Went to the gym this morning

[brightncheerful]

First time since lockdown. I don't normally go on a weekday, I work and being self-employed days off are money lost, but I wanted to find out about the online booking arrangements because despite a telephone number to call for any queries no answer. Anyhow, query resolved the booking I have made for next time won't take as long to fathom out.

This is a gym in a sports centre that belongs to a boarding school. During term time and school hours, the centre isn't open to the public. When it is, you have to join to use the facilities. Two categories of memberships, one includes use of the swimming pool, the other doesn't. Membership is annual in advance (circa £250 a year) or monthly. I'm an other, annual in advance. Before I joined I checked out the potential longevity: it is a well-financed profitable set-up, balance sheet substantial asset value, no debt. (Unlike the gym I used to go to which closed when the landlord forfeited the lease for breach of covenant and on the morning I turned up as usual so had the bailiff.)

As a member, I can go to the gym whenever and for as long as I like during opening hours, no need to book, just turn up. A new normal. The on-line booking system for classes (many of which are free) has always been no more than 7 days in advance is now being used for all gym attendance and is specific dates and duration maximum 45 minutes. Changing rooms are off limits, loos are out of bounds. Now it's risky to hydrate just before or during exercise, if you've nowhere to go afterwards.

On arrival, my temperature was taken. Facing an ipad on a tripod, a camera captured and on screen displayed my body heat distribution and I was let in. clever stuff. I wore a mask. At reception, 3 members of staff were unmasked and standing closer to one another than 1 metre. We enquired of one another's health, all good.

I had the gym all to myself. On the floor, stickers with arrows for one-way only, fun to ignore. The machines were spaced out and only 3 of my favourites available. Not having done any proper exercise (unless you count ambling around the block for 15-20 minutes or so a few times a week early evening) since the week before lockdown, I sat on a cycling machine, wondered if safe to touch the screen with my bare fingers and having got over that launched into 10 minutes at level 3. Usually I do 15 minutes. I'm not into cardio exercising, my usual warm up is walking all of 6 metres or so from where I park in the car park to the entrance to the centre. Usually I can maintain minimum 70 rpm but this morning 60 was an effort and after 8 minutes I had slowed up/down. Usually I can get up to 100-110 calories including cool-down (and occasionally according to the machine generate enough energy to fuel a light bulb for 6 minutes), this morning I got to about 63. Cool-down is wasted on me, I rarely sweat.

One of the staff members is several years running a weightlifting champion and he confirmed my question to resume ever so gently. I tested his advice on the bench-press by resuming at the weight I'd delightedly achieved pre-down and was relieved I could still manage a few reps. The other machine, whose description I forget, I took his advice and started low but it wasn't resistant enough for my liking to I added some more kilos until I could feel my pre-lockdown self returning.

The gym has three tv screens. One screen is used for a music radio station, one for BBC news and such like, one for a children's channel. The radio station is the source of music for the gym - never particular loud - the other screens are on mute. On this morning's BBC, in between exercising. I watched a bit of homes under the hammer, an amusing tale of a terraced property in Aberdare in need of refurbishment, with a guide price of £20,000. The presenter told us about the asbestos roof on the extension and how the cost of getting the asbestos removed and the roof and main roof repaired and the damp would cost a lot; the auctioneer told us that if the house were restored as a 2 bed house it might fetch £40,000 or as 3 bed around £50,000 or let at £375 or £450 a month. At the auction, bidding started at the guide price and on fall of the hammer had reached £37,500. The buyer was then interviewed in the house and asked why he had bought it: to create a property portfolio in Aberdare and this is his first project. Surprise, the bidder hadn't viewed inside before bidding and hadn't envisaged anything like the amount of work and cost to make the property habitable. I thought the seller must be laughing all the way to the bank.

My allotted time up, I left the gym. Sitting in my car getting ready to drive away, I noticed two staff members arriving for the start of their shift. They stood by the entrance to the centre chatting and another staff member joined them: no masks, no social distancing; so much for setting an example, farcical. On the way home I stopped at a petrol station to fill up the car's tank. When I got home, first thing was to drink water.

Normally when I go to the gym, for an hour, I feel great afterwards - it sets me up for the rest of the day and next. Combined with playing badminton twice a week for total 4-5 hours, I have ample exercise to counteract my otherwise sedentary existence. But with no badminton since before lockdown and no sign when resuming and now only 45 minutes at the gym and only 3 machines I enjoy, I am seriously contemplating what other form of exercise I could do.

Running is not my thing: I'm built for comfort, not speed. During lockdown I bought a Bullworker to recreate the experience long ago when I enjoyed tugging but I've hardly used it. I used to cycle in my teens - mostly around Central and West London - but in 1988 I gave (to a furniture removal man) my trusty 5 speed Campag gears with drop handle bars bike and have never had any desire to get another. Also I'd begrudge spending more than £25 on a bicycle. Perhaps I should have another attempt at Nordic walking. But likely I shall continue at the gym and make better use of my 45 minutes than wasting time watching naivety buy property!

[didds]

Running is not my thing: I'm built for comfort, not speed.

yoiu dont have to run "fast". just move quicker than you might walking hard. Job done.

[kiloran]

Running is not my thing: I'm built for comfort, not speed.

Are you Howlin' Wolf? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlBqo8Pco_A

--kiloran