Heidi ho! Or is it Hiddie Hoh! Or....nevermind
I have a few things that have been rattling around in my head that I decided are worth a random blog. Hang in there with me as I share them.
As you probably know, I'm trying to get back into the gym. I certainly lack the enthusiasm and optimism I had a few weeks ago. But I am trying. I find it boring. And worse yet, it makes me really weak for several days later. I am able to finish the work out okay and I can walk to the car and even go to the grocery store after but it is the few days after that are a problem. Building hip flexors and shoulder muscles suck! But I am trying and I am really trying to stick with 3 times a week. But it depends what else I have going on that week. For example, if I need to walk anywhere during the week, I am not so good a few days after a workout so I am trying to schedule around my plans so I can still have some social life.
I started playing tricks with my mind while at the gym. This week is Reggae week. If I can't go to Jamaica, I am going to pretend I am. So I dialed up Reggae on Pandora and got going on my workout. While on the bike, I closed my eyes and tried to remember what the beach in Jamaica felt like. The sunshine on my skin (sweat in the gym) and the sounds around me are clearly people on the beach....right? Well it kind of worked. I really miss the Caribbean.
Another thing I do to distract my mind through my mindless muscle routines is I watch people. It is actually pretty hard to miss watching people because, believe it or not, some people come to the gym to show off. They strut around like peacocks. They call attention to themselves by grunting or dropping weights. And then the outfits...Oh my. But what really caught my attention last weekend was the guys working out with....well....a woodie (hard on). Sure, I don't know what that is like but if you find you get a boner working out, why are you wearing those silky tight gym shorts? And if you get a woodie, is it okay to just keep working out with a "pitched tent"? Seriously. And then there was a guy that came strutting in wearing super tight shorts and shirt with a super cinched weight belt on. It was so tight, his big stomach was pushed out like a beach ball! He carried his backpack and motorcycle helmet all the way through the gym to the back. He got on the universal machine where you do sort of a rowing movement but your butt is stationary. Well this guy...he was having nothing with the stationary butt so he had lots of weights on the machine and would jerk back and grunt as he pulled the weights back while scooting his butt down the seat. Seriously....wouldn't you hurt yourself something significant? I can't imagine. Anyway, he did a whopping 5 "pulls" and then he was done. I was glad because I spend about 15 minutes on the arm thingy across from where he was and I was so absorbed by what he was doing, I lost count of my repetitions.
One thing about gym behavior that I find fascinating is everyone has ear buds in so there is rarely conversation unless you have a personal trainer session and no one obviously looks at anyone else. Yet everyone is looking at everyone else. Who wouldn't?? You just have to look when they aren't looking. Or practice the look of a distant gaze when really you are staring. Because everyone is enjoying their personal music selection, you make hand gestures to ask questions. A point and a look means "Are you done with this machine?". You would assume because they walked away, they were done but that is simply not true. I've been bullied before assuming someone was done because they were on a different machine but apparently in the gym, you can monopolize several machines at the same time to do "circuits". Luckily as an old fat lady, I've only been yelled at once. And honestly, I think you shouldn't take up several machines while people are waiting.
On to the next topic......
I don't think it is a secret I've been staying in for a few weeks. Not in in...but in. I've been a little "funky" and have been trying to shake it out. What occurred to me last night is how do you decide if you are tired, fatigued (they are different), sick, depressed, or lazy? For me, it all blurs together. I've been so incredibly tired. But I am not sleeping very well. It is because I am sick? Or maybe I am lazy and spend too much time laying around so I can't sleep? Or maybe I am too tired and it is making me lazy. Or maybe I am sick and it is making me fatigued. Or maybe I am depressed and it is making me tired and lazy. See what I mean? I don't know. Or maybe I can toss it all out the window and agree being a single Mom of a teen (good kid or not) is exhausting and can make you depressed, sick, tired, and lazy.
Anyway, it has been beautiful outside so I decided to shift into my "recovery" mode. I drove with the windows down today. You can smell Spring in the air. This afternoon, I opened my living room windows to let in fresh air. I've been noticing nature. My bulbs coming up. The beautiful blue sky. The birds totally teasing my cats in the open windows. I also decided to eat better. I've been trying to avoid so much gluten and eating more fruit and veggies. That along with going to the gym has got to break it up right? I also gave myself permission to get more non-fat Chai Lattes at Starbucks. I'm also trying to connect with people more. Dinners, lunches, texts, birthday parties, and paint classes. It has got to shake it lose.
In the meantime, I keep on keeping on. Hopefully my talk of "woodies" hasn't offended my few followers! Sorry.
No comments:
Post a Comment