Editor’s Note
By Marie Elium
My uneasy relationship with physical fitness started in elementary school.
The college cheerleader-turned-phys-ed-teacher lined us up and, with scant instruction, told us to do a handstand over a folded wrestling mat.
Too young to beg out of the class because of menstrual cramps (a flimsy but handy excuse I perfected by middle school) I fell on my shoulder and rolled to the floor. Later phys ed classes were pockmarked with memories of gym suits, cold showers and further humiliations highlighting my unathleticism. I liked to read, not run.
It’s taken me nearly 50 years to return to a gym. My husband and I recently joined a fitness center so we wouldn’t spend winter evenings pre-napping in front of the TV before heading to bed. There may be worse reasons for joining a gym, but I haven’t heard them.
Gym Spies
Almost immediately, we realized we didn’t know how to do a fitness center. Please don’t judge, but if you’ve never been to one, they’re intimidating places with complicated equipment, shower rooms, mystery soap dispensers and machines that spin-dry bathing suits. Do you get dressed in the curtained area at each shower, or wrap yourself in a towel and go back to the lockers? Do you wear a bathing suit in the steam room? What about the sauna?
We conferred in the car on the way home, reporting our locker room reconnaissance. The place is never crowded, so it took time. I finally saw a woman walk out of a shower stall in a towel provided by the fitness center. So I tried the same thing, except the thin towel didn’t go all the way around me, leaving crucial body parts hanging out like plump, overripe fruit on an unpruned tree.
I’ll spare you details of my new showering system, but I’ll never be a “toweler” unless I can find a stack of towels somewhere that fit people larger than a preschooler. With that problem solved, and because I’m too old for cramps, I’m out of excuses. It looks like I’m sticking with the gym for now.
Merry Christmas to Me
The fitness center membership is a gift to ourselves and to our health, initial stumbles aside.
This is NEO Boomer magazine’s Giving issue, and we’ve spotlighted local organizations that need your help, money and donations. But in this holiday season of giving, don’t forget to give yourself a gift or two, as well.
Time is one gift that we can give to ourselves and to others. Carve out a few moments each day to do something that makes you happy. If you’ve got too much time, share it with friends or an organization, join a club, or reach out to a neighbor. It’s not hard to find people who need a connection.
And don’t let my awkward venture into the fitness arena discourage you from exploring gyms, senior centers or rec departments. Most activities are free and some are offered virtually. Many don’t have towels, so you’re ahead of the game there.
Now that I’ve gotten through Showergate, I want to explore the exercise equipment. I saw a young woman on a machine wearing leggings and a top that looked like a bra. I texted our daughter about it, and she says it’s a workout shirt. I suspect it would fit me about as well as the gym towel, but she was too polite to say that, plus I usually wear one bra at a time.
I hope you find a fitting way to celebrate this season of giving. Happy holidays.
~Marie
