No More Monkeys Swingin' from the Bar

So as I was thinking of what I would write about today, my mind went to something I saw at the gym this morning. Then I realized that all of my posts thus far have been happenings while I'm actually wearing Nikes, not high heels. I think it might be because when I'm tip-toeing around in my heels, my guard is completely up. Not because I want to keep people our or seem intimidating. It's because I have to concentrate so hard on not rolling my ankle or tripping. I'm so far in the runway walking zone that I don't stop to enjoy the funny little things that happen. It's when the heels come off that I'm fully able to observe my surroundings and take in the humor all around me. When I'm wearing my Nikes, I'm usually at the gym. And trust me...there are plenty of humorous happenings going on in the gym.

This morning, my work out buddy and her husband met me at the new YMCA for a pre-work work out. There was just a handful of people there, so we pretty much had free reign of the place...just like we like it! One of the best things about the gym is watching people and the crazy stuff they do to "work out". It's also one of the most frustrating things about the gym. Imagine if you were _________ (fill in the blank with your favorite famous singer) watching the American Idol auditions that are going on now. You're probably really frustrated and embarrassed for these people and appalled at what they're doing. Okay, so not that I know everything there is to know about proper form and technique at the gym, but I know enough to be dangerous.

Okay, back to this morning. So we are hustling through our work out when we come to an exercise that requires a step. Work out buddy strategically places the step where it's easily accessible to all three of us. Completely oblivious to the fact that we are using the step, an older gentleman (and by older gentleman, I mean old man) comes up and stands on our step to hoist himself up to the bar one might hang from to do chin ups or ab work. But he does neither of those exercises. He hangs from the bar, lifts his knees slightly, and begins to flutter kick his big white tennis shoes. Work out buddy and I make no effort whatsoever to hide the fact we are mocking his "exercise". He seriously looked like a monkey hanging from a tree playing a game with his monkey buddies.

My work out buddy and I have decided we need to come up with a code signal to indicate when we see something awesome going on at the gym. We especially love to see people walking around with the big stick that resides with the balance balls at the DA Turner YMCA. Or the lady who sat on the hamstring curl machine with no weight and kicked the bar like she was sitting on a porch swing with a glass of ice tea. Part of us feels the need to maybe help these people and show them how to perform their exercises efficiently and safely. But the better part of us enjoys sitting back and watching the nonsense ensue around us. After all, what would talk about while we're doing mountain climbers or plyo push ups? For now, I'll maneuver around the monkeys and try not to get hurt by their shenanigans.