Going to the Gym

No photos or videos for this one, still waiting on a friend to send me my compact digital camera.

My friend and I, Kris, had been talking about going to the gym for a while now but hadn't actually acted on that notion, a problem I'm sure many people can relate to.  Well for once we set a day to go.  "Tuesday," we agreed on, "We will go on Tuesday, after classes."  I honestly thought the plan would just fall through, like every other time, but we made it happen this time, and last Tuesday we went to the gym.

It was the first time I had stepped into a gym since I was 15  and lived in the Bahamas.  I had always gotten my exercise from being outside all the time, running around, swimming in the ocean, walking or longboarding everywhere I went.  I briefly went to the gym in the Bahamas with a group of friends when I lived there, but before long we all stopped that practice.  Ever since I moving back to the states in 2008 my outdoors activity has hit an all-time low.  My naturally high metabolism has let me remain a stable 148 for the past 6 years and I never really had good reason to go to the gym, or be active, because I just don't put the pounds on.  But since for so long I have done very little strenuous physical activity I fear the endurance I once prided myself in (from soccer and being an outdoorsy kid) has gone from me.  I may be a skinny 148, but I'm in the worst shape I have ever been in, ever.  This worry, coupled with the desire to not have such skinny arms anymore, led me to want to start going to the gym.

I don't prefer gyms.  I would much rather workout without anyone else around to see how weak I am, but part of this whole redefining myself thing is facing minor fears like this.  Just do it.  I had never been inside the UNF Wellness Center (except for a smoothie, once) and I was glad to have been with someone who actually knew where to go and what to do.  We did mostly upper body workouts focusing on the arms, chest, and shoulders.  I was glad to find that I could keep up with my friend in reps and weight and by the end I felt great and like I had accomplished more physical exercise in an hour than I had in an entire month.  And even though some people might have stared and even laughed as I benched the bar with a 2 1/2 pound weight on each end, it didn't bother me as much as I thought it might for some reason.  I didn't know these people, and they didn't know me, even though most of us went to the same college.  Guess it somewhat pays not being a social butterfly the past 2 years.

And now I can't stretch my arms all the way out!  The soreness is intense, but I know it will go away eventually and with more gym trips.  Until then I feel like a fricken T-rex, unable to move my arms one forearms-length away from my body, bending down to pick up what used to be well within normal reach.  Now I just got to avoid letting myself and Kris falling into the old "eh, not quite feeling it today" excuse to not go back to the gym, because the slippery slope to not setting a regular gym schedule starts there.

Best of luck to me!