Working It Out

So, I have been on a mission, Nano in hand or in the waist of my tight pants, to try to make exercise a more regular part of my life. Obviously, my diet needed to change a little bit which in a nutshell, I needed to be physically, tummy-rumbling hungry, before consuming each meal. Also, since I was not working or attending school this summer I made sure we cooked for ourselves most evenings. That helped with our portion control and with what exactly was going into our bodies.
This summer I found a great class Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays that suited my style perfectly. Eric was the instructor and had a fun, flamboyant personality. Even after showing us the basic move he would do, what I would called a “Stewart” moment, and spasm into a crazy bit of personal choreography. Having a background as a drill sergeant or exercise leader in the Marines, but also working for a ballet company really influenced his teaching methods. Mondays and Fridays was a modern dance, tai chi, free-style, free-spirit class that I loved. Tuesdays and Thursdays was a functional weightlifting class; instead of your regular bicep curls and lunges, we would use weighted bars to “row a boat” or “chop wood.” Getting fit for those house chores!
But now I have other priorities and I go to the gym when I can, having to be more self-motivatedeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww (sorry, that was Smally stepping on the keyboard). A true Gym Rat trying to ignore all the other gym-members with my ear-buds in my ears. Supposedly, there is construction happening to the Gold’s Gym a few towns over and that is why our gym is so crowded. I do know that it drives Chris craaaaazzzzzy. As long as I can get on my favorite cardio machines, I’m cool, but if I have my personal space invaded by another person, besides my husband, Chris, that drive me craaaaaazzzy. "What?!? I'm working out here!"
Case in point, in Eric’s aerobics classes tightly-dressed Baby Boomers get in my way regularly. I think to myself, “Don’t they know, when I do a turn in the air, they might be back-handed?”
There is another issue I have has to do with my beloved Nano: I will be just beginning to run and both ear-buds will do a suicide leap from my ears. No amount of extra padding or pleading keeps them in. I don't think it is proper form to run with my fingers in my ears, so I have given up the fight. My “Running Mix” playlist is wasted on my speed walking and other cardio activities. Anyone else have that problem with their ear-buds? Ear-duds more like it!
Today I was going around and working my lower body (that’s the polite way of saying, my ghetto bootie and thunder thighs). I was on what I call the Lower Back Apparatus, which I use to continually squeeze my butt-cheeks together, and noticed my keys were elsewhere. As I apologetically moved them away from the exercise area of another member, she chose to be friendly and said something to me.
First of all, I had my music on and at a level where I do not want to hear anything else but that music. Second, I had been working out for a while and was enjoying being "in the zone" or a Spacecase. So I removed a sweaty ear-bud and politely said, “Excuse me?” But even when she repeated herself, her words, “Those keys look like you have a nice car,” were not comprehended in my brain-fog. So I just smiled and nodded. Since I’m a manners-freak, I should have said, “Thank you.” I’m officially a rude worker-outer!  But, I believe the hard work is paying off as I have lost a third of the weight I want to lose.
The next class I want to try is their Belly Dancing one. I have got enough hips for it and enough belly! Cannot wait to strap some of those bells on.