News from the gym

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This gym rat (and I use that term loosely) is getting her stride going. Here are more observations.

Gyms have an odor. My gym is very clean. I’ve never seen a sweaty piece of equipment but it still smells like male body odor. My gym is about a 60-40 ratio of men to women at the time I go so I’m blaming the guys.

You don’t need to invest in stuff to look cool. All I need are some ear buds that dangle in my top (supposedly connected to something). No one knows what’s there so the ear buds alone will make me look cool.

Some people exercise with picnic coolers. Ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration. I go in for 30 minutes of intense (for me) exercise and I’m out of there. I drink water before and after but feel no need to carry a jug strapped to my body or in a wheel along cart. It’s not a desert and there is water available if a dust storm moves in. Several people walk around with a picnic satchel. They will pull out a ginormous bottle of some magic potion or a Turkish bath towel or some equipment that tells them how well they are doing. All I have is my inner voice saying “Hurry up and let’s get the hell out of here!” It works.

People are amazing. There is a woman my age or thereabouts. (Really, she looks older than me. I’d like to do a makeover for her.) She’s slight and small and she bench presses with the best of them. Yikes.

My gym is not about the clothes. (In a way it’s disappointing. I was looking for an excuse to buy more clothes.) I think that’s pretty cool. Women wear stretch yoga pants or sweat pants and tee shirts. It’s all practical and not necessarily attractive.

My gym is also not about how you look which is also very cool. I exercise in the morning before coffee or showers (and there are times I can’t remember if I combed my hair). Despite it being a mixed gym, it’s not a meat market. I’ve aged out of the meat market decades ago so maybe there is some canoodling in back of the weight rack.

The temperature is set and it’s comfortable. I was expecting it to be cold. My ladies gym was always cold. I wore a hoody year round. Then again the thermostat was managed (and argued over) by post-menopausal women. I remember the arguments over whether the temperature should be set at 60 degrees or 62 degrees. The new gym is closer to 68 to 70.

Now about that equipment that I have to lie to about my age. I have found out it’s a recumbent bike. We have a very rocky relationship. Today it told me that after spending a good bit of time on it I burned 16 calories. Seriously? An orange has more calories. (By the way, who put calories in fruit? It’s all water and should be 0 calories!)

 

50 thoughts on “News from the gym”

  1. Good for you for making the effort to accept a new gym home! It sounds like you’re beginning to notice the “regulars,” and probably a good fit for you. Maybe in time the petite woman who could use your help will be amenable to some makeup tips!

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  2. I very much enjoyed this post 🙂
    I am a person who takes the 20 oz water bottle and has to refill it 3-4 times per hour. I sweat tremendously. Like, if sweating was a sport, I would gold medal that event. I’d be trending on Instagram and bottled water manufacturers would all want me as their spokesmodel.
    I recently took my first shower at the gym. I had been wise to avoid this. I shall evermore avoid it as much as I can.

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    • I am not a water drinker. I force myself to drink it to stay healthy but 20 oz. would take me all day. Now put some margarita in it and I’m good. Fortunately I don’t have to take a shower at my gym. I used to play racquetball and would shower afterward. Hated it. I’m such a private person.

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  6. As I end each workout, I’ve always had my earbuds dangle over my t-shirt. I’ve never thought much about it. We nearly always go to the grocery store after the gym, and again I never think about those earbuds dangling over the top of my shirt. Until the other day that is when I glanced at myself in a mirror. It is a terrible look for some reason. I now scrunch them into my pocket. Vanity, I suppose. – Marty

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  7. LOL. Yeah, I demand to know who put calories in fruit, too. Ha. Like my one blog post about being lazy, I’m too lazy for a gym. Tried it, but making monthly payments on something I didn’t use, didn’t go over so well. Bought a decent treadmill, and my money was well spent there. I used it faithfully for five years, then plantar fasciitis hit. But, I remember working out on that treadmill and seeing a low calorie count come off, much like your sixteen. Too easy to put it back on with that orange. 😉

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    • I’m fortunate in that my membership is covered by my health insurance. I’m not sure if I’d want to pay a monthly fee although it’s only $20. We have a gym that’s $10/month but it’s a little farther and less convenient. We have a treadmill in the basement. My husband uses it but it’s way too boring for me.

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  8. A recumbent bike… I think I would like that better than our treadmill! I enjoyed reading your thoughts at the gym. I have stopped walking because it is hotter than H E double L right now. I keep staring at the steps that lead down to the treadmill and then I just go back to being a slug on the couch and read blogs… not good!

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  9. I like my gym. It’s a big,new LA Fitness. When I go, I spend forty-five to sixty minutes. But I don’t go very often. It’s too far away, so the whole thing takes too long. I always forget to bring my own water, but they have a water fountain. (I hope it’s clean.) The club is cheap, so I don’t quit. It’s a transfer from my old club that shut down. Mostly I take walks and workout at home.

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    • We have a LA Fitness here too. It has an indoor pool and is pretty nice. It’s across town so I would be in the same boat with you. Too long to get there = fewer visits. I go to the nearby less plush one. My home workouts are yard work.

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  11. I had a brief membership to the “No Judgement Zone” fitness club. No judging about clothes, fitness level, etc. I was like you, get in, do the work and get out. Decided it wasn’t worth it for me. Now I just try to walk more. Love your stories.

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  13. My gym sells cake. Great hunks of it with lime green icing. When I ask how many calories they say “none – ‘cos nothing you buy in the gym cafe has any calories, of course”. The machines lie about my heart-rate too…cos I’m often close to death with a very high heart rate …or a very low one. Nothing tells the truth like the tightness of a waistband tho’….jx

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  19. It’s a well-known fact that digital readers on gym equipment, as well as on scales, seriously lie. The former underexaggerates, and the latter overexaggerates. They’re in on it together!

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  21. Where I go to exercise has many of the same good things, only it doesn’t have an odor which is nice. But no one dresses up. No meat market going on. Some camaraderie and chatter as we go through the workout, which is nice. Everyone is over 50 so not much showing off usually. First time I’ve kept with an exercise routine this long…two years plus now.

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