Let's get physical please
July 07, 2005
I�ve finally joined a gym. The past year and a half I�ve been here I�ve been going to the relatively crappy, basically free ($7/month) gym at the local national club down the street. The main problems with that gym are that well into summer the AC is only occasionally functional; out of the 5 treadmills for which there is always a 20 minute + wait, 2 of them are always inevitably broken; the equipment in general is kind of in disrepair; and mostly I just don�t like being around so many other people while working out. The gym I�ve joined is small though well-known, and generally not crowded from what I can tell. Its arm-and-a-leg fees are less of an arm-and-a-leg than other comparable gyms. For the first few sessions I get my own personal trainer who will set me up on a program. And they have all the equipment I could ever want.
I had a really awesome 70 minute cardio workout (25 mins. treadmill, 25 elliptical, 20 stationary bike) the first morning, and though I was sore as hell the next day, I felt really fantastic in general.
I went back again today before work, and was reminded of the other reason (other than fitness, that is) why people join a gym�it�s a good place to meet people.
My first workout day, halfway through my time on the elliptical, a guy who looks to be about in his early to mid 20s came in and ran for 30 minutes no the treadmill and proceeded to lift for a while afterwards. Not that I was paying really close attention or anything. He�s kind of small�either my height or shorter�and he has a slight build, even if it�s all well-toned muscle. Brown hair. Kind of scraggly beard. Wearing green and brown. I noticed him, and especially noticed that he did not look Egyptian (though I couldn�t really tell because I didn�t have my glasses on and his facial features were a little fuzzy, and he didn�t speak to anyone, so�) But from the way he was dressed and the way he looks I�d guess he�s European. Possibly German.
Though I definitely noticed him the first time, I forgot about him until I went back today, and there he was wearing the same outfit (um�eww?) I went a little later today than I did last time, so he had already finished running (you could tell) and was already lifting. At one point he came to use this machine right in front of the treadmill I was on. It�s one of those thingies that works your triceps so he was gripping the bar with his hands, specifically his fingers, facing me. No rings, as far as I could see, but then again I don�t wear jewelry to the gym either.
The gym has a sheet you�re supposed to sign whenever you come in after you leave your membership card at the front desk. As I was leaving I tried to find out what his name was, but the only names on the sheet were women�s names. There was another sheet of paper right next to it which is a sign-up sheet for some stretching class. At the very bottom someone named �Nigel� had signed. Perhaps our European friend got his sheets mixed up?
Yeah, I�m a little bit pathetic, but damn if this won�t get me to go to the gym regularly. And that�s all that really matters, right?
In matters less pathetic, but infinitely more sad a moment of silence for the people of London.