Big Mistake?

I decided that, in an effort to establish a more regular routine (instead of the roller-coaster of insanity that is presently my life), I should start going to the gym a few times a week.
After all, I'm already paying for it as part of my student fees.
Plus, regular exercise will make me more energetic, or something.

Yesterday I made the first big step: I found out where the gym is. It's not far from the bus stop, which is great. I also found out that I don't have to rent a locker (which makes me wonder why anyone would...)

This morning I rose bright and early with the full intention of getting to the gym by 8:00. My body protested this arrangement, and convinced me that (given the fact that I had finished a good deal of my reading last night) I should be able to sleep another hour or so.
I managed to miss the 11:00 bus by approximately fifteen seconds.

I made it to the gym before 12, found a locker, and proceeded to humiliate myself with various implements of mechanical torture. It turns out that the "Pectoral Punisher" isn't named that way as a joke.
After realizing that every muscle group in my body except my legs is in a sorry state of disrepair, I proceeded to the recumbent bicycle for 20 minutes of reading and a light cardiovascular work-out.
It turns out that Elizabeth Cary's Tragedy of Mariam is actually easier to read when your heart rate is at 180 bpm than while at rest. I'm not sure how that works, but hopefully it works again on Friday. (It's too bad I can't keep going at that rate for much longer than ten minutes...)

The aftermath of my workout, however, was not so pleasant. The feeling of nausea subsided quickly, but my shoulders, back, and legs are still tingling.
I have a feeling I'll regret this plan tomorrow.

On the plus side, I now have a spot to keep my excess baggage during the day. I'm not really sure how that will help me in the long run, as I'll only start bringing more and more books to school instead of reading them at home, but I think I can live with that.

2 comments:

HD said...

ha ha - loved the low down on the gym escapade! You know, you're one step ahead of me. I haven't even figured out where the gym is.. . . and I'm in my third year! I did find the pool and tried lane swimming. If I manage to go at least once before school ends, I'll have kept up my record of going once a year. . . . do you think that counts as staying in shape?

Jack said...

It counts as more than I've been doing for the last couple of years...

You've got that whole metabolism thing working for you, though.