Gym People

I joined the YMCA.

Doesn't seem like a big deal to most people, but it's huge for me. I am not what you would call a "gym person". Not a fan of locker rooms, or exercise equipment, or sweating, or athletic wear, or working out when other people can see me, and easily intimidated by athletic people who confidently strut around the place like they own it. Gym people. People who make eye contact, and don't get winded.

But we've been members for about 3 weeks, and now I believe I have gotten over my fear of Gym People.

They lured me in with the promise of 2 hours to myself each day while my kids are in Child Watch. That part is good.

(I had to stop writing a second ago just to reflect on how much I appreciate Child Watch at the Y. *insert contented sigh here* I seriously had a moment. Just thought I'd share that with you. It's good they only allow 2 hours per day...)

My plan was to stick to the elliptical and zone out to music while busting my tail and breaking a sweat. But after a few days of that, my friend emailed me and told me I was going to the Pilates class with her. She didn't ask me. She told me. (Thank you, Tanna!)

Always one to do as I'm told, I went to the class and I've been going ever since. Actually I go twice a week now. Pilates is totally up my alley. And I totally suck at it.

Why I Like Pilates:

1.  The lights are dimmed. This helps with my distaste for working out when other people can actually see me. I can imagine that everyone else has low-light blindness and I am invisible to them.
2. There is soft, gentle music playing. I don't have to worry about some techno-pop auto-tuned dance beat nonsense (that seems to be so popular for gym people) making my ears bleed. Sometimes its ethnic, sometimes its Enya, always it's soothing and easy to ignore.
3. We are encouraged to relax. Focus on breathing. Take breaks as needed. Ease all tension. There is no one shouting at me to "push through it for 5 more reps" (on top of techno-pop stress noise). 

As I am the only member of the class not affected by low-light blindness, I can see that the vast majority of the people around me are very fit (at least in my opinion of fitness). Ranging in age from late teens to late eighties, most everyone tends to seem fairly physically competent in the Pilates stuff. I can tell I have improved in my abilities since the first class (I no longer feel as though my body as been beaten against rocks the day after a class), but I still find myself struggling to get through all the reps and all the motions (I know, give it time. Give it time). Though there are some poses and moves that I've gotten some degree of confidence in. I give myself a mental high five as I balance on one foot while the other foot stretches out behind me, my hands reaching forward. In my mind, I look every bit as svelte and straight and strong as the people around me. Then I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror in the front of the room.

Curse that stupid enormous mirror in the front of the room.

Yeah, I still have a long way to go before I get to svelte. I'm not sure that one is even in the cards for me. And I'm fine with that.

And I do enjoy zoning out on the elliptical (which I do 5-6 times each week for at least 30 minutes). I tend to listen to Clutch while elliptical-ing (I have to make sure to listen to things I don't know the lyrics to or else I will sing along. It is a subconscious reaction. If I know the lyrics, I will sing them whether I want to or not). There are televisions on the machines, and sometimes I'll watch if there is something on (generally the news, though I found Jeopardy is fun to work out to. However I have to focus on not calling out answers out loud, which can be more difficult than not singing along with songs I know. It's just such a thrill to get an answer right!) ...Oh, I am so not a gym person...

A thought occurred to me the other day how weird working out in a gym is.To be on a stationary piece of equipment designed to physically exert me, in a room full of other people on stationary equipment exerting themselves, the vast majority of whom do not acknowledge one another, their eyes glued to their tv screens.

Makes me feel a bit like we are in a slightly modified version of the future as imagined by the creators of WALL-E: