Ugh, Gyms...

This article [timesonline.co.uk] about gym rage brought back all kinds of memories that I have about going to the gym. I used to be a gym nut -- I was in the gym all of the time, running on treadmills, lifting weights, going to spinning classes, you name it...

I particularly loved going to spinning classes. There was one class I used to go to where the workout was so intense that I needed 2 water bottles to get through it each week. I pitied the n3wbs who found their way to that class, because it there is no way that any normal person could have survived through it.

As a result, people found all kinds of creative ways to catch their breath without looking like they were slacking off. There was one guy who faked like he was receiving a call on his cell phone so that he could step outside of the room for a second and catch his breath (and avoid having a heart attack, probably) before rejoining.

Others would turn down their resistance and pretend like they were pedaling really hard. Although that particular instructor would walk around and read everyone's heart rate monitors (looking for slackers) and turn up the resistance on people whose heart rates were too low...

Winter Olympics

I was reading an article about the next Winter Olympics, and it just occurred to me how stupid some competitive sports are. Unless you have a $20 million bobsled or whatever, there might not be a point to showing up. And don't even get me started on how stupid figure skating is...

You don't see this with all sports. Like, you don't see shot-putters carrying around shots that are worth way more than their weight in platinum.

I suppose that excessive costs will occur in almost any sport that requires you to have something to compete, though. Say that they add Office Chair Racing to the olympics (you know, where one person sits in an office chair, and another person pushes them around, trying to go faster than another group of suicidal maniacs).

You just know that if they added that to the Olympics, pretty soon you would see unobtanium office chairs, with specially-designed bearings, and over-sized, lightweight wheels. Then at the next Olympics, it would get even crazier. The guy sitting in the office chair would have to wear a special neoprene suit and aerodynamic helmet, to reduce drag. The chair and the helmet would have to be designed using CFD and a wind tunnel, of course (isn't that a hilarious image?). And at some point, you just know that they would start adding spoilers to the office chairs.

It would be sweet to watch those guys train, though. Imagine driving to work one day, and you get passed by a guy pushing around a $20 million office chair with a spoiler...

Losing Muscle

Over the past week or two, I have run into people that I haven't seen in a while. And a couple of them commented that I looked like I lost weight.

To be honest, I never really know what to think when people say things like that. Did I look fat before? Do I really look like I have lost weight, or are they just saying something nice?

My clothes still fit exactly like they did before, so it's not like anything has dramatically changed. And I know that I have lost some weight over the past year. The bad news is that I suspect it has almost entirely been muscle loss. In other words, I'm becoming one of those thin fat people.

I know one or two guys that are either at or near their ideal body weight. And they look anorexic next to the rest of us.

Workouts Make Me Go Pee

Remember that elliptical machine that we bought last year?

I guess that I should have posted a longer term review of it... But anyway, it's been working out great, and I still work out on it 3-4 times per week. I get a great workout, and I can squeeze it into my day (because I don't have the added constraints of having to drive to a gym, etc).

Here's the thing that has been going horribly wrong... I, of course, work out in the evenings on weekdays. I already get up earlier than anyone else that I know, so I'm not going to get up an hour earlier to work out. Because I wake up so early, I already have to go to bed ridiculously early. I have the schedule of an elderly person.

So, I work out in the evenings. And because my body is like a furnace (Universal Soldier: "I have to cool down"), I sweat a ton, and therefore have to replace all of that water. I have a 24oz water bottle, and I typically drink that full amount between the workout and the cooldown period afterward.

Which makes me have to pee. A lot.

After my workout, I take care of a few last things, take a shower, and then try to go to bed. But I can't just go to sleep, because it seems like I have to get up every half hour to go to the bathroom. Urrrrgh.

To compound the problem, it takes me a while to wind down and relax to the point where I can fall asleep. And every time I get up, I have to start at the beginning of the relaxation process all over again.