A Slob in the Fitness Class

There a 2 types of people who dislike me, doctors and fitness instructors. Doctors think I ask too many 'smart alec' questions all conceived out of non truths from the web. Fitness instructors find me too slack and impossible to teach.

I now attend a fitness class which is a combo of cardio exercises and stretches. For the first half hour there is pumping exercises to make our heart works faster while the later half is the well longed stretching exercises mainly on the yoga mat. As the class caters to people above 50 years, the instructor, a fortyish guy with crew cut and a single ear ring, says we can do the cardio exercises at our own pace. However he is constantly watching like a hawk when you actually slows down, passing remarks like if his mum can do it he doesn't see why you can't. Hence I try to keep up as much as possible and slow down when his back is turned towards me.

I probably stand out as a sore thumb in his class of 10. Unlike others who are probably dressed for fitness class in their branded fanciful body hugging tops and tights I wear a pair of cotton pants and T shirt with sleeves. No worries, my shoes are branded sports shoes though. I had wanted to get a yoga mat from the sports shops but was aghast that it costs more than 30 bucks. I settled for one that costs $8.80 from CK departmental store. The mat shows embarrassing imprints when my body presses against it. As it is it weighs a ton I didn't like to sling it over my shoulder. Hence I put my yoga mat in a shopping trolley which is also useful for shopping after class. I guess my appearance alone makes my instructor feel unprofessional.

Once when he was fiddling with the blue tooth player complaining that the beat seemed too slow, I remarked it didn't really matter as we were supposed to follow at our own pace. He seemed a bit offended, sarcastically describing us as 小姐 although in his mind he is probably calling me 婆婆 . I can understand how my behaviour and that of some others undermines his sense of professionalism.  Like any good instructor he wants his participants to get the most out of the class and not just to go through the motion. At least the others are motivated enough to get some stylish outfit. I guess it helps when you see how good your body looks in the mirror. If dressing up at work helps to make one more successful, it should also work in the gym. It has been said " If you know you look great chances are you will act it out too".

While googling to see whether it is a myth that one must wear proper fitness attire I came across this website that lists things you should NOT wear for a workout. It includes:

- cotton shirt and pants because cotton absorbs sweat and you will soon be wearing a wet blanket which is conducive for fungal growth. Instead you should wear "sweat-wicking fabric"

-regular bra which may lead to upper back and shoulder pain after the workout (from excessive bouncing I suppose).

-supper baggy clothing because you don't want to hide your body as the trainer needs to assess whether you are stretching the right muscles and body parts (again I am not  really sure of my objectives)

Seems to me it is not all false advertisement to make us part with our money. Yes I think I better step up a bit. There's no place for a slob nor a 婆婆 in a fitness class.