My Fitness Journey
More of a stagger
Here I am again, surrounded by healthy, beautiful young folk, all happily pumping out sets of exercises I can barely recognize, never mind perform. There’s Rumba. Zumba, Dance and what they do on a stationary bicycle looks positively lethal, I thing they call it Spin. If I were to try it, the only thing spinning would be my head.
They lift, pull, squat and thrust steel weights, some of which look so heavy I doubt I could roll them across the floor, never mind lift them. There’s mats, ropes, large plastic balls, dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells. But, there seems to be no finish bell. Their energy appears boundless. They dress in designer gym wear and headphones, which I presume play motivational music to maintain peak performance. Mine would say, “ breathe in, breathe out, try to stay on your feet”.
Myself, and the few other oldies who dare to venture into this Temple of Torture, are for the most part ignored. Occasionally we may be gifted with a slightly condescending smile, which is not quite a pat on the head, but close. “ Hang in there Pop, just don’t get in the way”.
This, then begs the question. Why? What drives a 65 year old guy to do this to himself ? Am I trying to restore lost youth, or become a geriatric Adonis? So they’ll say “ wow! hope I look half that good at his age”. But, then I look in the mirror, there are lots of them in this place, so the Beautiful Ones can check on progress, and I realize that neither is ever going to happen.
So, I stare at the imposter in front of me and briefly wonder, could the mirror be faulty? But alas, no, it’s the real Me. A little stooped, a few, really, quite a lot of wrinkles? Some saggy bits, and some parts rather thinner than I remember. But there is hope, or is it a plea? That repairs can be made, or at least a little buff up may be achieved. I just have to “hang in there Pop ”.
I don’t know if it’s a mental or physical thing that motivates, rather, drives me to continue. Perhaps I’m trying to instill some discipline and routine, pause here for wry smile. Or maybe I just need to get out a bit. Perhaps living alone has made me crazy and I’ll go to any lengths for company.
However, dwelling on it is a waste of energy that can be put to better use, I’m off to the gym.
©John G McCarthy 2022
