This is NOT Your Grandmother's Gym.....

. . . .  and then again it is.

I never imagined that fitness could be so serious and so nurturing at the same time. Not that nurturing isn't serious, but we tend to take it more lightly.  Most adults feel like their time of nurturing is over. We need to be only nurturing others.

I haven't seen everything they do at the Contours on Apriana Rd, but  I hear-tell the employees are going to hula hoop instructor's training this weekend, and that soon we will be able to take these fitness hula hoop classes.   Will they stop at nothing????   HA! I have to see this for myself when the time comes.


So much you can do to stay fit, and so many levels available. Lots of times I don't know what I want to stick to.  When I was swimming it was easier.  But here it's not just the range of activities but also in the kinds of people who come. Grannies are doing the zumba here, (I may be one of them in the weeks to come -just don't film me) and 50 year olds look like athletes, while beginners of any age go into it with all the confidence in the world.

I remember a previous personal trainer in a previous life told me ....

 changing your exercise really helps to keep you in better shape. Doing the same old weight lifting and sit ups doesn't get the results.

Last week I was approached by Emily to see if I wanted to attend one of her classes. I mean, I was on the cycle doing my two hills that Pich recommended, and she just came right up to me.  See this is what I mean about nurturing:  there is always room for the spontaneous human connection as well as the disciplined work stuff. No one ever did that before, not at any gym I have ever used, and Emily was well....

How can I begin to describe Emily?  She gives you the impression that she was raised by warrior elves, in an enchanted forest near a glistening waterfall, eating pink and chartreuse fruits and drinking bubble tea.  She has this adorable unassuming (truly unassuming) way with us, and yet, you know she is really fit, so I guess that warrior has to come out somewhere right?

How could I say "no"?  After all, although I liked my work out, it was getting easy . . . sort of, and I needed to find some new tricks in the business of getting the abdominals to start fending for themselves a little.   That's why I like all the training that goes on around me. It keeps me curious,  They KNOW things, and are very willing to keep us in the know.

Lucky me.  I was the only one who said sure!  So I got to have a private session and the nurturing began.   She showed me some floor exercises and some of them were hard and some were easy, and some were funny to do, like the one where you lie on your back and catch a ball first with your hands and then with your feet.  The elves must have taught her that one.

As for the sauna, it was great. It is always great. I have found that I like to keep my head covered when using it though.  It somehow feels better to do that. Just a simple cotton scarf or  an old t-shirt seems to work.

About the infrared combined with exercise: My clothes zip up better everything buttons and my "fat' jeans are starting to be my "fat" jeans again, after only 4 weeks.  It is a relief. I don't have to buy new clothes..... bummer.  Maybe I can go shopping for smaller clothes a little later.

Celulite

One of the claims of the benefits of infrared sauna is that it gets rid of cellulite.

From the get go I wondered, "Well, even if that is true, how long is that going to take?", expecting to read something saying that - 10 years of regular infrared sauna used along with regular exercise and a vegan diet will diminish cellulite by 20%.  I didn't actually read anything like that.

I have been out of the loop a little where natural health remedies are concerned. It is as if I learned all I wanted to know about 3 years ago, and I'm just going to go with that. Cellulite was not a top priority for me.

I am into doing whatever it takes to stay young, not skinny, not sexy, but young. I'm am a little bit of a fanatic. It is fun, and it is worth the reads in the health magazines.  I get to have something to talk about that isn't gossip, and everyone learns something.

Youthfulness is basically a healthy lifestyle, clean food, low fat, plenty of water, exercise, certain vitamins, natural sugars (not refined), the right amount of sleep. . . Anything else is expensive, cosmetic, surgical, and perhaps unnatural.

That motivation to stay young is in all of us no matter what our age. Think only of tales of the Fountain of Youth.  Take a look at the cosmetics industry, the place where we gladly put our money in exchange for beauty. Sadly, staying young has been so commercialized that it takes a lot of fun out of actually doing it.  You know, the standard is the media standard which equals pressure. The look is the photoshopped look, more pressure. The goal is the unrealistic goal of trying to be a better version of who we once were, instead of the best person we can be now. . .  and at this moment I can hear my father saying, "real beauty is in the heart".

Cellulite is definitely in the skin and it is a sign of something.  I never cared to know.

I guess one of the signs of aging is the presence of cellulite.  That hard fatty substance that lodges in your upper legs and maybe arms and torso.  It keeps your skin from looking smooth and soft and .. wait for it, .... wait for it...  YOUNG.

What is Cellulite and what are the available treatments for it.

Cellulite has been hated as the menace of womanhood since I can remember hearing my aunties complain when we would all be poolside. All I ever heard was that treatments were expensive and unsuccessful overall.  Like it only works on ballerinas and olympic swimmers, and Hollywood celebs because they can't afford for it not to. I dismissed any thought of trying to rid myself of it. It seemed a waste of time. When I got to the infrared claims a couple of weeks ago, I merely dismissed them too. Frankly I didn't care.  

How to treat Cellulite  :  another perspective. Notice they end the article with the words "good luck".  Do I detect a tone of sarcasm?

Here is the reality:  infrared is working  to get rid of cellulite from me.  ME???  .... the one who didn't care!  HA! Unbelievable: I'm really glad about something I didn't care about. That's funny! It feels good that it is going away.  I am inclined to believe that toxins and the lymphatic system are how cellulite gets is unwanted resting place in our thighs, and I am convinced that exercise and infrared are getting rid of it.

