The Lost Art of Dressing Like a Schlub to Work Out

Channeling Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. Plus a Q&A with Emily Banks, On Running PR Maven & Ski Touring Sporty Spice

If you hate competing over treadmills and free weights, there’s no better time to hit the gym than the week between Christmas and New Year’s. The Boston YMCA on Huntington Avenue was blessedly quiet early last week, which meant I had plenty of time to think through this newsletter while trotting on the treadmill What I like about this Y in particular is its patina, which stems from its Classical Revival architecture (the building dates to 1911) and from its denizens – many of whom were born around WWII. It’s the kind of place where older gentlemen lift in leather weight belts, grey tee shirts, blue sweatpants, and Converse low-tops, and silver-haired ladies do Zumba in cotton sweatsuits.

As a result of this big Silent Generation energy, I feel empowered to arrive at the gym in my cruddiest gear – to work out looking like a total schlub.

For those etymologically inclined: The Jewish-English Lexicon reports that schlub comes from the Yiddish word zhlob, meaning ‘boor or brute.’ Wikipedi…