Showering before working out

I use to tease my wife for showering before going to the gym. Why would someone take a shower to go to the gym?

I don't tease my wife anymore.

A few Sundays ago, my wife and I went to Gold's Gym.

Like usual, she went upstairs to do cardio, while I stay downstairs with the machines.

I'll be honest, I don't perspire easily. Not like the other people at the gym. And I know I don't emit a pungent stench. Really.

After doing the machines for fifteen minutes, I make my way upstairs to do 20 to 30 minutes of cardio.

Upstairs there is a variety of cardio machines, such as stair machines, treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical and striders--my wife calls it a "stepper."

I went upstairs and selected the closest stepper strider to the stairs, which also happens to be next to the paper dispenser and disinfectant spray.

In front of me was an attractive athletic blonde running on the treadmill.  My wife was down the end of the treadmills walking on an incline.

Honestly, I thought this couldn't be a better view day, until something pungent wafted towards me. I couldn't place the source of the smell. Could it be the guy two steppers striders away? Perhaps it's me?

I kept striding along and smelling my arm pits concerned that the smell was my own.  This went on for several minutes until the attractive blonde girl stopped her treadmill and walked towards the paper dispenser and disinfectant spray.

Eww! I had found the source.

What did it smell like?  Ever walked past a trash bin in a downtown alley? That's what it smelled like. No joking.

So, I thanked my wife for showering and since then have made it a point to shower as well before heading to the gym.

Gym Crush

I've debated for the past few weeks about posting this blog entry... okay, here it goes: I have a gym crush. 

No, this blog entry isn't about that cute redhead but about a lady who seems to have an attraction to me.  Let me explain: this girl resembles the large WB abominable snowman who wants Bugs Bunny as its "George."

"You didn't even sweat," the voice came from the large woman in front of me while I wiped off the seat after doing twenty reps of abs and deciding to stop when I felt uncomfortable with her peering eyes.  I shrugged and grinned and moved off to the next machine.

A few weeks later, the same abominable snowman chick decided to run next to me on a treadmill avoiding the fact that there were probably five others open and free.

She tried to talk to me, but I pretended my music over my iPod muffled her voice and I couldn't hear.  Of course, I heard clearly when my wife approached me from the opposite side to ask if I was ready to leave.  I quickly responded yes, stopped the treadmill and hopped off. Unknowingly, my wife claimed her territory.

Of course, perhaps all this was in my mind and this poor large lady was just another client working out and didn't even think about flirting.  Of course, I like thinking that I still got game.

Engage muscles during work days

So this blog entry isn't entirely about the gym but of the workplace.  My workplace to be more precise.

I work in an office building full of cubicles.  It's quite a maze--trust me.

I use to be that employee who would stay behind the desk with my eyes fixated on the computer in front of me--the perfect specimen to an authoritarian boss.

Not too long after, my back started aching, I became overweight and depression became my new best friend.  I questioned my relationship with my wife and son and at one point wondered why life in general was turning against me.

It wasn't until I got to know my office best-friend who happened to work on the other side of the building. Not before long, I was visiting my new best-friend periodically during the day.  My confidence improved.  I lost weight.  My depression diminished.

A few weeks ago, I came across an article in Redbook Magazine suggesting taking a three minute break every hour at work to walk around.  Walking around the office helps "engage your muscles and improves blood flow which helps metabolism."

I totally agree.  However, I should add that taking a break from your computer does help with your social skills, creativity, and mental health.

Source: "You're typing away at your computer," Jamie Beckman, Redbook Magazine, October 2011, page 100

Getting rid of belly fat

UPDATED.

For the past few months, I have been visiting the gym.  The best thing about going to the gym is that my health and physical strength has improved compared with previous years.  But although I feel great, I haven't been successful in getting rid of my belly fat.

I came across an article in the August 2011 issue of InStyle magazine that provided suggestions on how to loose the tummy fat.  Since InStyle is a women's magazine, I'll only highlight those I think men can benefit doing.

