As of 2017, my mornings are fairly routine. I get up at about 5 a.m. so that I have time to eat, and drink any supplements I need to before heading to the gym and meet my pageant director. I find that getting up at this time to work out has some benefits. One of them is that I feel the pressure to actually get up and be productive, because I know someone is there waiting for me. Another is that I have someone to accompany me to all the machines in the area of the gym that I hate entering.. also known as the upper body machines. Ever since I can remember I’ve dreaded working out my arms; not only because I don’t really know what I’m doing, but because I’m afraid someone will notice exactly that and try to correct me; and not just anyone, a male.
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With no partner to meet, I pretended to be entirely occupied by reviewing the list of exercises my trainer emailed me; although I pretty much already knew where to go and what to do. With the gym full of people on their lunch breaks, I headed over to the lat seated row machine and began to warm up. After my first set, I noticed an older man out of the corner of my eye trying to tell me something. I removed one earbud to listen to what he was attempting to tell me. “Try this handle instead” he said enthusiastically. “Oh okay, thank you!” I replied short but sweetly. I couldn’t help but to be reminded of rule my father drilled into my brain.. always respect your elders. “And put your feet up here” he said as he pointed to the secondary area for foot placement on the machine. I switched out the handle and adjusted my feet then put my earbud back in, hoping he would get the hint and go back to his work out. But he didn’t. I hurried to try the workout with the modifications, in order to give him some feed back in hopes that he would then feel satisfied and continue with his day, but it only got …show more content…
And to my surprise, with another woman. Had he no shame or embarrassment from what had just happened? I saw him giving her a heavier hand weight and showing her “the right way” to do a bicep curl. Shaking my head, all I could do was think of how happy I was that it was no longer my problem. Within a few minutes I saw him doing the same act but with a new woman. I felt annoyed that I had wasted so much time trying to be polite to someone who obviously had resilience. And then it occurred to me that anyone who would actually be deserving of of my kindness would already know proper gym etiquette and wouldn’t be bothering me in the first place. Needless to say, I now have one more experience to add to my list of morning
With no partner to meet, I pretended to be entirely occupied by reviewing the list of exercises my trainer emailed me; although I pretty much already knew where to go and what to do. With the gym full of people on their lunch breaks, I headed over to the lat seated row machine and began to warm up. After my first set, I noticed an older man out of the corner of my eye trying to tell me something. I removed one earbud to listen to what he was attempting to tell me. “Try this handle instead” he said enthusiastically. “Oh okay, thank you!” I replied short but sweetly. I couldn’t help but to be reminded of rule my father drilled into my brain.. always respect your elders. “And put your feet up here” he said as he pointed to the secondary area for foot placement on the machine. I switched out the handle and adjusted my feet then put my earbud back in, hoping he would get the hint and go back to his work out. But he didn’t. I hurried to try the workout with the modifications, in order to give him some feed back in hopes that he would then feel satisfied and continue with his day, but it only got …show more content…
And to my surprise, with another woman. Had he no shame or embarrassment from what had just happened? I saw him giving her a heavier hand weight and showing her “the right way” to do a bicep curl. Shaking my head, all I could do was think of how happy I was that it was no longer my problem. Within a few minutes I saw him doing the same act but with a new woman. I felt annoyed that I had wasted so much time trying to be polite to someone who obviously had resilience. And then it occurred to me that anyone who would actually be deserving of of my kindness would already know proper gym etiquette and wouldn’t be bothering me in the first place. Needless to say, I now have one more experience to add to my list of morning