Every once in a while my workouts need a bit of a shake up. Usually this means shifting from 4 pounds weights (too light) to 6 pound weights (still too light) for a few strength training classes or switching from the elliptical trainer to the treadmill for a couple of cardio sessions. This time, I took the "shake up" to the next level. So much so, that I switched gyms. Or maybe I should say that I switched from a gym to a "health and fitness" club. So mature and fancy of me...
Mostly this shake up involved the well being of my little C girl. She is ready to rock and roll and the health club has a pool with many open family swim times. Plus the child care is big, busy and full of fun things - including a mini basketball court! So cute. I should also mention that child care at the health club is F-R-E-E, included with my membership, totally gratis. Can you believe it? You many be thinking that I must spend well over $100 a month for my membership. Right? Nope, $62 a month. Just five dollars more than the gym - where I was paying a daily child care fee on top of the $57 a month for myself.
The problem with all of this goodness is that I am a total creature of habit. A lot like my 'ol daddy. I don't really like change or interruptions in the flow of my schedule. Which is why many of my posts have had to do with my inability to function on the disrupted sleep schedule that C has brought to my life.
C and I are getting into the groove of things at the new club. She loves it and is showing the many women that work these just what being a "busy" child really means :) She wanders around the place, and gives them a run for their money with diaper changes, but she also uses her sign language skills with them, dances to their music and blows them kisses goodbye. What more could you ask for?
Today was the day. Day six at the new health club. The day for the big plunge - Aqua Fit. I've been wanting to try this water aerobics class. My joints still hurt from child birth - I swear - and I hear these water classes are easy on the bod. Last night I began the preparations. I got out my "swim" suit (that is a little dig at my husband because where I am from it is called a bathing suit) and tried it on to make sure there was not too much cleavage showing. I knew the population of this class would primarily be made up of an older crowd and I didn't want to embarrass myself. The first suit was a total no-no, but then I found my "mom" suit from C's swim lessons last summer.
Let's just take a minute and talk about something depressing, embarrassing, personal, true and HYSTERICAL. No matter how much I diet or work out or switch things up, there is nothing (besides going under the knife) that I can do about the change in the skin elasticity that occurred during pregnancy. There is something unnatural about a 26 inch waist growing to the size of Santa Claus's belly. My old taunt inny belly button has now, apparently, developed a hood. This is not something you would notice or be horrified at upon staring at it, but I know it's different. Now I am not used to this little hood of skin, because if I were, I would be more careful in dressing myself. I should mention that my bathing suit has a zipper on the front of it from lower abdomen to chest. Need I say more? That's right, I caught my belly button hood in the zipper of my bathing suit. I call it a "mom" suit, but the zipper up the front makes it cute - kinda Bond Girl-esque. CAUGHT MY SKIN IN THE ZIPPER...ouch. There's nothin' like a stinging belly button to remind you that your body has changed...
So here I go with my gym bag, C's bag, swim stuff bag, and C in tow on the way to the gym at 7:55 in the morning. It was like the first day of school all over again. Where do I hang my towel? Bring it into the pool area? Wrap it around me? Let it all hang out? I decided to ask an older lady dressed in a bathing suit and aqua socks standing on the scale in the locker room, surely she'll know. All you have to do is engage an older woman in a locker room in conversation and you have a friend for life. Anya. My new friend. She and her sis have been taking this class for two years. Great, I have a mentor!
Life is SO funny. I consider myself to be somewhat fashionable and definitely someone who likes to be "in the know" about popular trends and what's hot. Never, in all my life, did I think that Aqua Fit would be the place that would make me feel like the odd ball, the uncool one, the newbie who doesn't know what's going on because I didn't have my "water shoes."
How would I survive? I could SLIP! SLIP while doing water aerobics. Oh no.
There I was amongst a group of men and women who were easily 30+ years my senior, and I was envious of their apparent preparedness for this class. They all have Speedo suits - without zippers to get skin stuck in. They had on water shoes. It was slippery in there! Why didn't I think of this? Some even had bathing caps. CRAP. I was going to have wet hair and stubbed toes to go along with my burning belly button. Shit.
I'm in the "water walking only lane" (who knew?) before the class started, tryin' to up the 'ol heart rate, and I am secretly laughing hysterically inside my brain. If-they-could-see-me-now. I don't want you to get the impression that I am knocking anyone here. If anything, I am knocking myself. These people are amazing. I mean they had to range in age between 60-123. These people got up, got on bathing suits (and water shoes) and got themselves to the club and into a pool. That is down right amazing. I love to see people of all ages keeping up with their fitness and challenging themselves. That's what it is really all about. I mean was Aqua Fit anywhere near as challenging as a spinning class with heavy metal music blaring in your ears and an instructor swearing in your face? Uh...let's go with no on that one. BUT, I could feel my core and glutes burning and working really hard. I was doing the moves a bit more vigorous than gram and gramps, but I am sure they were exerting themselves as much as they could. All in all, I loved it. I had some energy afterwards to get some time in on the elliptical, but I am pooped out now.
Through all of this I realized some things.
1. I no longer think it is necessary to have a "dark as night" tan before putting on a bathing suit.
2. I don't even think I own a bikini.
3. No one cares if I have a pedicure with the latest nail polish color.
4. I constantly try new things and that feels good.
5. I can hang with anyone - regardless of age - and feel like I fit in (well maybe in spirit, apparently not in fashion).
6. I really don't like being splashed or getting water in my ears.
7. I will never get naked in the locker room and talk about what I'm making for dinner while standing there with my business out.
8. Wet locker room floors are gross, not matter how fancy the club, and if the edges of my pants gets wet, I might vomit.
9. I am terrible at working my heart rate monitor and that irritates the heck out of me.
10. I really need to be a bit kinder to myself. I try really hard to be fit and if I want to eat some chocolate - it'll be alright.
I'm exhausted just reflecting on this whole experience. From the outside looking in it would have looked seamless. I guess that's due to the fact that I started preparing for this a DAY ahead of time. I'm looking forward to taking another class. I really want to get my hands on those Styrofoam "weights" and we didn't use them today. The men and women of Aqua Fit were truly inspirational. As we got our "sweat on" together I wondered what their life experiences were. Were they always into fitness? Is this something they have been doing for years? Will I be doing this when I am 75? Lord, I hope so.
Don't be fooled though. Even if I didn't have a Speedo or water shoes, I had the best towel. Hot pink with a lime green monogram. A matron of honor gift from Michelle. She keeps me in fashion, no matter what the social setting may be. She too may even agree that I need to invest in this Speedo athletic swim suit. I should look the part, shouldn't I?