• "Switch to green tea" - Scientists at Tufts University in Massachusetts have found that green tea, which contains catechins, a natural antioxidant, helps trim body fat--along with exercise, of course. 
• Do cardio instead of focusing on crunches.
• Avoid pasta and white bread and opt for wheat, whole grains and berries.
• Shop fresh (organic) food, protein and herbal teas instead of canned foods and carbonated drinks.
• Strengthen your back muscles to maintain good posture to help suck in that gut.

In another article I came across suggested that doing the "bicycle" motions can help flatten the belly.  An article in Redbook by Maridel Reyes states that "activating muscles on the front and sides of your belly works twice as much harder than crunches.  The article, only available in print, goes on to instruct how to do the bicycle at home without a actual bicycle.

Sources: "10 ways to a flatter tummy," InStyle, August 2011; http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/2009/02_1/briefs/02/; "The #1 Move for Flat Belly," Maridel Reyes, Redbook, October 2011, pg. 100

Travel Pass

Earlier this month, I visited my parents in deep South Texas. Yes, there is life south of San Antonio.  And guess what? They have a whole lot more than other metropolitan places and stuff are much cheaper.

But this blog isn't about comparing amenities. It's about my experience at Gold's Gym with a Travel Pass.

In Austin, I know my surroundings.  As a "travel guest," I am new to an environment.

I enter Gold's Gym and ask if I could use my RF tag to check in or if I need to use the travel pass. The young lady behind the counter tells me that I need to use the travel pass. She quickly completes an index card with all my information and checks me in.  I was then set free to roam the gym.

Of course "roam" is an understatement.  Let me explain. The gym in Austin's north location is perhaps 10,000 sqft big. The gym in Mission, Texas is maybe a quarter of the size. The majority of the equipment are weight-based--meaning, I have to physically add my desired weights onto the equipment.

Although the cardio is upstairs, similar to the Austin location, the selection and variety is limited.  The gym does, however, carry equipment to work the abs that other Gold's Gyms don't offer, which was a total plus. And unlike other Gold's Gyms I've visited, they have tanning capsules.

Being a visitor, I was a bit intimidated using the weight machines, so I mostly focused my workout to cardio and abs.  So, in a way, my workout during my visit to the Valley was far from being intense.

Regardless, I did manage to spend an hour using their equipment and coming out feeling fulfilled. The staff was friendly, and the location was convenient--however, beware of traffic when exiting.

Before 5 o'clock

The best time to go to the gym is before five o'clock in the afternoon.  That's if you despise people. 

You can basically fart without offending the person next to you.  Lifting 30 pounds on a circuit won't be as embarrassing.  More importantly, walking back to your car after working out a full 45 minutes isn't challenging.

Sad, isn't it.  Parking two rows from the entrance has caused us dismay and frustration.  What's next?  The water fountain at the far right corner of the gym?  Oh, wait.  That's already the case.

Before the legislative session ended, I decided to leave the office a few hours early.  Early being 1:30 in the afternoon.  Hey, it was Memorial Day, and I was just a few people in the office.

When I got there, I was able to park one row from the entrance.  All the equipment was available to me.  Circuits were sparsely used.  I was actually able to do three sets of each circuit weights.  Yes, my mom, who has bragged to do more, would be proud of my achievements.

Nonetheless, I was able to do cardio and circuits and cardio and circuits.  I was feeling great achieving so much before 4 pm. 

30 pounds

Perhaps it wasn't such a bright idea to avoid the gym for a week.  My muscles were becoming achy and my legs restless.

I, however, have a good excuse.  The state's legislature was wrapping up their business and I needed to stay late and watch whether the bills we were tracking would pass.  Needlesstosay, our good governor decided to call the elected representatives back to the Capitol and finish their business within another 30 more days. 

But this post isn't about politics. It's about me avoid the gym for the week and the struggle it was to get back into the routine.

I left early from work on Wednesday to try and put in an hour and a half of cardio and circuits.  Yes, an hour and a half may not sound like a "routine."  However, for someone who is as petite as myself and who lacks upper body strength, it is a struggle.  Okay, I'm over-exaggerating, but I need to in order to keep you interested in this blog.

