changes

Today will mark my third work out at our local YMCA. It's certainly been an unforgettable experience. e's and I first experience was probably only funny if you had been there. After our tour of the facilities, we were set free in the "conditioning centre" for our free complimentary workout for just considering joining. When you walk in, all that is visible are all the flushed faces of the people sweating out their latest workout. e and I walked in nervously, looking as though we had never seen a treadmill or elliptical in our lives. All of the cardio equipment is in the centre of the room, with all the weight machines lining the perimeter of the room. The very front row of equipment, and the closest to e and I was the stationary bikes, we signed ourselves up for the two that were closest and tried to walk over like we knew what we were doing. As I sat down on the seat and affixed my feet to the pedals, I remembered all the time I had spent on other bikes just like this one, and I knew that everything was going to be just fine. Then the shuddering started. Every five or so rotations of the pedals forced the bike into some kind of shock where all it would do was shudder and clank, and it would only stop when I would stop pedaling for a minute. I would then start again after the clanking and shuddering abated, but alas, after another five or so rotations we would begin the whole thing again. My nervousness at being at the new gym for the first time, my mild to moderate social anxiety, AND the clanking/shuddering bike led me to have an uncontained laugh attack. To the point that I couldn't breathe and tears were streaming down my face. Finally e took the initiative and firmly stated that we were going to change bikes. The rest of the workout when without incident, although I probably didn't make the best first impression on all of those YMCA-ers. Also something I have noticed, and I am not sure if it's because this is the first co-ed gym I have been to or not, but there are a lot of men who come to the gym in regular every day clothes. Like a pair of jeans and a shirt. One guy looks like he just came from work on a construction site, boots and all, and decided that a quick little spin on the elliptical would be an excellent end to the day. Men who tuck their workout shirts into their too-tight splash pants are also quite popular...again, why the tucking in? Hmmm...maybe I should try and cut back on the judgment.