So today I finally made the commitment to go back to the gym after an 8 month hiatus. (Once you stop, life just goes whoosh! And it’s so hard to get back. Suddenly watching the ants cross my table seemed far more interesting than sweating it out and dying in the gym. Hence the 8 month hiatus)
But I must say, I think I used to be quite fit last time. Sporadic visits to the gym was definitely way better than none and I vaguely remember doing sit ups and lunges and strange contortions with relative ease sometime.. say in the previous century.
OH HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN TODAY.
I laced up my shoes for one of my favorite gym classes at amore fitness- Ultimate interval. I love it because its really intense and compared to it, everything else (except for power pump) feels quite relaxing. I love the combination of high speed cardio and strength training and I never feel bored in that class. (How can you when you are dripping sweat from 2 minutes of jumping jacks then tricep extensions then 2 minutes of fast jog?)
10min into the class today and I wanted to go home already. My sides were aching and my feet were screaming ” what are you doing to us!!!!?” The 3 pound weights I was using felt like 50kg weights. A faint (and very distant) memory of myself being able to do such exercises flitted across my mind, mocked me for a little while and sashayed out of the door while I panted unglamly in its wake.
I glanced over at my neighbor and was immediately humbled by what I saw. Before class started, I had cast some worried glances her way. She was so skinny, so pale. She looked like typical pictures you would see of anorexics. Yet there she was effortlessly doing all these Spanish Inquisition torture type workouts with the air of someone doing the laundry. There was an auntie that looked about twice my weight and she was doing jumping jacks LIKE A GAZELLE I kid you not.
SERIOUSLY. IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT GOT CEMENTED INTO MY HEAD TODAY it’s A PERSON’S BODY SIZE TELLS YOU NOTHING ABOUT THE PERSON OR HIS/ HER HEALTH.
Don’t judge, really. It will come and bite you back in your ass. ( that is now trembling from doing squats)
There they were and there I was with my legs looking well muscled and toned from years of childhood ballet floundering like a duck with the weights.
Oh the irony. Lucky I don’t count calories. That was a large slice of humble pie to eat tonight.
Post workout and I heave a grateful sigh of relief and disappear out of the door only to realize everyone else bigger than and smaller than me were all staying on for the next class which was aero hi-lo aka HIGH IMPACT aerobics.
Oh good grief.
Anyway, I spied a foot reflexology place just opposite and delightedly walked in to soothe my post workout aches. (Talk about unfit, yes I know). They were so good I did something out of character and signed up for a package on the spot. It was 26 sessions of either 40min foot reflexology or 20min shoulder&back for $500 making each session around $19 only. I LOVE MASSAGES so no regret there 🙂
Just before going home, I ended the night nicely by absentmindedly walking into the male toilet. My first reaction when I walked was one of surprise. A toilet bowl was gunked with fecal matter and I was really shocked! Then my mind started spinning with questions like which girl would.. (I know, stone me for gender stereotyping haha) before turning the corner and coming face to face with a row of urinals.
Oh dear Lord. I retreated back and hotfooted it out of there as quickly as possible and there was a guy washing his hands at the basin looking at me and grinning. I muttered a squeaky little ‘sorry!’ And I could hear his grin through his voice as he cheerily replied “oh never mind!!”
All I can think of is how grateful I am there was only one guy and he was washing his hands.. Not using the urinals.
So there, my first day back at the gym and hopefully not my last. If everyday is going to be this fun, I would say this life is really a rather exciting one haha.
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