The Older Ladies Know a Thing or Three
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 9:00AM Now that I'm all recovered from my marathon, I've been "leaning" back into working out. Last year, I focused on becoming a runner and getting in-shape. My 2010 goal is to get strong and toned. This means weight-lifting.
Lots and lots of weight-lifting.
I am super lucky in that three of my good friends all attend the same gym that I do. Colo, Goober, and Wrigley-T and I are able to work out together whenever we want, which makes working out a lot of fun. We all love the gym classes, so usually at least two of us are able to show up to any given class. Our neighborhood gym is a FANTASTIC gym with a running track, a multitude of pools, childcare, unending types of classes and bootcamps, several studios, sauna, etc etc. The place is huge...we love it!
Our gym also serves as a cardiac and physical rehab center for the adjoining hospital. This means that the membership make-up of our gym is quite hilarious:
- We have women like me and my friends who are your pretty average "worker-outter."
- There are beefcakes that are there pumping iron at any given point of the day and working out with their trainers.
- Pregnant ladies are all over the place, participating in the pre-natal programs.
- Lots of senior citizens trying to stay fit and recover from health problems - for some reason, they're mostly ladies!
Nowhere is this more obvious than in the ladies locker room (I can't speak for the men's room!) The older ladies are everywhere, all Chatty Cathy. The thing that I always find both striking and hilarious is that all of the women my age are super-quiet, changing into workout wear as quickly and modestly as possible. I know I do! I don't feel the need to be all naked in front of an audience, much as I know they don't really care.
However, what makes me laugh is that the older ladies "just don't give a sh*t!" (as my friend Colo says) The older women swagger around totally naked from locker to waiting area to sauna to shower. Naked here, boob there, booty, booty, booty. Definitely a naked party! They carry towels, but they throw them over their shoulders, not to where they cover up. I have seen a goodly view of my senior citizen future in my time at the gym, trust me. Apparently, everybody's booty will sag - I should just give up now.
All kidding aside, I think it's kind of awesome. Women my age, who really have what is termed an "average, attractive" body are embarassed - but the older ladies with their supposedly unattractive bodies are totally confident. It inspires me to have confidence.
Although, I do think I have seen enough senior nekkidness to last me a lifetime... :)
What inspires YOU to have better body confidence?
Friends, Life, Working Out
Reader Comments (5)
This post is frickin hilarious...because it happens in my gym here in NYC as well. I was shocked at first to see all the nekkidness around me, all while I frantically tried to cover up quickly, but Im kinda oblivious to it now. It makes me giggle from time to time though, good for these ladies!
Oh mah gahhhhhh.... the old naked ladies at the gym used to freak me OUT!!!! It's great to be confident, but just because it's a locker room doesn't mean you should saunter around naked for several minutes! Modesty is a virtue, ladies.
Apparently, it's no different for old men -- Nick used to tell me some stories about old man balls flying free in the men's locker room. Ahhh, good times.
I gave up going to the gym last year when Nick was laid off, and I've done okay working out at home with different DVDs. The key is finding workouts you really enjoy that don't seem like too much of a hassle, and turning down the volume so you can crank up your own music. My workout playlist is a necessity :-) What's currently keeping me going with my (almost) daily workouts is two things:
1.) looking SEX-AY in Vegas (since I know cameras will be abounding with ma' bees, and I want to feel fabulous)
and
2.) the fact that my mom and step-dad just bought a shore house and I'll be spending lots of time in a bathing suit this summer. I refuse to cover up my belly in shame for yet another year!
You are so right about this! Some women my age even go so far as to change in the bathroom stalls, and/or shower in a swimsuit they have brought for that purpose. Not the older ones though, they're totally cool with their skins. It really is inspiring.
Ha! I haven't been in the locker room of our gym since we took our tour, I change before coming. BUT Steve says that the men's room there is nakey men all around and he always gets weirded out when dads will bring their little girls into the locker room (like before kiddy swimming classes) and they stand there watching the naked old men walking around, hee.
Good luck with your goals! I'm doing the opposite and trying to be a good little runner, we'll see where that gets me!
There's this spa here that I keep hearing about - its $15 for a day of lounging around and steaming, sauna-ing and hottubbing. I want to go. I want to take a girlfriend with. But its nudey, and while I'm not the shyest nudey, I am shy about nude-ing in front of friends. Sigh. Guess I either have to suck it up or nude it with my balls out :)