One New Thing: Joined a Gym!

So far, my exercise routine since this summer has been running plus yoga. I try to do one or the other every day. But with the cold weather, my running has really taken a hit. A lot of times it's either below thirty, and I can't stomach running along the windy Hudson, or it's above thirty and raining, which also isn't very appealing. This is no good!

So today, another rainy, cold day, I decided to bite the bullet and join the gym by our house. It's actually probably the cheapest gym in Manhattan, and it seems undiscovered. Compared to the gyms where I work, or pretty much any gym I've ever seen here, it's empty... no fighting over elliptical machines or treadmills. You can even stay on a machine for longer than thirty minutes! It's heaven! Megan had joined the gym already, so I tagged along with her this afternoon and signed up myself.

I was lucky she was there to show me the ropes. Because I've never really used a treadmill before. Once, when I went to pick out my running shoes, they made me get on a treadmill. But it was a little bit terrifying, and I had to hold onto the sides of the machine so I wouldn't fall off. If you've seen Encino man, and you remember the first parts of the movie where Link enters the modern age... you get the idea. But I caught on pretty fast after she showed me what to do, and I jogged along fine.

One thing that was a little depressing is the fact that Megan WALKS at 3 miles per hour, and I can jog along at a nice pace at the same speed. This was so humiliating, I had to keep upping my speed to show her who was boss. So probably I ended up running too fast! But I didn't fly off the machine, and I made it until the end of my workout. One other thing that is hard about the treadmill is that it is SO boring. I was listening to music, but it wasn't enough. I think because your time is flashing before you in big, huge numbers, it's hard to get your mind off how many minutes you have left to go. Usually when I run outside, my mind wanders and I stop paying attention to the time. I just couldn't do that today. I think next time I use the treadmill, I'll hang a towel over the time panel. And maybe I'll get some new music or try podcasts to keep me more interested, since there is no scenery to help keep things fun.

You may wondering who is in this picture. It's me. Running and yoga has really been a great combination, and my happiness made my hair turn ten shades lighter. Success!

-Kristin

I was really worried about Kristin on the treadmill. She told me she almost fell the only time she's ever tried to use one so I figured she'd abide by mom's motto "slow and steady wins the race'. But then I see her in my peripheral vision continually upping her speed. I had to think of an emergency plan in case she did fall. I had brought along a towel, so that could help keep the blood from gushing from her nose and showering all of us treadmill runners!

There was a girl next to her running even slower. It made me think, hmm... maybe I should give running another go, but on my own terms this time.

It's so nice to have a gym partner. Maybe this will make me get up and go more often!

- Megan Leigh