Things I've Learned (Or Remembered) At The Gym

• Yoga Level 2 classes are a lot harder than Yoga Level 1-2 classes.
• A good teacher makes all the difference.
• If you exercise all the time your body hurts all the time. If you don't exercise at all your body hurts all the time. One hurt feels good; the other hurt feels old.
• If I work out around people my age or older I feel a lot better about my body (sorry to admit that one but very true).
• I hate television news.
• People following an aerobics class look silly, especially if you can't hear the music. It is best not to watch (or to think of being watched if you participate).
• Treadmills are more boring than elliptical machines (I have no idea why, but also very true).

One of those Days

• A colleague of b's dropped by the house half an hour early to ride into work with him. I was still in bed and asleep. Nice guy but NOT how I like to start my day.
• b had another flat.
• I was supposed to work at home but had to go in for a "appreciation luncheon" with my Dean, the Provost and the Chancellor. I had been nominated for a school-wide teaching award and they decided to have an event for all of us who did NOT win (aka "Loser's Lunch").*
• The lunch was highly fattening and not very tasty.
• After lunch I worked on my grant a bit and then headed home to work. When I got home I received an email informing me a paper I submitted over NINE months ago was rejected.**
• One of our Netflix DVDs seems to be missing in action. It was supposed to arrive yesterday but nothing yet.
• I was way too tired and cold and full to go to the gym so today is the first day I've skipped in 11 days.
• b's still having problems with his bike so I'm off to pick him up from work.

*I never expected to win and am fine with that....just would have preferred to skip the lunch.

**The reviews themselves weren't bad and could be helpful but the 9 months is painful. Plus one of the reviewers feels there's a fatal flaw with the data...don't know if I agree or how I feel about that.

Living The Single Car Life

b and I have one (old) car between us. I would like to say this is completely because of environmental concerns but truthfully it is also helpful financially. On most days b rides his bike to work and I walk to the university. However there are a number of variables that can affect our transportation needs. While b rides in the rain and the cold, when its really icy (or really hot) or when its just been too many days of bad weather, he may want to drive to work. Likewise if I have too many books or boxes to fit in my backpack, I may need a vehicle to get me to my office. Working late is also a consideration for both of us, although more so for me, as I don't think it wise to walk home in the dark after an evening class. For me there is the added deterrent of parking on campus--both the expense and the difficulty--that keeps me from wanting to drive to work.

However the gym is a little too far for me to comfortably walk (and actually have time to do a workout), so this has added a bit of a wrench in our transportation plans. To successfully live with only one car we have to remain in constant communication about our daily plans, problem-solve, and compromise. I offer up this morning as a prime example.

b was set to ride into work and I was getting ready to drive to they gym. b discovered he had a flat and no repair kit, so we had to put his bike on the roof-rack and drive him to his job. After dropping him off I headed over to the gym, worked out and showered. After the gym I had to drive home, strap on my backpack and walk to work. He has already fixed his flat at work (where there are repair kits) and will ride home this evening. After making dinner, he will head over the university to pick me up when my class lets out at 9 pm.

It ain't pretty but we make it work.

RBOC: The Day Before

• Tomorrow I teach my first class of the semester. It seems like every academic blogger I read has been teaching for the past week or two. Pumpkin and Angel have both been in school for a week. This past week has been a gift.
• Today was my 9th day in a row of going to the gym. Unfortunately the women's steam room is now broken in both locations.
• Yesterday b took a yoga class with me at the gym. The instructor commented publicly on his "open hips" and wished that she had his flexibility. That's right ladies, my man has enviable hips. I'm really not sure what to make of that.
• Tomorrow I was going to start the day with a doctoral committee meeting and I was planning on getting up really early (for me) to make the gym. Today that meeting got cancelled. Score!
• Today is really the last day I can take off for a while. There is a grant I'm supposed to be revising but b is off and playing with him is just too much fun.
• Yesterday b and I went to the dojo to work out alone (I have a key). b has a new GoPro camera and put it on his head while we sparred. Its weird to watch yourself fighting. I told him next time I should wear it so he can see what he looks like.

A New Year/A New Gym

I bit the bullet and joined a new gym this year. When I first moved to SouthLite I signed myself and b up for the gym at my university. It is a fairly large and well-stocked gym and it's cheap. Year 1 we went fairly regularly but I was always annoyed that the gym was either closed or had limited hours the times of the year I had the most time. Year 2 we went more infrequently but we still went. However the more I taught the more I ran into students I knew while I was working out. Initially I didn't think this would bother me but eventually it did. b and I also felt a little less than comfortable working out in a gym that was predominately filled with scantily-clad people that were more than 20 years our junior. By Year 3 we had stopped going and I ended our membership.

I did most of last year without a gym. We did go to the dojo fairly frequently and I tried my best to keep running. Unfortunately the workouts at the dojo are far from enough for me and when its really really hot here (which is often) I just can't run outdoors. Needless to say my fitness level has been steadily dropping. On top of that, putting my tenure packet together last year really didn't help matters.

b is still going to the dojo but I just don't have the heart for it. Ultimately it is a kind place but just doesn't fill my workout or my martial arts needs. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the martial arts part of the equation (other than practice on my own) but I decided to pay the money and join a more expensive gym. I actually got a good deal so for the next 18 months it won't cost anymore than the local Y.

One of the things that is important to me in a gym (besides having people my own age who don't call me Dr. Brigindo) is a steam room. I haven't had a gym with a steam room in a very long time. This may sound like an odd requirement for a gym but I REALLY like to steam and will go and workout just to justify it. The gym I joined is our little city's luxury gym. There are two facilities (in different parts of town but both just over 2 miles from my house) that I can frequent and I can buy $5 passes for when b wants to come with me. There are many machines, a large selection of free weights, lots and lots of classes, and a really big pool in one of the sites (the other has a small pool in an inconvenient location). The locker rooms have more amenities that I have in my home. In short I'm quite taken with this gym and have been there everyday this week.

Yesterday I took a yoga class. I've done many yoga moves in my martial arts career and have taken one or two lame yoga classes but this was the real thing. It was wonderful. Can't wait for the next one.