Full Name:
Christy Bates
State name: Mississippi
Number of children: Three daughters
E-mail address: bate7280@bellsouth.net
Triceps, Biceps, and Quads, Oh My!
7:45AM and I've dried a load and washed a load of
clothes already. Something is wrong in the universe.
Every fiber in my being shouted "NO! It's too early
for this! Have you lost your mind woman??"
The shouting isn't going to stop, either. I'll be
immersed in the (supposedly) warm pool jogging and
buffalo shuffle-ing by 8:30. Can you believe it?
I say supposedly warm because the instructor tells
me the water is a " comfortable 85 degrees" as our
toes break the glassy surface. Then reality hits as
those tummy muscles I'm here to tighten up try to
squeeze their way into my neck as they meet the
water. I have to admit that after a bit of moving
around, and no small amount of shivering on my part,
things seem to warm up. <continued below>
My favorite part of the exercise routine is the
water dumbbells. These things are basically foam
versions of the kind you'd find in any standard rack
of weights. We take these seemingly harmless objects
of torture and make our way out into the water. As
you begin the first movement with the dumbbells you
realize how wrong you were. These unassuming bits of
foam make your arms, shoulders and back muscles feel
as though you are trying to shove a full grown
elephant through a port hole. I always have liked
upper body workouts. The burning sensation in my
shoulders and arms makes me giddy. The next day when
my youngest daughter wants to be carried down the
stairs, however, is not such an enthusiastic
experience.
One hour and much splashing later, another odd thing
happens. This pool is used as a therapy pool for a
local hospital's rehabilitation program. Because of
this they have a long ramp with rails that you use
to enter the pool instead of the standard steps or
ladder. When we've finished with our workout, each
of us heads over to the ramp. Reluctant to leave the
water we now find quite warm, we begin to trudge our
way up. I say trudge because after an hour in the
water I feel like I weigh approximately 500 pounds
and have stepped into a meat locker. The previously
stuffy room now sends shivers down my spine. My
towel is, of course, on the other side of the room
making that dripping dart for warmth a tad longer.
We will thank our teacher for making us feel like
human jello and make promises about less giggling in
the next class. We'll wrap our warm fuzzy towels
around us, slip on our shoes and head out to go home
to a hot shower. When the front door of the
community center opens and the brisk March air hits
that soggy swimsuit and my much too pale skin, I
turn into one giant goose pimple.
