Laugh if you want, but it’s true. I’m doing water aerobics to help stay in shape this summer. I just don’t think anyone understands how hard it is unless they try it. Especially when you are as conducive to floating as I am, which essentially means you sink. The real secret to water aerobics is pushing yourself. Some of the more “experienced” (read, older) classmates of mine have shoes and gloves that don’t let the water through cracks between your fingers and toes. That is by no means an insignificant amount of force that you’re adding to your exercise. Water is a beast when it wants to resist. If it can carve the Grand Canyon, then it can definitely carve me up. That’s the theory at least.

The nice thing about people who do water aerobics is that they’re all chill. Maybe it’s because anything else is too much work. There’s no intense yelling, screaming, etc. that is usually associated with aerobics. Or maybe I’m just afraid that I’d get my ass kicked if I did standard aerobics. Either way, I’m very happy with my decision to hop in the pool.

Some crucial points though:

  • An important part of becoming a regular at a gym is deciding to get over the fact that everyone walks around the locker room naked. That’s right, it’s unavoidable. There will be naked people in the locker room. Do you stare? Of course not, who stares?
  • No mirror in the world will make you look as good as you think you look. This might seem like a statement of arrogance or whatnot, but I’m serious. I’m a really good looking guy, just not in any mirror I’ve ever seen. Amazing how that works.
  • There will inevitably be girls who can lift more than you. It’s okay. They’ve been lifting since before you knew the difference between kilograms and pounds. And if you continue to make up fictional statements like the previous statement, somehow you find a way to quickly get over the fact that you’re pretty much starting from scratch.
  • As soon as you admit you’re starting from scratch you jump a HUGE egotistical hurdle. What’s important to remember is that each time you should beat yourself. If you ran for 10 minutes on Wednesday, run for 15 minutes on Friday. Lots of baby steps over a disciplined cycle of exercise will lead to a good result.

That’s really it for my gym musings. I think having a gym one-mile down the road from work is great. I’ve made work the hub of my life, and the place where my bed is happens to just be thirty minutes down the road. I was pretty sure that it was going to work that way anyway, but things are working out so far. What more could I ask for?