why the Y - day one

I put in a hard morning of heavy lifting at WPMD and scooted immediately over to the YMCA on Carson at Woodruff for their 12 day course at becoming Vic Tanny...or is it Jack LaLanne? I filled out one info. form and got the standard walk-around-the-premises tour, beginning with these rooms of machines - aerobic, weight and torture - in as many rooms. Then of the gymnasium part of the facility with indoor soccer and basketball (not at the same time), men's locker, showers, sauna, jacuzzi and pool.

Having no towel with me, I had to adopt a strategy. I didn't bring my own lock and key, so I borrowed one from the desk. I didn't bring a towel - a must - so I showered and hit the pool. That was fine until I remembered I hadn't done something like this in literally years, and my skills have definitely not sharpened. It must have provided a good laugh for the female lifeguards on duty who watched me do my walrus like backstroke - except any walrus would drown using my flopping technique. Checked for my key and found it missing. Not a swift start for the budding healthy guy, so I scanned the pool until...there it was...and not in the ten feet section...more like five feet. I walked it over to the two feet section where I picked it up. I knew I needed it. This time I stuck the safety pin into two layers of trunks and imitated a bad swimmer for a couple of more of laps and jumped into the 'cuzzi where I talked to a lady about fees, her life, her husband's life and what's wrong with various elder health plans. Wearing out that subject, my next stop was the sauna which served to replace a towel...at 140 degrees, it better, and it did.

Then I went into the aerobic machines room. With no one available to make more than cursory suggestions ("try the treadmill" "try the bike"), I tried the treadmill, but got bored. So I went to several weight machines and had a ball. I watched a little old lady do her lifts and when she left, I took a turn at her machine. I couldn't let myself do less than she, so I did more...barely. Well, Monday's another day and I have an 11 am appt. with a trainer...so let's get down to the real heavy lifting.