One thing I forgot I dislike about the gym are those guys who “happen” to “saunter” past you as you’re on the treadmill or using the weights – you know, the guys who go there mainly to exercise so they can look good while they try to meet someone. Yes, gyms are great places for that sort of thing – you’re among people who are relatively close to your age (for the most part) and, for the most part, have the same interest you do in physical health. But chatting with someone friendly and maybe have a few of those chats develop into a date is one thing; using the place as a surrogate singles bar is another. I do see women there who have joined purely for that reason as well, and what’s interesting to me is that I rarely see them there after a few months or so. I don’t know if its because they met someone, or got disheartened. Or both.
I know that gyms have a reputation for that, but the one I go to – Bally – doesn’t seem to have that as its general theme. I’d say a good 95% of the people there – even the younger men and women – are there for the more serious aspect of being focused on exercise. I have friends there, some that are just a nod and smile, others maybe a wave – while others that constitute an actual stop in what I’m doing and a fun bit of conversation. I like that. In fact, I loved it when I was out of work. It really fulfilled that need for human contact and to be around a mixture of personalities and energies after sitting at home in my apartment all day, writing my book.
And I don’t mind being “checked out” by a man, either; how it’s done is the key thing. Most men there are polite and fall pretty far out of the “Hey-eee Bay-bee!” set, as I call them. And, if done right, it can be quite flattering. Yes, I wear exercise clothes that most athletes tend to wear, but not to be noticed. My choice is purely for comfort; cotton t-shirts and shorts are just too warm. So I know dressing like that is going to be a cause for glances from the opposite sex. I don’t care, really.
But there’s one guy there who’s just a bit too eager to be noticed. Not just by me, but I see him floating passed other women there, all of whom are clearly absorbed in what they’re doing. It adds a certain kind of “Chihuahua” energy to his presence, which in itself is somewhat distracting. Getting noticed, I think, and the level of success you have, is kind of like merging with traffic – do it in a way so that you’re seen but are smoothly inserted into the flow; if your approach is disruptive, it doesn’t create the setup you’re probably wanting.
Granted, the other day it was tempting to say, “Yes, I see you. Now kindly let me get on with why I’m here – to exercise.” But I didn’t. Being rude serves nothing. And I have to admit, his sort is rare there at Bally, so it’s not a big deal. He’s welcome to what he does and how he does it, and I have the choice to just not pay attention to it. Which I do. He’ll eventually get the idea.
But, occasionally, there are some weirdos there. There was one man I finally had to complain about. He had a whole aura about him of sheer creepiness that made my skin crawl. It got to the point where I actually felt my heart sink when I’d walk in and see him. He didn’t just glance at you repeatedly or meander by where I was, he’d actually stand and stare, eyes and smile filled with a smirky kind of lewdness.
One day, after having spent my entire workout under his gaze, I went to the management and complained; they said they’d speak to him, and I only saw him there off and on after that. Eventually not at all. By the time I took my leave of absence, I hadn’t seen him there in a long time. He may have switched times and / or gyms; I don’t know. It was obvious he just wasn’t terribly mentally well; I don’t think it was possible for him to truly understand what he was doing. And for that I can have compassion and forgive. I never felt endangered by him – he didn’t seem to give off that kind of vibe. Rather, it was one of just being slightly out of step with the rest of us.
But all in all, I love being back at the gym. I’m keeping my routine focused more on cardio than weights for the time being; I’m there more for the drive to be healthy rather than slimming down. If I lose the rest of the weight I put on, great. If I don’t, that’s fine too. It could just be that this is where my body prefers to sit. I’m still two sizes smaller than I was before I put on the 50 pounds, so I know most of what I’m carrying is muscle weight. I’m a bit heavier, yes, but more compact. That in itself is a nice feeling.
I saw the doctor today for my consultation. He recommended surgery, of course, but only for this reason: my age. The reasoning is that I’m young, and have quite a bit more time to develop further (possible) complications. If I were 20-30 years older, they’d simply leave the gallbladder in as at that point it doesn’t matter. But he said that because my health is good, it is also, at the same time, a low-risk factor for having that happen. I might happen – and it might not. The episode was isolated and probably just brought on by the really bad choice of food I had that weekend. Which means there is the chance it could happen again; once an attack of gallstones rears its head, there’s the likelihood it can happen again.
But since his recommendation was laden with more “can happens” and “possiblys” and other such phrases, I opted not to have surgery at this time and take a more naturopathic approach first. He was fine with that; he agreed I wasn’t in any danger, and was glad to know that Dr. Long, my Chinese doctor I see once a week at the Naturopathic Clinic where I go for acupuncture, understands that surgery is an obvious choice if necessary, and may even be needed before another episode flares up.
But I’d prefer surgery to be the last option; if it looks like it’s truly necessary, I’ll absolutely opt for that. I’m being very mindful of what I eat, and that episode I had was really what got me back into the gym. And I’ve been feeling much better as of late, and Dr. Feldman was agreeable to my wanting to remain with managing my condition with a good diet, exercise and having acupuncture weekly, given that the results from my emergency room visit didn’t indicate anything of an impendingly serious nature, so to speak.
I know some of you won’t agree entirely with this, but that’s okay. I know you just have my best interest at heart – and I do as well. I’d just really prefer to remain whole and intact if I can.
In the meantime, I think I might need to pick up another bottle of ibuprofen to quite the complaints of my muscles. They’ve been rather vocal over the last several days.
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