I can't use the machines, yet. I have to wait until Rocky clears me to use them. That's okay. I am not ready to use them yet anyway. All I want to do is walk. Not on a treadmill, or an elliptical, or a stair climber, on the track.
Just walk. Just on the track.
You see, walking around the track is my “excuse” to people watch. The gym I belong to is set up in a sort of interesting fashion: a rock climbing wall, a warm water therapy pool, a swimming pool, basketball court, men's and women's lockers, hot tubs, a cafe, and outpatient therapy are on the first floor.
Upstairs, there are all the weight machines, plus all the other accoutrements of a true gym. Circling the perimeter of the gym area is the track. Three lanes; “walkers will kindly use the inside lane”.....
Okay, not a problem.
I walk the inside lane. Joggers and runners pass me like I'm standing still. And that's not a problem, either. They're young. There are a couple of little old ladies that I can “lap” a couple of times in one trip around the track. Ha!
First, I have my therapy session. Rocky usually has several patients come at one time, so we work on the machines and do our prescribed exercises under the watchful gaze of the therapy aides. Like Ray. He's cool. He uses a stopwatch to time my exercises. Rocky makes me count...”one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand.....”
So, I started on the bicycle. I have to pedal with my feet and my hands. Five minutes forward, then five minutes backward. Today, I changed my strategy: I peddled backwards for the first five minutes because it's harder for me to do. Then, I peddled forward for the last five minutes. It gives me an advantage: I can “sprint” for the last minute, trying to beat my personal best each time I try.
Ten minutes. 1.8 miles. Burned 51 calories. You know, it should be as hard to take in calories as it is to get rid of them, right?
Then I did my stretching exercises. Until it was hurting. It really hurt today. It hasn't been bothering me at all, but this was my first therapy session after going back to work. So, I stopped exercising and Rocky did the ultrasound on my sore, sore back.
And then, after the session was through, I went upstairs to walk on the track. Walk and watch and listen. Really, there's a lot to see but not much to hear. It seems that everybody had ear buds stuck in their ears. The really “cool” ones have an iPhone strapped to their arm, playing their favorite music, I guess.
Not me. I want to enjoy the whole experience. Well, that and I don't want somebody sneaking up from behind and scaring me. I like to know when I need to scoot over and let the jocks pass me up. And I like to hear the little old ladies snicker when I pass them by....
It's odd to me, though. So many people in that place and nobody makes eye contact. There aren't a lot of smiles, either, as everyone seems to be concentrating on their “routine” or whatever it is that they call what they are doing.
After walking for almost 25 minutes on the track, I decided it was time to leave. I was tired, my back was sore, and it was supper time. And there was another reason: a man, probably in his mid to late sixties, was using the elliptical machine on the end, by the curve of the track. I swear, I have never seen anyone ANY age move that fast.....
I didn't want to have to do CPR....
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