I belong to a fancy gym. It’s a big, fancy, chain of a gym. The locker room feels like a spa’s locker room. Perhaps I should go more often. Mostly I go their to swim. They have 3 pools: 1 lap pool, 1 pool for playtime and a giant pool outside. When I go to swim in the summer I swim outside and there are moments, every time, when I feel like I’m on vacation.
As I said, I belong to a fancy gym and the truth is I rarely go. It’s not because I hate working out, it’s because the gym makes me feel kooky. My head spins, I feel anxious and I never have a plan so I end up wandering around from machine to machine wondering how all these people seem to know what to do at the gym.
Tuesday was the second training day for me this week, and again it was a 15 minute walk. Normally for such a short walk I wouldn’t bother going to the gym to walk on the treadmill. However I was wide-awake at 4am on Tuesday and figured I might as well get my exercise in early. And that is way too early for walking outside alone around here. I live next to a cemetery, for Pete sake! If nothing else, I am sure that’s when the ghosts are getting in their lunges and whatnot. plus there’s the coyotes. maybe a mugger or two.
Of course at 4:45am when I got there the parking lot is packed. Of course it is. Who are these people? Why do they love the gym so much they’d rather be there then in their own cozy beds? And why was I one of them today?
I take a moment to enjoy the spa-like locker room and then head up to the treadmills. There are people everywhere. Sweaty, stinky people stretching, and push-up-ing, pumping iron and the like. I find a treadmill as far away from other people as possible and start walking. I look around for a moment. It’s like a freaking exercise army in that place. Rows and rows of people running in near unison, eyes straight ahead, getting nowhere. In front of them 5-6 people all in a row climbing staircases again to nowhere. A whole cycling team ahead of the stairs, speeding along to stay put. It’s bizarre..this place. So unnatural and weird. But people like it right? The gym? They work out, they feel good, they get all sweaty and feel accomplished. Right? Why can’t I like that?
All I kept thinking about was how much I wanted to get out of there. And when I did finish my workout, it took a few minutes for my legs to shake that “phantom floor” feeling. I departed quickly and headed back home, the sky still dark. Whenever I leave the gym after having tried again to workout upstairs I think I ought to cancel my membership – it seems ludicrous to belong to a gym just for the pool.
But man it’s a nice pool. And I *do* like to feel like I’m on vacation. Plus they let you bring your flippers (which I bought last summer) and there is nothing like swimming with flippers.
Perhaps I’ll wait another summer before I quit.
Erin
ps – today was the 3rd training day ( 1 mile) and walked outside again. Much nicer. Colder, but nicer.
