Times Of Swaziland: HOW TO EASE STRESS

HOW TO EASE STRESS
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The Editor on 15/11/2017 01:18:00


Sir,
I love trying out anything and everything; and so my friend opens a gym and
sends me an invite to an open weekend. I had totally forgotten about it until
another friend phoned and informed me she had the ‘work out of her life’.
Yelele, I decide that Sunday would be my turn. I overcame my insecurities of
being among fitness fanatics with their amazingly sculptured bodies. Upon
arrival I noted all the muscles.
The only reason I would join a gym would be to tighten up those thigh muscles
where gravity is having its own way with me. I have been in the comfort zone
with the Yoga and 4km jogs for too long.
We were told to get onto a bicycle. Oh Lord, initially everything seemed fine
until they said stand up and the tension button was tightened. My heart started
to beat in my head. Yoh!
This functional training session was not for play. Then we got told to do
‘burpees’. Oh great stuff I told myself, this would no doubt help with acid
reflux problems; when did I became a gas producing factory I have no idea. Oh
no, this was harder than I thought and very different to what I expected.
We were then told to move to a space where we had to heave ourselves up on a
bar. Those who had gone prior made it look so easy and then an instructor with
an amazing body said ‘only 10’. I felt like he was not serious; I was having
great difficulty getting my feet off the ground.
That ball looked so docile until I was told to pick it up and throw it up in the
air and squat. Yoh! What muscles were these pulling on my butt?
I should never have given up horse riding. At least there the feeling of the
horse between my legs took away the pulling on my butt!
With this there was absolutely nothing comforting my butt! Just two more said
the instructor.
Those dumb bells looked small and yet on the second lifting of same some 35
minutes into my work out I could not lift them! Eventually we were informed we
would be ‘winding down’.
Yippee! I had done it, or so I thought until we were put on the bicycle and told
to stretch muscles. I discovered that my Yoga helped on these final stretches.
I left there feeling my legs had tightened up; my arms were looking and feeling
amazing. This was different from when one watched it while sitting on the couch.
As I drove home it was as if someone had turned on a tap. The sweat poured down
my body, which had gone into shock.
I truly needed this workout for not only was it a unique experience for me who
had not set foot in a gym for some 35 years, but I felt so good.
Whoopee, gravity you are not going to get the better of me! With swimming time
coming up, this body just has to look its best. I’m just loving this feeling,
I earned this sweat; got to do it again.
Inalda Jorge-Antonio