multifarious mushrooms

I have now been going to the gym for 2 months every second day, except for the days I get migraines, which I’ve always had. It changes your psyche as well as your body.

I did a lot of sport as a child and an adolescent. I loved it. My father had a strong view that a healthy mind came with a healthy body. However, he didn’t factor in the gender question.

When I went to university, there was a distinct atmosphere that women who exercised were not cool at all. You had to look really miserable, wear sunglasses and smoke dope. That was back in the late 60s.

So I stopped doing any sport or exercise and started doing what everyone did in the 60s. I didn’t go for the drug bit much myself, but everyone around me did.

I went on to teaching and I was still very thin anyway so weight wasn’t a problem, until I had a baby at aged 35. I put on a stone then, but it didn’t matter because I quite liked the extra pounds in certain areas.

I was always a person interested in ideas, literature, philosophies, psychology so it was a cerebral life. My family too were very academic, but looking back that didn’t stop my brother from continuing with his sports and exercise.

He can ride a bike round the Melbourne Bay area with no trouble and he is older than me.

So the gym was completely new to me. I had never ever done weights. My program was to build those muscles up before I could even do aerobatics. I forgot to mention that from time to time I did play tennis, swim and go to aerobatic classes.

I looked at all the bodies in the gym and noticed that everyone was there for remedial purposes. I admired even the fattest person for giving it a go. I knew how hard it was to keep motivated myself, when it takes a long time to take off weight.

Today though, and I feel strange saying it, I saw a magnificent specimen of a man. He was clearly trained as an athlete and had a singlet on with a Melbourne Marathon insignia. I’ve seen other very fit men, but this man blew me away. He was such a joy to watch. His running style on the treadmill was perfect. His form and rhythm were excellent. He kicked up his legs at the back which no-one else seems to do. I wished I had a camera, but that’s not etiquette at the gym. Nor is me perving either.

I wanted to say something to him about his beautiful body, but of course I didn’t have the guts. I’m 60 and he was half my age so it wasn’t that I was wanting to get into bed with him or anything. He just provided some joy for the hour.

It made me realise though, that all my life until now, I have never taken much notice of male bodies. Mostly there are men in the gym building up their muscles. I don’t find that attractive. I take notice of men’s faces and what those faces tell me and then what they say and how they act.

So I wish I had started gym in my youth. I wish I hadn’t had a mental block about bodies, including my own. And I’m certainly wondering whether I should post this message.

By the way, the MP 3 player did help today to rid myself from boredom. Suddenly music is a part of my life again. I really have to get some more songs. My oldies are somewhat jaded now. They are all about disappointment in love or girlfriends committing suicide. Not good anymore.

Posted on August 2nd, 2008 under health, personal • Tags: fitness, gym. • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback