No Fat Girls on the Ellipticals, Please....
I had a really tough time with the winter last year......REALLY TOUGH! I think everyone knew that I was having a rough go of it, but it was even harder than I let on to anyone. Some of it was adjusting and missing home and my "normal", but I think a lot of it was just plain 'ol winter blues turned depression. I was dragging myself out of bed and going through the motions, but I was miserable. If I had a nickel for every tear that fell in private January-April, I'd be buying my winter home in sunny California right now! That being said, the chill is in the air again, the leaves are dropping fast and the frost is on the windshield in the morning. We've already had a preview October snow, and there's a tiny voice of panic in the back of my head. "Winter's coming......winter's coming!"
So when I received an email last week with the subject line: Join BodyWorks Now For Only $9, I took notice. BodyWorks is a gym located in Marlborough (half way between my home, work and church). I pass it to and from work. I pass it on the way to church and then again on Tuesday nights class. I looked into it when I first moved here, but the fees were high. I let the idea go. But with the winter coming, I wanted to reconsider. David and I went up to the gym last Saturday and looked around. We got the full tour and the run-down on the fees. The membership was significantly reduced from the last time I had called. I left with information in hand to think about it. I think I need this to get me through the winters here. I think the exercise will help. I really want to do it!
But first, they offer a free trial week, so Wednesday night after work I gave it a try. For those of you used to a Dallas gym, let me clarify what I'm talking about here. The gym is basically one big room with a couple of smaller rooms attached for classes. There's a cycle room with about 12 bikes and an empty room for aerobic classes and yoga, things like that. The actual "gym" has free weights along one wall, bikes along another and treadmills along the third. The fourth, smaller wall, has a library of random books and magazines for people to use, and four elliptical machines. The machines are in the middle and everyone doing cardio watches those on the weights. This is not your Magic Johnson 24-Hour Fitness complete with racquetball and swimming pool and rows and rows of high-quality workout equipment. It's not a "social scene". It's more like a really nice apartment workout room. But it serves its purpose: to get me out and moving in the winter months.
So I walk in and immediately notice everyone walking around with towels in hand. Yikes! I forgot the towel ettiquette....it's been a long time since I've been in a gym. Note to self: don't sweat! I have my keys, ipod and free pass in hand. "Do you need to see this?" I ask the woman behind the counter. She looks at it from across the desk. "Ok" she says. I look over and there are two ellipticals open. The two in the middle. The one on either end is occupied by two younger girls, in skin-tight workout gear. They were going to town - effortlessly it seemed. One flipping through a magazine, the other staring at the tv. Suddenly I felt really old.....and I never feel that way. Usually I forget to act my age, but I hadn't been in the gym in years and I was starting to feel it. I was feeling okay in my grey stretch pants and XL red Nike t-shirt that went almost down to my knees when I walked in. After all, I wasn't there to impress anyone. But suddenly I felt like the side of a barn, a red, New England barn! I walked up. The machines are placed really close together. Too close. Huh...how do I get on one of these? I guess I can squeeze through.....the space in between probably looks smaller than it really is. "Not so much" I think as I get wedged between the two machines. So embarrassing. No fat girls on the elliptical I think to myself. I picture a carnival sign: "If you can't fit through these bars, you can't use this machine." A child couldn't squeeze through there! Maybe I'm suppose to get on from behind. I look around. No, they go all the way to the wall. I can't get around that way. I duck under and squeeze between the machines. (I still have no idea if that's what you are suppose to do as I've never actually seen anyone else get on or off one of the two middle machines.) I felt like an idiot.
Okay, on the machine. I stand up and pull the ipod cord from around the ipod. It falls in a tangled mess. Ugh. I stand there for a few seconds and unwrap the cord. Put the earphones in. Hit Quick Start. Nothing happens. I'm trying to look like I know what I'm doing. I hit Enter. Nothing. I hit the #8 for "weight loss" training. Then enter again. Nothing. Okay, this is getting embarrassing. Plan B: I'll just start walking and keep "secretly" hitting buttons until I figure it out. Maybe I can figure it out before anyone sees. As soon as I start walking the machine lights up. Oh, okay...I'm with you now. Quick Start. And I'm off. Now back in the day (and I mean way back) I could do the elliptical for about an hour on the hardest setting and burn 500-750 calories. But I had no idea what I could do now. It's so much harder than walking. I was relieved to see the large sticker posted on each machine saying "during peak hours limit your machine usage to 30 minutes". It was going well and all was working fine except my earphones kept falling out. I'd fumble with them and they'd stay in and then minutes later fall out....cord tangle...me trying to keep balance, keep moving, twist cords, back in, forget it! I put the ipod down. (Side note: when I got out of the gym, I called David. "Will you help me pick out some earphones that work? " His response: "Sure, I know what you need. We can look at them when you get here. But I have to tell you, you wear those earphones wrong. I noticed when we were at the beach. You put them in a funky way." Next time I went, I put them in the way I would and then turned them around - they worked fine! User error! I've never claimed to be the brightest bulb.) I was pretty proud of my 30 minutes on the easiest level! ha. :) 225 calories lighter, I walked out feeling really good. It was nice to get moving.