So, working out has become a sort of a job.  You perform well, you'll see results.  For me, I haven't seen any results except now I'm HWP rather than hwp.  I do have to admit that my upper body strength has improved.  I can now lift up a cooking pan without problem.  Don't ask how big the cooking pan is.

One thing I did worry about when getting back into the routine was that I would not be able to lift 30 pounds--stop laughing!-- but I did.  I actually lifted a little more.

Now the goal is to continue this throughout the summer.  I'm thinking one hour each day.  Maybe more.

Although I am planning a trip to the Valley to visit friends and family in the next couple of weeks, I need to make it a point to visit the gym at least an hour.  Oh, but the food in the Rio Grande Valley is soooooooo goooood!  This will definitely be a struggle.

Focus

I try to visit the gym at least three times a week, and it's not unusual to see the same individuals working out next to me.

As I have indicated in previous blogs, I do cardio for about 45 minutes before doing some circuit weights.

When I get to the gym, I check in by swiping my keyholder tag across the scanner and greet the girl behind the counter.  Sometimes she says hello.

After we exchange gestures, I make my way upstairs towards the cardio machines.

When I workout, I try to avoid direct eye contact with any other person there.  I figure people at the gym don't want to be disturbed or ogled at by other people.

Well, I will admit that I was recently caught ogling the girl in front of me.  Of course, my defense is that I was really struggling with the elliptical I had set at level 10 and my focus was at the young girl jogging on the treadmill.

What makes this worse is that my focus was not at her upper torso or head.  Had it been, then I would have recognized her turning around.  Feeling like my body was running on slow-speed, I raised my head and noticed her looking towards me.  As our eyes met, my brain finally kicked in to yell, "Hey dummy!  Turn away.  Now!"

Embarrassed, I lost control of my footing.

I'm a wimp

For the past few months, I have been going to the gym at least twice a week. 

My routine goes something like this: 12 minutes on the elliptical; 12 minutes on the power cycle; 10 minutes on the strider; and sets of twenties on the upper body circuits.

Okay, for those of you who aren't familiar with working out, you're probably thinking I am really doing great and must be slim, trim, and well chiseled.  Wrong.

I'll be honest, I'm a wimp.  I don't have upper body strength.  I never have.  My great legs compensated for my weak arms.  I've recently noticed, however, the need to build strength on my arms after struggling to pick my six-year-old son who weighs 50 pounds.

Therefore, I've made it a point to dedicate a few minutes on the circuits to begin building my upper body muscles; although, doing so has been a humbling experience working out amongst guys and girls who can lift more.

I try to avoid eye contact with people around me and listen to the TV stations on my Insignia HD Radio as I take my turn on the circuits.

Setting the weight dial at the lowest possible level, I tell myself that no one is watching or cares what I am lifting. Of course, passerbys do notice and if you forget to reset the dial, the next person will definitely notice.

From afar, one may assume I'm lifting a heavy load with my strained facial expressions.  At closer observation, they'd notice I'm only lifting 10 or 15 pounds.  Pitiful.  I know.

What's worse is after leaving a circuit I noticed the next person, a girl, reach over to the weights, reset the dial and added extra weights.  Yes, embarrassing.

Again, I try to avoid eye contact and remind myself that Mr. Olympian Dorian Yates resorted to lighter weights and more repetitions.  Of course, I'm not Dorian Yates.

Burp!

I've been going to the gym at least twice a week; almost to the point that I am feeling more comfortable with myself.  Perhaps maybe too comfortable.  I'll explain what I mean.

Gyms, such as mine, offers distractions to help their clients get through their workout.  For example, Golds Gym offers TVs along the cardio section, which are usually turned to ESPN or the news.  There is also "Cardio Cinema" that runs the latest rental movies.

If a client forgets their headsets, they need not worry.  Gold's Gym's playlist offers pretty good songs to make your workout enjoyable.

Speaking of headsets, the girl working out next to me forgot hers. I didn't know this until after I let out a gross and disgusting burp.  She looked towards me in a revolting manner.  I slowly turned towards the guy next to me as I caught her glace from my peripheral.

