Burlesque

Another rainy day with some pretty heavy downpours. Went to the club and did my 45/35 routine. Ended up almost as wet as if I had gone outside. I was sweating a whole lot today because the room was so hot. Easily lost 2.2 pounds there. 

I don't understand what management is thinking. The exercise room is way too hot. So hot in fact that people open all the doors to let cool air in from the outside. Which only drives the room heater to new highs. Sure there is a thermostat in the room, but last year, these managers decided not to let users interfere with their settings anymore. They encased the thermostat and made it de facto inaccessible. 

Today there were three people in the room. All were pretty serious about working out. So here we were, all sweating buckets, fans blowing, doors open to get a breath of fresh air, heaters spewing out hot air in an effort to keep up, and all that while the outside is a comfy 52 degrees. I was thinking about dragging the stationary bike outside, but that would have caused serious problems. So I just imagined I was training for Arizona.

Weather, gyms, swimming

The weather turned foul again. It is amazing how much difference a day makes. We are once again covered in wet and cold fog. Not the type of weather one would like to biking in. Fortunately the pool is always at the same temperature.

I swam 3,000 meters today, slightly more than 1.86 miles, all freestyle, no breaks, and keeping a good pace. It was faster than last time, taking just over one hour to do the distance.

There was a news report the other day on dropping gym memberships because of the poor economy. The newscast implied many people won't be able to keep to their New Year's resolution of working out more.

It is amazing to me how many people equate gyms with workouts. While I occasionally work out indoors at the club, I always try to avoid gyms. Gyms are not good places for cardiovascular exercise in my opinion. Stationary devices without adequate cooling induce unwanted stresses. Most people avoid these stresses by reducing their intensity, which defeats the purpose.

Commercial gyms are places where people socialize, consume energy bars and drinks, and watch TV or read magazines while moving their lower limbs. Sometimes, there are a few hardcore body builders to make things look good. Unless you are into body building, you don't belong here.

One mile run

Lot's of good news today. First it appears the Brain Aneurysm Foundation will get slots for Ironman Lake Placid. That is just super. Second, the ergomo problem is resolved. The seller agreed to cancel the sale and I returned the items.

When it comes to my calf muscle, it still hurts and is quite stiff but I was able to run a mile (slowly) on the treadmill today. It is a first step. I also pedaled for about 45 minutes on a stationary bike. While doing all this I got another glimpse at "people in the gym."

Our club has a pretty nice gym that is fairly low key. They do not try to sell stuff and other than a vending machine, they don't have anything for sale. The majority of the members are geriatric and their use of the facilities is largely confined to the hot tub and a brief dip in the pool. But there are some younger adults as well. Even some teens.

The ones that do venture into the gym usually leave within 20 minutes. In that time, they do some "cardio," some weights, and a lot of socializing. They also read books, talk on cell phones, listen to their iPods, and watch TV. Needless to say, their workouts are anything but. A bit of easy walking, some soft pedaling while reading a book, or a bit of dancing around on the ellipticals.

Today I ran a mile at 5.5 mph and I am sure that was the most intense exercise in the whole room. Nobody in that room even breaks a sweat, and that includes many young people in their 20's and 30's. Nobody does any cardio workout at intensity, and nobody sticks to it for longer than 15 minutes. Most spend more time adjusting the settings than actually working out.

Nearly all come in fully dressed, and they leave likewise. There is little need for a shower although I am sure they all spend hours wasting water. I am not sure why these people come to the gym. Maybe it is a religious experience of sorts?