I returned to my local New York Sports Club today, for the first time in, gosh, has it really been over a year? But I desperately need what the gym offers. Namely, a chance to regain at least some of the muscle mass I had before the pandemic. After a year of being mostly housebound, I’m appalled at how flimsy my leg muscles feel. And I used to sleep on my side at night, but my shoulders’ muscle mass is so depleted that it hurts to lie on them. I now sleep on my stomach. (I’ve reported elsewhere – click! click! – that sleeping on your side is best in terms of flushing from the brain the day’s accumulation of garbage.)
Some observations:
- The gym was almost empty, and this was a Sunday afternoon, normally a busy time.
- At the beginning of my workout, I tried to do 100 crunches, but kept losing track as I counted.
- Towels are no more. Bring your own if you want to take a shower.
- If fewer than ten people are working out, you are privy to every word of every conversation.
- Today, my first day back, I worked with light and medium weights only, and it felt great.
- But boy, I feel so tired now!
