I decide to join a gym

I have decided to join a gym. To anyone who knows me this is pretty amazing. FH got me to the gym in the early days of our marriage when I was in my 20s, but I hated it. The place was difficult to get to, hard to park, not open at convenient times, packed out with pretentious people in lycra, smelly and I could never understand why people wanted to exercise indoors rather than being outdoors anyway. Running on a treadmill inside when you could run out doors seemed crazy to me. The last time I bought a pair of trainers I was in my 20s. I think it is the only pair of trainers I have ever owned.

For 20+ years I had Sean the horse and when I hated the discipline of mucking out every day from November to March, walking him up the hill from the field etc. in the cold and dark, I used to console myself with the fact that the activity was good for my health. Riding was good for my health. Then Sean died last August and I haven’t had that discipline this winter.

I also used to do Pilates for about 5 years in an attempt to improve my posture. I had an excellent teacher called Penny who I always thought of as some kind of white witch as she had masses of white, naturally curly hair and was quite beautiful. Last year she retired and moved to Herefordshire.

I had a short spell of going to dance classes with a boyfriend which was the best fun.

Since October I have been doing nothing.

I am OK about the food I eat. I went to weightwatchers for nearly 3 years and over this time totally changed what I ate and when I ate. I have not as yet cracked the red wine habit, but I am not one of those people who opens a packet of biscuits and has to eat the lot. It bemused me at weightwatchers when attendees buy the special ‘weightwatchers’ crisps and sweet treats and then would eat them non-stop during the period we had our talk.

Boyfriends and family will sometimes comment that ‘you could tighten up here’ or ‘should exercise more’, but in general I like my body. I am old, but I’m not ashamed to get naked.

So what has driven me? The terrible health of my peer group – men more so than the women. The more up close and personal I can see how little they are capable of, the more grateful I am for my own current level of health. I want to get down that gym and celebrate it while I still have it.

 

So, this week I went for a tour round the David Lloyd ‘leisure club’ after work. It is mega convenient to where I live. Opening hours are fantastic Monday-Friday 06.00 -23.00, week-ends 07.30 -20.30. Loads of parking. I am not creeping down side streets in the dark. Then I got inside. Wow! What a revelation! I got shown around by this nice young man called Alfie. Let’s start with the swimming pool. You know from my travel writing that I am obsessed with a good pool, preferably deserted. Bear in mind I go straight after work at what I assume is their peak time. It is virtually deserted, incredibly warm, lanes set aside for lane swimming which is so my thing and a whopping big bubble pool for afters. Then we look in the exercise studios. I can do loads of classes for free – including Pilates and they have yoga which I would like to try and even exercise dance which is a bonus.

Then we get to the gym which is awesome. How equipment has moved on in 30 years! You get a session with a personal trainer every 6 weeks and while it is not all my thing I like rowing machines, exercise bikes and light weights. Alfie chunters on about how many calories I can lose on various bits of equipment. Who cares? I can lose myself in all this lot and come out feeling elasticky and chilled.

One other point. There were a lot of ordinary old people. Is this the David Lloyd market or is it just a Luton thing?

I am so excited about it. Even better, the next day at work I find I can get an employee discount on membership through Incorpore.

 

I’ll let you know in 6 months if there have been remarkable changes to my body, but this is not what it is about. It is my celebration of my current health.