El gimnasio

Does that get your attention? More on the tantalizing gym decor below...

I’ve been going to classes at “Energym” for 3 weeks now. It was the only place I found within walking distance of the house that had equipment from this century. No kidding...I visited several gyms that made Javier's "pedalette" exercise bike look positively up-to-date.
The "Pedalette"--its been here as long as I can remember, at least 25 years.

So my gym has aerobics & spinning classes 5 days a week timed just right—I put the kids on the bus at 7:30 and walk to the gym. It's about a 5-7 minute walk: 4 blocks, then cut diagnonally across Plaza Abaroa, another 1/2 block and I'm there.
This is Plaza Abaroa, just for some scenery.

Here's the front door of the gym. Most days there's a huge long line of people across the door because the office that certifies high school diplomas (or something like that) is next door. So after I perdon my way through the crowd, I'm there.

The classes have been good. All the instructors I’ve had are so far guys. The aerobics teacher is super high energy, I’ve made it through one class of “baile” (dance) with elastic-hipped "Wally,"and I’m a regular at the spinning classes. They use a lot of the same pop music that I hear at the Wellness center classes…and then quite a few blasts from the 80’s—everything from Flashdance to Pink Floyd. And theres' zillions of nautilus machines and stuff like that too. And the cost? $34 per month, no strings attached.

There are only two things I don’t like about the gym: The first is that the spinning instructor comes around and adjusts your knob (for G.B.: this would refer to your bike's pedal resistance, of course.) And not just once, but 2 or three times in a class! When I’m gasping for breath and sweating buckets at 11,000 ft elevation, I’d like to adjust my own knob, thank you!

The gym is also in a small space and they've put glass and mirrors everywhere to make it look bigger. Which at first had me walking into walls.

But the part I don't like is that all the mirros reflect the myriad larger-than-life posters of fitness models that are plastered all over the walls. Inspirational or unsettling? You be the judge!

Well, I'm putting up with it, mostly so I can get away with eating at the ever-abundant Gisbert family table: Susan's during the week and Pablo and Dani's on the weekend. Eating here deserves it's own entry (which it will get soon), but just to give give you a quick taste of the temptations driving me to the gym, let me name off a few of the daily desserts that have graced the table (after, of course, the soup, salad, & entree lunch): Strawberry-Rhubarb pie, bread pudding, NY style cheesecake with cherry sauce, chocolate pie, brownies, poppyseed cake, chocolate cupcakes, peach cake, angelfood cake...need I go on?

Maybe I'll need to try the special reduction techniques I saw this morning--the woman in front of me in spinning had her mid-section wrapped in Saran Wrap. I shouldn't be incredulous: maybe that's the secret of the women here who all seem to wear single-digit sizes (and that would be mostly 2's!)

Karen