Last week, my wife insisted that I spend 45 minutes with her at the community exercise program on Monday morning. She’s been going a few weeks now, & says it’s been awesome, so why don’t I give it a try?
I get lot of exercise – focused very much around my fingers: scrolling across the screen on my mobile or typing on a keyboard, for most of the day. This year, as I slide into an age demographic that’s properly considered middle aged, the disconnect between how my mind feels about my body, & how my body responds to such feelings couldn’t be more clear.
I work from home on Mondays, so I could manage this time. I let my wife convince me that going to this was a good idea. Many people come along, she said. Most of them are like you & me, have had no proper exercise, or the time to get any of it either – children, partners, dogs & life in general tend to get in the way. My wife, the rock upon which our family’s structure rests, has for the first time in over a decade been able to actually get some time to herself, after both kids get bundled off to school.
Trusting as I am of my wife, I signed up for this last week. The sign-up page required my physical metrics, & in the ‘why’ section, I selected “would like to get a few kilos off my frame”.
Nothing could prepare me for this morning though. My wife was right. There were many people, sure. Young, old, shapely, shapeless. Something seemed a bit out of place though: THERE WERE NO MEN! When the session finally began, one other male, a retired gent who looked about 65, joined the group.
Everything after that was a blur. We warmed up, did several reps of exercises, cooled down, & got home. As I’m typing this out, even the bones on my fingers are hurting.
BUT:
The 45 minutes of exercise went by quickly.
I’ve been exceptionally productive all day today, getting through most of the tasks I’d set out for myself.
And for the first time, I’m actually feeling good after having done some exercise that wasn’t something other than walking.
Will do this again next week.