Domesticity Goes to the Gym

So I've been spending almost every single day this week at the gym, alternating between the treadmill and the elliptical trainer for cardio and only recently mustering enough courage to start lifting weights to work on my upper body. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm hooked - there's just something magical about the way exercise just alters the flow of the chemicals in my body. Even when I'm at my crankiest, I can honestly say that I'm a lot less edgy after working out.

For those of you reading this entry outside of Hawaii, I'd like to state up front that there's nothing sexy or glamorous about going to the gym over here. Okay, maybe not at the other gyms around the island (and, yeah, I too wish I could tell you exactly where and when all the celebrities and hot bikini models work out - don't want to be liable for disclosure, that's all) but my gym of choice now seems more like a casual, sporty affair than a meat market lately. Then again, maybe it's because I don't go to the gym during the prime "meat market" hours, since I seem to share my treadmill time with friendly people from my neighborhood: mommies, grandmas, undergrads, bulked-up local guys (most of whom hang out at the free weights section), and a few friends from school and church.... not to mention the occasional tourist. More like a block party than a pickup joint.

I've only been going for a few days, so there's not a lot to snark about... oh, wait, there is: What is it with people using poor form on cardio equipment? Yes, I shouldn't talk, because I'm just as guilty as everyone else. And yet: Why am I seeing way too many people on the treadmill who are working with inclines so steep that they're practically falling off the machine and they can barely hang on to the handlebars for dear life? Seriously, I saw a woman there who was practically leaning back from the machine on a 45-degree angle off the floor - and yes, management can't be around all the time, but could somebody just step in there and tell the poor thing to readjust the settings on the machine? Thanks.

Other than that, though, it's great to be back - especially now that apparently my aerobic endurance has only gotten better and apparently I can handle using more weight on the machines for my shoulders and abs. We've only just begun...