My experience is this.  After the sauna, I drink a lot of water, and try to keep my diet really clean and healthy.  By evening I start to feel mild cold symptoms.   After a few hours of that, I feel better.  Then I start to notice that the cellulite is going away.  Often I don't believe it myself so I do a little test pinch or something and surely it is already looking better.  How many visits to the sauna?  I think only 4 so far.

Gosh I feel like a blooming revolutionary or something.

I'm going to get another glass of water.

Health and the Pamper Factor

Every time I go to Contours I look for things.  I do it somewhat unconsciously.  Part of my motivation is that, quite frankly, I'm rather spoiled.  So, when I go to places like these, I guess I look for the "pamper factor".

It is a wonder I lasted over two years going to the community pool. Those places are kind of unkempt, and they don't smell good either (usually poorly ventilated). The volume of people that go through compared to the number of hardworking staff is much higher at the pools. I can't imagine how they would keep it nice. Likewise, at most gyms I have been to, the staff to client ratios are much higher than this place.

At Contours I notice all the things that were missing at the community pool:  hair dryers, scales, nice sized lockers,  carpeting that isn't sopping wet, a community information board, the credentials of the women who work there are posted, there's water available on the gym floor, and the staff is incredibly friendly.   And the best part is that it is clean, clean, clean.

NO I take that back.  That's not the very best part. But, the very best part isn't physical comfort, it is emotional, social comfort.  Truly.  The ladies who work out there are so balanced in the way they go about things, and they respect your privacy.   Better still is the unconditional positive regard from the staff that sets the tone. One feels like one is being cultivated there, not just exercising. Granted not in the intellectual sense, but certainly not merely in the physical.   I see it in the confidence that the ladies have trying new things with the trainer.  They have real zeal.

I kid you not about the cultivation.   The women there know their exercise!  Every level of work out goes on there.   It is so nice to be in a place where the women feel good about their workouts, and it is not about being attractive, but they appear to have a healthy well-rounded outlook.  If I were to go a little more into it, I think it is because the sense of balance they they get physically translates existentially.  It seems like balance, core, stability and real fitness is the true goal. I have never seen it like this anywhere else.

Last time I was there, I didn't plan my time as well as I would have liked, but that was my bad so to speak.  I am gaining strength quickly and I like that.  My back pain is diminished even though it is a damp rainy day.  I didn't go into the sauna.  I don't really want to go more than twice a week.   It does seem to be delivering everything I read it should. My complexion is improving, I am gaining flexibility that I can easily notice every time I back up the car and I can actually see what is behind me.

Its only been two weeks, and I like the results.

Day Two in the Gym

It was my 4th day at Contours, my second day on the gym floor, and 3rd time in the sauna.

Okay so in walking up to the Contours gym, these past few times, I have noticed these little people on their way to the same place....  Oh yeah, they have been following me every time.  I was feeling a little suspicious at first.  "So I'm going to be lifting weights with toddlers?"  Hmmmm.   Well if you can call what I do lifting weights. Many of the women who work out there are mothers, and really every mother needs some kind of support to get it all done.  No nanny?  No problem.  There is a daycare room right there.  I should take a peek into the room one day just to see if they have better toys to play with than we do.

For the record. I am liking the toys we have. There are free weights and I took some of them into my floor "routine". I also noticed that Pich was working with another member with free weights.  This lady was in great shape. It was that healthy balanced kind of good shape that people have when their spine is aligned well and all the movements were just right.  Kids seems to have all their muscle groups working for them in all the right ways. But as we get older, it seems that some muscle groups are stiff, like mine, or some have kind of gone to sleep, or atrophied a bit.

A balanced body is so lovely in its engineering. I have a friend, we'll call her Amanda, she is deeply devoted to her exercise. She is beautiful through and through, and she has those graceful movements that make her appear so grounded and well rounded. It gives the impression of a healthy mind as well.  That's what I remember about this woman who was working out last Thursday.   Her outlook seemed positive, and her focus seemed sure. There were a few ladies who looked like that to me. I felt proud of them too in some empathic way.

That balance is the main reason why I exercise. For me it is not about weight as much as it is about balance. It is that well rounded feeling that makes exercise worth it. Balance makes everything I do feel better, even house cleaning, even breathing. For me the feeling of a clean breath goes with a well aligned spine, like every breath is a meditation.

The rowing machine was already a little easier. I was able to pick up speed where needed.  I must say however, I really am starting to miss the pool.  It is a longing of mine to be in the water, and maintaining those strokes.

The exercise took about an hour, and I was a little pressed for time.  Will have to get an earlier start this week.  I plan on going in about 3x this week to see how I fair.

The infrared, I think I will not do it at the same time as exercise. Last time I got a headache. I am appreciative of the therapy it gave.  Water and a banana, and some guacamole and crackers helped, and I was feeling better just an hour later. Of course lots of water.

 I know this sounds a little different, but my back has been hurting all weekend.  This was a good hurt. It means my stiff vertebrae are moving again and that the muscles are getting used to being active.  It also means they are threatening to lock up again if I don't make the effort to keep them limber.

So far so good.   See you again in the next week!