Smooth, huh?

Of course, perhaps the etiquette for when working out at the gym is to make the belch silent.  Not everyone has headphones to excuse you from acting in such poor manner.  Right?

Dirtiness

The gym has several etiquette that one should learn. These aren't written rules but rather things one should be aware of while working out at the gym.

Probably the most important one is that after using an equipment (treadmill, elliptical, etc.) one should wipe it with the spray lotion that is provided by the gym--my guess is that the lotion has some sort of antibacterial agent.

I try to make it a chore to wipe anything I use even if sweat didn't drip; of course, I would lie if I said I never forget. If you do forget, some people actually do notice. It's worse when that person whispers your "dirtiness" with their workout partner. Now you have two people staring at you in disgust. This happened to me a few days ago.

Speaking of staring, I try not to do that; especially when it comes to going into the men's locker room.  Since I workout after work, I do have to change at the gym.  My wife has suggested changing in the men's stall, but I told her I didn't want to be "one of those guys."

When the gym is busy, there is little room to maneuver.  As I change, I avoid eye contact.  On occasion, I do find myself rubbing elbows with the guys around me.  Sometimes that person is in his tighty whites--or so I tell myself.  Again, I avoid, eye contact.

Of course, there are times when avoiding eye contact is impossible; especially, when running into a man wearing only flip-flops at the turn corner.  Perhaps when encountering a similar predicament, direct eye contact is suggested.  Don't look down.

Hi Neighbor.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 3, 2011.

I bought my wife and I membership to Gold's Gym as a Christmas present.

Before you grimace at the idea, we had been thinking about this for a while now.  Since my wife travels on business, and since I have heard that the Gold's gym membership can be used at other locations, I decided to make a visit and enroll.

We started visiting the gym at least twice a week since returning from Buffalo, New York.  My wife takes the morning shift, while I take the afternoon.

Since joining the gym I have seen a whole lot of improvement in my health.  Believe it or not, my allergies are not as sever.  My stamina is slowly increasing--whereas, I was out of breath at 15 minutes on the treadmill, I am now able to reach 45 minutes without trouble (yeah, right).

More importantly, my wife is looking hotter every added day she spends at the gym.  Don't get me wrong, my wife was more in-fit than I was when we started. The only difference is that she is toning up and looking incredible.

Of course my gym experience has not been without embarrassing flaws.  Why then would I bother writing this blog besides bragging about my hot wife.

My first day going to the gym was of itself a lampoon of my insecurities.  Before arriving to the gym, I decided to stop at Office Max to buy a lock for my locker since I was planning on changing from my work clothes to my shorts and t-shirt.

As it was I was nervous about my first day getting back into the gym.  Don't get me wrong, I had been working out at the YMCA and was comfortable changing in front of strangers.  This was different, though.  This was Gold's Gym.  The people here are a bit more serious about their health and figure.  They look great.   Everyone looks great.  Okay, maybe not everyone--there are groups of people about where I am that look a bit out of place.

I walk into the men's dressing room intimidated and nervous after walking past well trimmed and chiseled men and women at the circuit weights.  Facing down avoiding looking at any guys in the dressing room, I walked over towards the lockers.

Gold's Gym provides their clients with showers, toilets, sinks, and lockers.  Lockers are broken into sections.  In the center of that section is a small bench big enough for two people.

I sat myself on the bench and chose my locker.  As I was settling myself into the unknown environment, I heard a voice behind me, "Hi neighbor."

I acknowledged him and went back to my newly bought lock, locker and clothes.  Honestly, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable.  I began to think this person was attempting to pick me up.  "Great!  On my first day back at the gym," I thought.

After he mentioned I was my wife's husband, I then realized that this was indeed my neighbor--like neighbor two houses down.  Needlesstosay, I was embarrassed.  I got myself undressed (yes, he saw me in my not-so-best undies), closed my locker, and I said, "Hey man, nice seeing you again.  Take care."  Smooth.  Right?  I felt bashful. I haven't seen my neighbor since my first day at the gym.  Then again, I don't really look for him.