Fitness.