I have been procrastinating for a long time about going to the gym here.I always feel iffy about making long term gym commitments. This is why I loved LA fitness in Atlanta. I paid every month and when I got tired of it(or broke), I just canceled my membership. It was perfect.
Within the first two months, my schedule had gotten really ridiculous. As a result my body had been taking a toil. I felt sluggish,my body ached all the time, and my pants were not as lose and comfy as before. It was TIME to return to the gym IMMEDIATELY.After asking around,the school logistics coordinator introduced me to a gym only down the street from work.This was probably the nicest gym facility I would hope to see in China.Now,I've been super spoiled by LA fitness with their clean facilities,Wifi,two floors of workout equipment, swimming pools,and basketball gym. I had access to any and everything I wanted. Of course I had to minimize my standards. I just wanted something that was clean (seems simple, but it's China),had workout classes,and great workout equipment. I lucked out for sure.
My first week,included a lot of culture shock,which was unexpected. I walked into the locker room on my first day and saw naked women everywhere.Now it's not the nakedness that shocked me,it was all body hair running ramped. It was also the no-curtain showers that women were comfortably walking in and out of. My first and last shower at the gym was full of stares and complete embarrassment.It felt like high school gym class all over again.The first day,I wanted to get acquainted with the equipment. Immediately, I noticed all the women at the gym ONLY on the treadmills and elliptical, while the men hogged all the other equipment.Sir,you cannot do twelve reps on this machine with all these people here. I remember eyes followed me as I began to use the free weights. I could hear egos crumbling when they saw how much I was lifting.Some men even began lifting weights (obviously too heavy for them) to show they could lift more than me. Really? It had also become apparent many of them were not use to sharing the space with a woman.It was even more apparent that the only women in the weight lifting area were their girlfriend watching them. I remember being really annoyed with that.Why would you want to be chillin' around these non-deodorant sweaty men?I barley wanted to be there.I wanted to see more women lifting and being bad asses in the gym. It was not until I went to the KICKBOXING class that I saw it.
Kickboxing is led by this man who looks like Shang from Mulan. I kid you not. All the women in there were bad asses,even the old ladies. Although I could have done without being yelled at in Chinese, I loved it! It kicked my ass and helped blow off a lot of steam. Unfortunately,I soon realized after a few classes that the Shang look-alike does the same routine EVERY CLASS. No originality? no new moves? no new songs? Oh no,I'm out. I found that this was the case with most of the workout classes I tried.Luckily I found some different workout plans online to keep me occupied.
Within the first two months, my schedule had gotten really ridiculous. As a result my body had been taking a toil. I felt sluggish,my body ached all the time, and my pants were not as lose and comfy as before. It was TIME to return to the gym IMMEDIATELY.After asking around,the school logistics coordinator introduced me to a gym only down the street from work.This was probably the nicest gym facility I would hope to see in China.Now,I've been super spoiled by LA fitness with their clean facilities,Wifi,two floors of workout equipment, swimming pools,and basketball gym. I had access to any and everything I wanted. Of course I had to minimize my standards. I just wanted something that was clean (seems simple, but it's China),had workout classes,and great workout equipment. I lucked out for sure.
My first week,included a lot of culture shock,which was unexpected. I walked into the locker room on my first day and saw naked women everywhere.Now it's not the nakedness that shocked me,it was all body hair running ramped. It was also the no-curtain showers that women were comfortably walking in and out of. My first and last shower at the gym was full of stares and complete embarrassment.It felt like high school gym class all over again.The first day,I wanted to get acquainted with the equipment. Immediately, I noticed all the women at the gym ONLY on the treadmills and elliptical, while the men hogged all the other equipment.Sir,you cannot do twelve reps on this machine with all these people here. I remember eyes followed me as I began to use the free weights. I could hear egos crumbling when they saw how much I was lifting.Some men even began lifting weights (obviously too heavy for them) to show they could lift more than me. Really? It had also become apparent many of them were not use to sharing the space with a woman.It was even more apparent that the only women in the weight lifting area were their girlfriend watching them. I remember being really annoyed with that.Why would you want to be chillin' around these non-deodorant sweaty men?I barley wanted to be there.I wanted to see more women lifting and being bad asses in the gym. It was not until I went to the KICKBOXING class that I saw it.
Kickboxing is led by this man who looks like Shang from Mulan. I kid you not. All the women in there were bad asses,even the old ladies. Although I could have done without being yelled at in Chinese, I loved it! It kicked my ass and helped blow off a lot of steam. Unfortunately,I soon realized after a few classes that the Shang look-alike does the same routine EVERY CLASS. No originality? no new moves? no new songs? Oh no,I'm out. I found that this was the case with most of the workout classes I tried.Luckily I found some different workout plans online to keep me occupied.
It's been about 3months and I've gone to the gym consistently 2-3 times a week. In my short amount of time,I that I've been going,I have definitely seen results. I have more energy during class,my eating habits have drastically changed,and my pants fit way better. Going to the gym has been a great investment to my time here.Being physically health should always be a priority no matter what country you live in.