Torturing Myself: My Body Hates Me.

After a six and a half year absence, I have restarted going to the gym.

I’m not really that far into my re-immersion into the concept of working out—just over a week now—but it’s going well, so far. Even if my body isn’t really agreeing.

The weight lifting part of the experience—well, my body is complaining. I woke up the first morning after working out to find out that my pectoral muscles were not happy about having been exercised—however I’ve already mastered those muscles and made them answer to me.

On the other hand my shoulder muscles are complaining mightily: my trainer (to avoid any confusion: Trainerin) introduced me to the shoulder press this past Friday and I am lifting an embarrassingly small amount of weight—and still not able to complete the assigned tasks. Sunday, I barely made it through the first 15 reps—took my rest period before doing the second set—which I was unable to complete.

Cardio-wise, I missed the elliptical trainer – a lot. My new gym has elliptical trainers—but the gym also has something called a Vario, which is equally addictive and with a greater range of possible motions. So far I’m already up to spending 45 minutes on the machine without really noticing—keeping pace to the music that’s flowing through my iPod nano, which I specifically bought with the gym in mind back in September.

Truthfully, I’ve been planning this for a long time – and it took me a bit longer to join than I originally intended because moving was expensive. I specifically bought the shoes and clothing back in the US, back in April. This stuff was part of stuff I was buying that was designated “for Berlin use only”. (I bought spices in Turkey that received a similar designation—and now that I am in Berlin, I’m using them.)

Yesterday, making my way home from the gym, I was starved and exhausted. Climbing the stairs to my third floor (German counting) was an exercise in and of itself.

Admittedly I’m not really in a position to make too many comparisons and observations, but this gym is a lot more technologically advanced than where I worked out in Bloomington – perhaps a function of its smaller size and more adult customers. Of course technologically advanced does not necessarily mean better—but it works, for me, for now.

Overall I’m thrilled—hopefully it won’t be too long before it is all second nature and I can start increasing the weights that I am lifting.