The Gym

Time that I've been previously spending exercising my fingers here in this blog space has recently been spent at ETSU's Center for Physical Activity (CPA). But I've missed this writing and hope that now I can find a balance.

I started walking for exercise almost four years ago in an attempt to lose some weight and get in shape. Over the time since, I've gotten in fairly good shape, probably the best I've been in these past 30 years since high school, but I haven't really done well at weight loss. (But that's another blog.) After doing a summer and fall exercise program in 2005, I vegetated through much of last winter, and so I'm trying not to let that happen again this year.

My attempt to keep up winter exercise is leading me more and more to the CPA. It's a wonderful facility here on campus, and as a faculty member I'm able to use it for free. And it's an interesting place. I'll write a little about what I do there and a little about what I see.

What I do: I walk a lot. The CPA has a wonderful elevated track that goes around the wall above the large exercise and the three full-sized basketball courts. Eight laps makes a mile. I have my mp3 player set up with just the right number and combination of songs for 32 laps, which takes me a little over an hour. When I don't want to walk, or when my knees are hurting, I do 30 minutes or so on the elliptical machine, the use of which makes me think of movements I've seen in cross-country skiing. (Notice that I write "seen" and not "done.") I also started working my way through the weight machines recently, which I'm trying to do every time I'm there. I'd love to take more advantage of the nice pool, but I don't swim well; so when a goal is available I shoot some basketball. I try to make this exercise by playing a game with myself. First, I shoot a free throw. If I make it, I shoot another and another until I miss. (Let it be known that I'm not a great free throw shooter.) When I miss, I grab the reboud and make myself stay in motion, shooting all kinds of shots until I hit one. Then I go back to the free throw line and repeat. I do this until I hit 48 free throws and field goals. Because I'm a poor free throw shooter, I get a fairly good cardio workout in between brief moments of rest at the free throw line.

What I see: Lots and lots of people working out. These are mostly students, but a lot of faculty and staff are there as well. Mornings are best, although I don't particularly like working out in the morning. Afternoons and evenings are okay, but they're crowded.

• When walking--Many people walk in pairs and talk as they go around, but most, like me, wear their little headphones and listen to whatever. I often catch myself wondering what this person or that might be listening to through those headphones--Justin Timberlake? Faith Hill? Slipknot? J.S. Bach? And I wonder if any of them think about what I might be listening to. Some who know me would feel certain that I'm likely to have some Bruce Springsteen and Bruce Hornsby in my ears. They would be right. My mp3 player also has The Call, U2, Pete Townshend, Roxy Music, Steely Dan, The Police, a techno piece and even one of my own songs. Would anybody have guessed last Friday while I was on the elliptical machine that I was listening to a Speaking of Faith program on "The Biology of the Spirit"?


• When on the elliptical machine--I'm behind a couple of rows of treadmills that are used both for walking and running. (I've tried these, but I wasn't too taken with them.) I find it both funny and amazing to watch people run on these, especially when they're running at a pretty good clip. To put out that much energy and stay in one place! Beyond the treadmill rows is a wall with six or seven televisions, all tuned to different channels. I haven't figured out yet if I can listen to them. And I probably won't try to figure it out, because I don't want to listen to them. I don't even like to look at them.


• When working with weights--I see folks doing a lot of different stuff. I sometimes come to a machine that I usually do reps of 50 pounds with, and somebody there before me will have it set on 175 pounds. On most of the machines I could probably do more than 50 pounds. But 175? Is somebody doing reps with that much more weight I use?


• I see the students, mostly guys, watching their own muscles as they lift weights, via either the machine or free weights. They like to watch themselves in the mirror while they work out. Many have developed great physiques, certainly, but I can't help but wonder if they're as committed to their studies as they are to their bodies. Do they have a mirror on their desks, in which they can watch themselves read or work out equations?


• Gym clothes vary quite a bit. Some folks wear just the plain t-shirt and shorts; others are, for the gym and the business at hand there, dressed to the nines.


• The weight machines surround a large floor space covered with mats. On certain nights a judo class is going on. That's fun to watch. Having watched my son's tae kwon do sessions for several years now, I've learned to appreciate the workout that these guys get from practicing their moves and such. One really interesting thing that I've never seen before the last week or so, is that guys are coming into the gym and getting on the mats and wrestling. I thought that, in our age of stupid pro wrestling entertainmnet on TV and stupid homophobia, wrestling took place only on high school or college teams. I've always been interested in wrestling, but I never participated in any organized way. And I wouldn't know how to go about finding somebody my own age and size to help me learn to wrestle. But here are these kids coming in--groups of two or more--and they're getting out on the mats and wrestling. They get a lot of looks from the standoffish solo exercisers working their elliptical machines or treadmills, but they seem not to mind. Another interesting point about these wrestlers is that many of them seem to be what might be called "hippies" or "granolas." I watched one such group recently and wondered if wrestling had become the new "natural" exercise to participate in.

So, that's the gym experience. I'm writing this morning, because I'll be back there this afternoon, walking and working the weights, trying to keep active in both body and mind.