The Gym

I've been to gyms in many different countries. In Japan, one of the oddities was that they would not let you work out in shoes that you wore on the street. In Thailand, the gym was always hot. Here in Buenos Aires, my new gym seems almost like I am in San Francisco. I kind of blend in (at least I think I do), which I like.

Today I went back to Megatlon and signed up for 5 months. It cost me about $300, which I thought was kind of expensive. I wonder if a cheaper option exists. Part of the expenses of my membership include a medical consultation, which I am set up for tomorrow at 10 a.m. I guess they are going to check my blood pressure and all that so that I don't drop dead on the stairmaster (I just had a checkup before I left).

The morning crowd at the gym was pretty much like the morning crowd at my 24 hour, except that there are more older folks here, especially older women. I enjoyed watching them navigate the machines while I was warming up on the stairmaster (or whatever that thing is called - it is no longer stairs but more like skiing). One woman in particular seemed a little confused and I felt sorry for her. As she struggled next to me to find a way to raise the seat on a machine I reached over and helped her out. Most people just ignored her. Lots of guys were busy being guys, grunting and pumping and going guy things.

Gyms are funny places. They are very male spaces with all of the grunting and sweating and pumping and moaning that goes on. One thing which set this gym apart from any I have ever been to was the kissing. I wonder if I will ever get used to it. Here were these macho trainers walking around all pumped up, touching their clients as they worked out and kissing people, male and female, that they passed. People would come in for their workout and make the rounds kissing those they knew. I wondered at what point I would be able to enter the kiss circuit. I saw a few guys there today I wouldn't mind being kissed by :)