Pumping Iron (metaphorically of course!)

I went to the gym after work today. I wanted to "go to the gym" in the sense that I wanted to be able to say on Tuesday that I had gone, but I didn't actually want to DO anything. But, my wise friend Shaina once told me a great trick - that you just tell yourself that you'll go for 15 minutes. So there's no pressure, no mandatory outcome; you just go to the gym and be there for 15 minutes - the idea being that once you're on the treadmill for 15 minutes you'll think "Well, I'm already here so why not do 15 more?" etc. My sister thought that idea was "bullshit", and had the opinion that "If I'm only going there for 15 minutes, what's the freakin' point?" Which makes sense, but I think she was being a little literal. Sorry Em.

So I decided to be really easy on myself, and not have any expectations but just do whatever I could do and leave it at that. I think I literally lapped the gym 3 full times (yes, Perky on the treadmill, I've already walked past you twice - get over it!) until I landed on something I actually wanted to do. It's one of my exercises from physical therapy that I do with a big rubber band in the hallway. Not in some actually workout space but in this hallway. I think I like to do these because everyone looks at me like I'm a weirdo, although all I'm actually doing is side-stepping down a hall with a big rubber band. Oh, and sweating profusely of course.

People often just freeze when they see me. Like they don't know which way to go around me, and so they just freeze like I'm some out-of-control piece of equipment that might hit them if they get too close to it. Granted I'm a little uncoordinated but I'm moving about 4 inches per step. It's like the slow-motion steam roller standoff in Austin Powers. So anyways, that put me in a good mood, so I did my hamstring curls with the big ball. Then I did some abs on the big ball but that's hard to do without flashing your crotch to the whole gym is it not? So anyway, I just did one little exercise after the other, and next thing you know, I'd done all of them! (Well - except for the one-legged toe touches because I have terrible balance and look like an absolute GIMP doing those and so never do in public. Unless I'm waiting for a bus but that's because it looks like I'm falling into traffic and drivers get nervous. Ha!)

Moral of the story - the 15 minute thing really does work. Second Moral of the story - A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.