Since the 1st of the year the gym has become a zoo. It was the same last year and the year before. I think it’s a combination of New Year’s resolutions, holiday regret and looking forward to spring (especially this year because we still have at least 2, if not 3, months of winter left!).
I take a step class and tonight the athletics director came in and announced that only 40 steps would be allowed in class for safety reasons, apparently he doesn’t want us knocking each other off our steps with our wild jumping and arm movements.
And step class is a lot of wild jumping and arm movements – and they are absolute nazi’s about using arms. “Power arms!” “Using your arms burns 20% more calories!” “Punch!” “Fly!”
So with all the flailing around, I can see where it would be good to cap off the number of people. Especially when we are practically on top of each other.
So, our 15 person step class went to 40 – this makes for some pretty interesting people watching. Not in the way some might think, sure there is a good share of newbies who are just learning the steps and how to follow the cues, but that’s not that interesting. Heck, when my heart rate is at 190 beats per minute (no kidding – I wear a monitor) I can’t follow anything, remember anything, speak or use my arms.The interesting comes in when you have people that plain out do not follow the program, instructors or cues. We’re all doing a basic step, they are doing pivot turns. We go right, they go left. And they do it with such gusto and flair! This is not ooops, I’m-new-and-trying-to-figure-this-out.
So, I’m all for people being different…damn the man, riot grrrl, outside of the box, big picture, freedom of expression, blah, blah. But I always wonder what music some of these people are hearing, perhaps what room or place they are in?
And why do they always have to stand next to me?Be rest assured, if the person is a man, he is wearing spandex.
I actually don’t encounter this often, maybe 1 in 10 times I go to the gym is one person (that stands next to me) that beats to their own drum. But tonight there were two. A woman on my left and a man on my right, they were BOTH wearing spandex. And next to me. Of course.
And you know it’s bad when the instructor is tactfully trying not to laugh.
The guy behind me was really into himself, making faces in the mirror with lots of flair and ballet moves. The woman next to me didn’t have a mirror in front of her so maybe that was her problem.
I’m actually not complaining about these people because it’s entertaining, a little twist in the class and they aren’t hurting anyone. (Although I do wonder about that guy, I hope I’m not accidentally talking to someone like that on eHarmony.)
But I really don’t get it. They get no recognition for it, people are too polite to laugh and no one corrects the “moves.” So, it doesn’t seem to be an attention getting thing.
I wonder what it’s like to encounter these people other places in life. WHO are they?
