Exercise as a hangover cure?

I mentioned exercising to escape a hangover in my introduction. I felt I should clarify this a little and maybe tell you how I discovered it works. It is painful but it works. A couple years ago I went out for the evening with my husband and some friends. We went to dinner and then met the rest of the group at a poolside bar. I am a light weight and do not drink very often so my friends have no end of fun trying to get me to drink. That night it was shots, the largest shots I have ever seen. It seemed every shot was a double and I lost count at five. There were drinks too. I really don't remember how many. As a matter of fact the rest of the night only comes in flashes. I see myself in the bathroom, still at the poolside bar mind you, praying to die as I got sick. I see a friend of mine climbing up the side of a bathroom stall and kicking it open from the top. Apparently I wanted to die in privacy but they decided they knew better so they broke in to my stall. The next thing I remember is waking up in my bed in nothing but underwear and asking my husband why I am naked and why I felt like my head was bruised. My husband could answer the first question, I was apparently too uncooperative for him (he was also drunk) to get me in to my pajamas but he thought I should get out of the clothes I threw up on.
I had to wait to see my friends for the rest of the story. As I said one of my friends kicked open the bathroom stall and when I came out I apparently also threw up in the sink, I guess I banged my head against the faucet before my friend could catch it. Apparently there was a very delayed ouch. Finally, as an additional humiliation, while we were waiting for one of our sober friends to bring the car around I threw up on the bushes in front of the club. Oh well the bushes and my pants apparently.
So I told you all this to tell you that at this time in my life I was heavily in to spinning. I found a home in spin class. Initially I hated it. I watched the clock for the first 45 minutes just praying to live through it. For those of you who have not tried spin class I have two pieces of advice, the first is try it more than once- you won't love it the first time. My husband never went back because after the first class he said he felt like his calves were being ripped from his legs. Second it is all about the shoes, if you decide you like spinning invest in the bicycle shoes.
So being as crazy as I was I went to spin class most Sunday mornings early, like 7:00am. Well, if there ever was a Sunday to skip spin class the one that was the morning after I had puked on my own pants in public should have been it....But I went.
Once again for those of you who have not been to spin class you have no idea how loud they can be. I went to a spin class where the instructor played hip hop and popular music and it felt more like a dance club than an exercise class. Well, pounding base with a hangover is painful!!!! Also, interestingly did you know that when you sweat out Vodka it still smells like you are still drinking? Do this when you are already nauseous and it is quite unpleasant. So why would I have stayed for the whole class that day, more importantly why did I even go in the first place. I plead insanity. I plead embarrassment, I was not leaving in the middle once I got there. I plead a shear will to simply survive, that is what I did that day.
So when I got home I felt worse right? Amazingly NO. I still smelled like alcohol because it was oozing out of my pores, seriously it is a good thing I did not get pulled over. The rest of me amazingly did not feel like I had spent the previous night puking. I even had people over for football that afternoon.
Exercise as a hangover cure- DEFINITELY.
Don't torture yourself unnecessarily though, avoid the loud classes, just find something at the gym to work up a nice quiet sweat. Maybe yoga. The alcohol will go out of your system though the sweat and you will feel better. You may need to apologize to the others in the class for making it smell like a bar.

Introduction

I hate to exercise. I am not a 115lb skinny and perky woman who thinks that exercise is just super. I do it because I don't want my butt to get any bigger and actually I would like to reduce the size of that particular portion of my anatomy.
At least that is why I started exercising. I found as time went on that I was using the gym as an escape. I would go when I had a bad day, had a fight with my husband, had something particularly trying happening in my life, had a big test, had a hangover and for many other reasons. What I discovered that my problem that existed when I entered the gym was still there when I left ( with the exception of the hangover) but I felt more equipped to deal with it. I felt more centered. I know that may sound a little bit like that perky woman I described above talking but I swear it is not. I am not touting exercise as the path to the enlightenment and a problem free life, I am just saying that it can help manage the stress. It is really hard to think about anything other than survival when you are in a spin class, or running three miles on a treadmill or are trying not to trip over your feet and fall on your face in a step class.
The purpose of this blog is to talk about what I have literally run away from with a trip to the gym and to explore the different exercises you can try to lose yourself if only for an hour. I will candidly discuss my day, my issues, and I will tell you about the experiences I have at the gym. I am very clumsy so I can promise that the different classes and exercises I try will result in hilarious situation. For instance how many people can say they have fallen flat on their face at the gym because their pant leg caught on a weight machine. I can, sometimes you just have to get up and limp on even if you feel like the biggest idiot on earth. I will also introduce you to the varied cast of characters in my life that may cause me to speed toward the gym.
Please take the time to read and tell me about some of your experiences and the underlying causes for the trip to the gym. I want to know I am not the only person out there who can only stomach exercise as a means to escape everyday life if only while trying to survive the workout.