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May 12, 2008

Humor at the gym

As I mentioned in another blog, I worked with my former trainer last Thursday. He wrote down all the machines for my exercise regimen, amounts of weights to have on them, the numbers for seat height and all the minutiae, so I'd be able to do my workouts without him. I can't afford to pay him to work out with me anymore as a personal trainer; so this is a very important piece of paper. It allows me to know what to do, to work out alone. He suggested I take breaks and work out on weights every other day, so the muscles can repair themselves on the day in between. That made it so my next work out on weights needed to be on Saturday.


I felt positively ready to tackle gym alone. Since I don't get off work until 6:00 on Saturday evening after a full day at my weekend job, I knew it would be an evening workout. Saturday evening would be a good time, I figured, as I wouldn't have so many (any?) witnesses to my first solitary efforts. Let me begin my saying, I've always obsessed too much in the past about all the people I thought would be watching me work out. What I didn't count on for Saturday, was that with so little activity, I was the "main" attraction. Sheesh! How embarrassing! There were probably 4 men working out and then little ole me. the men seemed to spend more time sitting on machines looking around than actually using the machines. In my dreams, I'd come into the gym, coolly go through my workout, and brush out the building without a problem, cool as a cucumber! Well, you got it, the operative word was "dream".

Real picture of what the men saw:

Lady (OK, me!) looks at machine, looks back at paper, walks up and down rows staring at machines (I was trying to find machine numbers that matched the ones on my work out paper). Stops in front of machine. Looks behind, under, on top of said machine (I was trying to find like levers to adjust things, as I couldn't remember where to find seat number or how to adjust for most of the machines). Lady adjust weights. Sit down backwards on machine, reverses self. Sits on seat, clump, clump clump seat falls down a couple of levels while the lady sits on it (due to my incompetence placing seat right when adjusting levels). Clang, clang, oops, lady dropped the weights too heavily after her repetitions. You get the story. I'd be trying to act all cool and yet somehow I'd manage to do something incredibly stupid time and time again. Embarassed, I'd look around after each stupid mistake and EVERY time, I'd see one of the men watching my "act"!

Despite such embarrassment, I'm happy to say that I no longer obsess about being watched to the point that I won't go back, or the the point that I worry about it. I was trying to act "sane" though, as I'd keep laughing at myself, and talking with myself over my silly mistakes. Then I'd catch my antics being observed yet again, and I'd try to put my face back to a passive poker face. I had to really laugh at myself though when I got out of the building.

The next time I went and worked out on Monday, I do have to report that the picture "almost" matched my original dream. I almost "looked" like an exercise pro! There's still a lot of studying of paper and machines, but I didn't get on any machines backwards, have seats fall down while I'm sitting on them! Give me a couple more times and I'll look like someone who knows what she's doing! :)

3 comments:

Cami said...

You cracked me up, that was hilarious!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

This is so funny!! It is so nice when you can laugh at yourself!!

Anonymous said...

This is so funny!!! I feel the exact same way. This is so me!! I swear this has happend to me. So imbaressing!!!!