I went back Thursday morning. Harder level and a few more calories. It will take me a while to build back up. I plan to go back tonight. I haven't joined yet, but I'm seriously considering it. I think it will be a big help with the upcoming winter. I get three personal training sessions and all the classes that I want to take with the membership. So, I'm thinking there will also be PLENTY of blog material.....me in a Zumba class? Oh yeah.....plenty of blog stories! ;)
So when I received an email last week with the subject line: Join BodyWorks Now For Only $9, I took notice. BodyWorks is a gym located in Marlborough (half way between my home, work and church). I pass it to and from work. I pass it on the way to church and then again on Tuesday nights class. I looked into it when I first moved here, but the fees were high. I let the idea go. But with the winter coming, I wanted to reconsider. David and I went up to the gym last Saturday and looked around. We got the full tour and the run-down on the fees. The membership was significantly reduced from the last time I had called. I left with information in hand to think about it. I think I need this to get me through the winters here. I think the exercise will help. I really want to do it!
But first, they offer a free trial week, so Wednesday night after work I gave it a try. For those of you used to a Dallas gym, let me clarify what I'm talking about here. The gym is basically one big room with a couple of smaller rooms attached for classes. There's a cycle room with about 12 bikes and an empty room for aerobic classes and yoga, things like that. The actual "gym" has free weights along one wall, bikes along another and treadmills along the third. The fourth, smaller wall, has a library of random books and magazines for people to use, and four elliptical machines. The machines are in the middle and everyone doing cardio watches those on the weights. This is not your Magic Johnson 24-Hour Fitness complete with racquetball and swimming pool and rows and rows of high-quality workout equipment. It's not a "social scene". It's more like a really nice apartment workout room. But it serves its purpose: to get me out and moving in the winter months.
So I walk in and immediately notice everyone walking around with towels in hand. Yikes! I forgot the towel ettiquette....it's been a long time since I've been in a gym. Note to self: don't sweat! I have my keys, ipod and free pass in hand. "Do you need to see this?" I ask the woman behind the counter. She looks at it from across the desk. "Ok" she says. I look over and there are two ellipticals open. The two in the middle. The one on either end is occupied by two younger girls, in skin-tight workout gear. They were going to town - effortlessly it seemed. One flipping through a magazine, the other staring at the tv. Suddenly I felt really old.....and I never feel that way. Usually I forget to act my age, but I hadn't been in the gym in years and I was starting to feel it. I was feeling okay in my grey stretch pants and XL red Nike t-shirt that went almost down to my knees when I walked in. After all, I wasn't there to impress anyone. But suddenly I felt like the side of a barn, a red, New England barn! I walked up. The machines are placed really close together. Too close. Huh...how do I get on one of these? I guess I can squeeze through.....the space in between probably looks smaller than it really is. "Not so much" I think as I get wedged between the two machines. So embarrassing. No fat girls on the elliptical I think to myself. I picture a carnival sign: "If you can't fit through these bars, you can't use this machine." A child couldn't squeeze through there! Maybe I'm suppose to get on from behind. I look around. No, they go all the way to the wall. I can't get around that way. I duck under and squeeze between the machines. (I still have no idea if that's what you are suppose to do as I've never actually seen anyone else get on or off one of the two middle machines.) I felt like an idiot.
Okay, on the machine. I stand up and pull the ipod cord from around the ipod. It falls in a tangled mess. Ugh. I stand there for a few seconds and unwrap the cord. Put the earphones in. Hit Quick Start. Nothing happens. I'm trying to look like I know what I'm doing. I hit Enter. Nothing. I hit the #8 for "weight loss" training. Then enter again. Nothing. Okay, this is getting embarrassing. Plan B: I'll just start walking and keep "secretly" hitting buttons until I figure it out. Maybe I can figure it out before anyone sees. As soon as I start walking the machine lights up. Oh, okay...I'm with you now. Quick Start. And I'm off. Now back in the day (and I mean way back) I could do the elliptical for about an hour on the hardest setting and burn 500-750 calories. But I had no idea what I could do now. It's so much harder than walking. I was relieved to see the large sticker posted on each machine saying "during peak hours limit your machine usage to 30 minutes". It was going well and all was working fine except my earphones kept falling out. I'd fumble with them and they'd stay in and then minutes later fall out....cord tangle...me trying to keep balance, keep moving, twist cords, back in, forget it! I put the ipod down. (Side note: when I got out of the gym, I called David. "Will you help me pick out some earphones that work? " His response: "Sure, I know what you need. We can look at them when you get here. But I have to tell you, you wear those earphones wrong. I noticed when we were at the beach. You put them in a funky way." Next time I went, I put them in the way I would and then turned them around - they worked fine! User error! I've never claimed to be the brightest bulb.) I was pretty proud of my 30 minutes on the easiest level! ha. :) 225 calories lighter, I walked out feeling really good. It was nice to get moving.
I went back Thursday morning. Harder level and a few more calories. It will take me a while to build back up. I plan to go back tonight. I haven't joined yet, but I'm seriously considering it. I think it will be a big help with the upcoming winter. I get three personal training sessions and all the classes that I want to take with the membership. So, I'm thinking there will also be PLENTY of blog material.....me in a Zumba class? Oh yeah.....plenty of blog stories! ;)
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