aha! moment

It was high time...I joined a gym. I worked out there the other day and immediately felt better. I went back again today and worked out for a total of 2 hours! Feel excellent. I am going to a certain womens gym in my hood. It is rather small, but it makes up for that fact by packing in high quality, brand spankin' new equipment. I'm really happy with what is available there. 7 top of the line treadmills, 4 bikes, 3 or 4 ellipticals...but the weight machines...oh heaven!!! They are so smooth and easy to use. And I swear....I think I'm the only person who really uses them! All but 2 of the machines were set to the exact same weight as I used last week. All of the women get on the cardio machines. And they go slow. So slow. When I decided that I would alternate running and fastwalking for 2 minutes at a time...several heads turned and eyes opened wide. You can actually use the machines that way? Yep. You can and I will. I'm not sure why it is but no one there really seems to work up a sweat. Some of them also continue to wear their headcovers. I can't imagine trying to exercise with one of those on. I would try it to satiate my curiosity but I think they would think I was being offensive. Today there was one other person working out who spoke English. HOWEVER, my first time, a woman tried speaking to me...she rubbed my arm and said "something-something white, something-something arabic?" I think she was commenting on my skin and then asking if I spoke arabic. Sadly, I don't speak it well enough. I worry about that. I think it is exceptionally disrespectful to live in a country and not speak its home language...but I have a very very difficult time picking up languages. I should try harder though. Back to the woman...I think she was trying to be nice. I wasn't sure though. Afterall, I was the only "white" person there...maybe she was simply pointing that out to me. No matter. I enjoy the machines.

They sold me 5 ab/stretch classes for 15rial. Seems kind of steep...and it was. The instructor had no CLUE what she was doing. I attended today. She was doing the ab exercises way too fast. I could barely keep up, much less position myself the right way or use correct form. It was ridiculous. The funniest part of the class is that there were several other ladies who paid the same price for this class....and didn't even try. They were so whiney. These ladies didn't even bother trying. I at least tried...they just kind of laid there and maybe lifted a hand (mind you we were working on abs!) and not much else. It was ridiculous...and our instructor kept trying to get us to do increasingly more difficult things. She wasn't really paying any attention to the level of the class. I would modify something...THEN she would point out that the ladies could do that in lieu of simply laying on the floor. And she kept yelling "PUSH PUSH!" I'm not an advocate for poor instructors and group classes in general. The entire thing was disastrously humorous.

I still have 4 more classes that I have paid for. Anyone want them?

As I was doing the weight machines I kept glancing up at the TV's and I had one of those AHA! moments. I kept watching these music videos. And it dawned on me...when these guys (indian or whatever) stare at us...it is probably so that they can catch our gaze and they truly believe that at some point they too will have a music video moment. Eyes meet...the world becomes a glorious bollywood sexy landscape and all time stops as destiny takes over. They think this will actually happen for them! It has to be...too many of those videos are all the same. It is brainwashing the men...they really think that will happen.

So...I have determined that the next time some guy is giving me the "steady stare" and waiting for that music video moment...I will start singing and dancing, maybe throw some flower petals at him.