Gym People, Part 2

The class I take at the gym is called 'Silver Sneakers.'  The 'Silver Sneakers' program is nationwide and has different levels to it.  I believe this program is primarily for 'seniors,' but at my gym there are people of many ages who attend.  And the level of the intensity is really NOT geared for very old and unfit people.  But, there ARE some who aren't as active who show up and they make it through at their own pace.  The people are varied and some are just wackadoodles...

There is a woman who is well into her 80s who attends the class regularly.  She comes with her daughter and is a regular sweetheart.  I believe she is 'all there,' but she IS old and doesn't keep up with the same intensity as some of us who are much younger than she is.  But, she tries and enjoys herself--what more can you ask at that age?

One man who is a regular in class is in his 50s or early 60s, I think.  I'm pretty sure he dyes his hair, but it isn't that big of a deal as he is a blond.  This guy is one who EVERY woman in the world knows.  You can look at him and just KNOW that he wore gold chains and an unbuttoned shirt during the late 70s.  He wears a sweatband around his forehead, just like the hair bands did in the 80s.  He marches to the beat of his own drummer--when the rest of us are marching in place to a 4/4 beat, he is doing double time.  Even though I know his name, he will ALWAYS be 'gold chain guy' to me.

Most women know enough to not worry too much about what they look like when going to the gym to work out.  However, we have a woman who isn't like 'most' of us.  She comes to class with form fitting pants and cap-sleeved t-shirts, all in black.  She also is in full make-up--including curled and mascaraed eyelashes!  She wears an armful of bangle bracelets and large gold hoop earrings.  I'm not sure how she manages to do any of the exercises when she is so concerned about her appearance.

At the end of class and as part of the cool down phase, we usually do a few yoga poses--which I am VERY bad at.  (I have no coordination or balance necessary to do them correctly.)  There is, however, one woman who I'm sure has been doing yoga since her hippy days back in the 60s.  She is better at the poses than our leader, so I KNOW she does--and has done--yoga on a regular basis, probably for decades.  And she has a bit of a superior air about her because of this.  I want to stick my tongue out at her sometimes.

There is another woman who is a bit overweight--not terribly--and a bit out of shape--again, not terribly.  However, every few minutes I want to ask if she is going to make it for the entire class time.  Halfway through every song she looks like she is about to do a massive face plant right on the gym floor.  And I'm not sure just what is going on with her.  No one seems to be concerned, so I guess she must be okay.

And then there is this group of women who I call the 'social butterflies.'  Whether they were friends before joining the gym or they became friends at the gym, doesn't really matter.  These days they are at class just so they can get together and chat with each other.  Thankfully, they usually gather in the last row(s) and aren't in everyone's way, but we can still hear them laughing, singing, and talking all through class.  It is a bit distracting.  But as a mother, I am quite able to ignore when it is necessary.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been quite a few more people coming to class.  I guess it is all of those 'New Year resolutionists' showing up.  I'm thinking--hoping(?)--that things will slow down in the next month or so.  I happen to like smaller classes.  ;)  But either way, I will still continue on--after all, I have way too many more pounds to get rid of...