vanity at the gym

i was at the gym today (again... since i'm there everyday...) and i was using that sit-down thigh machine... you know, the one where you have your legs spread wide and you have to bring them together... sorry for the visuals on that one... had to be explained though. anyway, i'm sitting there, listening to my ipod, minding my own business (like i always* do) and this woman comes up to me and starts babbling on in korean.

"i'm sorry, i don't speak korean," i say.
"shorts," she replies, "small," and she started to poke at my shorts.

i was in a pretty odd position and my shorts were riding up my thigh a little, but they aren't too small. they're the same ones that i pick up at the gym everyday. i can't read the signs, so i always take a pair from the pile where i got them the first day. anyway, i tried to 'shrug' her off by pretending i didn't know what she was talking about, but she wouldn't let up. even when i started doing my next set she was standing there in my way.

finally i said "well if i don't care then you shouldn't" - not that she could understand what i was saying... but i needed to say it. in all honesty, they might be a tad tight, but not so much that it is offensive... not like all the korean men with their speedos! but just try being a little bigger in a society where size zero is the norm... then tell me how easy it is to find clothes! the woman wasn't even wearing the gym clothe, she had her own fancy and expensive track suit.

eventually she went away... but come on! it's none of your business what i look like at the gym. this is really just another example of the vanity that exists here.

i'm the proud new owner...

of a korean gym membership!

i've been thinking of joining a gym since i got here... and today i finally went and did it. going to the gym is good for me. it's important for me. especially since last summer when my back did that whole i'm-going-to-screw-you-like-never-before herniated disc thing. after recuperating from it i was doing my physio-therapy exercises every day and then swimming most days for a good two months, and i hadn't felt better - physically and emotionally - for years.

when i arrived in korea i kept doing my physio - most of the time - but slowly it tapered down until i felt like a complete lazy ass. recently i've gotten on this hiking kick, and it has reminded me how much i used to love to exercise. so why can't i again?

so, today, when the entire teaching staff of my school was taken out for lunch next door to the gym around the corner from my house i got a korean to come in and help me get some info. (can anyone say run-on-sentence???haha) it's WAY more expensive than any gym i've ever gone to - even more strange because koreans are hard core about their health/exercise - but i think it's worth the money, not to mention the health benefits - both physical and mental.

i thought i'd been gaining weight in the last couple of months - the holidays were awash with rich food and lots of drinking - never good for the waist line - but as it turns out i've actually lost a total of five pounds since last summer - not a lot, i know, but nothing to scoff at either. especially since i haven't been doing anything for it. who knew that eating tons of pork and drinking more beer would make you lose weight?!!?!?!!?! maybe it's all the kimchi? okay, i digress...

my gym guys' name is 'coach'... at least that's what we decided i'd call him since korean names just don't stick in my head. he gave me the tour, which consisted of showing me where i could find my shoe locker, my gym uniform and towel (that's right! it's included!) and the changing rooms. then he showed me all the weight machines i should use and gave me a bunch of other exercises to do. i'm sure i'm going to forget half (if not more) of them by tomorrow, but he'll be there to help me. thank god they have an eliptical trainer... otherwise i may not have joined at all.

it feels great to do something positive for myself that i know will help me feel better about being here. by the time i get home i should be healthier than i have been in years! did i mention that i don't even have to bring clothes with me?!?!?!?! it's great, really, really, great.

(and i'll get some pics soon, since it's on my daily route to school...)