Questions for the gym goers / exercisers

[jon-nyc]

I’ve had a cleaning lady since the late 90s. I might win the laziest forumite award.

[Mik]

Janet had one when I met her in 1990. We had one all the way up to 2019 when we retired, thinking now we'd have time to handle it. Truth is neither one of us want to do the heavy cleaning.

As you said earlier,

[89th]

Funny, I enjoy yard work. Most of it at least. Mowing, trimming, mulch, anti-weed, fertilizing, overseeding, pruning (except when it's buggy out), hardscape projects (I installed 5,000 pounds of river rock solo the other weekend), etc.

We also have cleaners that come twice a month. They are fast, not very costly, and it forces my family to pick up their stuff all over the floor.

Somewhat related, I've always told my wife if we won a billion dollars, our life wouldn't change much. Same house, same cars, and sure I would stop working. But one thing we would do is get a full time chef.

[Mik]

You forgot the most important domestic help.

[Axtremus]

@89th said:

I've always told my wife if we won a billion dollars, our life wouldn't change much.

You trying to tell us you are already rich enough that an additional billion won't make much of a difference to you, or are you just not that imaginative?

[kluurs]

Back to the original questions...
I broke an arm in my sophomore year of high school and was sent to a rehab gym at the school that was managed by an ex-Marine. I got to lift weight, run, do whatever - and that was more appealing than the regular gym classes - so I talked to the Marine and asked if I could just stay there. i did. In college, I took some fitness classes - and worked out as well.

With employment, things went off the rails for a decade or so. In my 30s, I started going to the gym and pretending to run. By my early 40s, I was running marathons, working out a minimum or 2 hours a day - and Saturdays were 15-22 mile runs followed by a spin class, food, then weights, then stretch - then snooze at the pool - typically about a 6 hour workout. Sundays - did another long run. Did that until by early 60s.

For the last year - it's Pilates every day, supplemented by 4-5 days of lifting, 3-4 days of running including one long run. I'm a little nervous about cycling - don't like the idea of a fall at 72. When running is off the agenda, I may get a treadmill and hike uphill - along with hiking. If I do cycling, it will have to be in a safe course.

No one in my family had an interest in anything fitness focused past their early 20s.

As for gardening - we did that a couple of weeks ago - and completely wiped me out - not as up for a multi-hour workout like that. Still, I recovered quickly.

[blondie]

I’ve always been the type wanting to focus with one thing at a time. I think I spent ~15 years goal setting and achieving with exercise. I was pretty consistent. Then there was Covid. So started a rebirth of a creative phase, designing, sewing, quilting. I’m happy for now just squeezing in short walks, doing a bit of stretching.

[blondie]

@jon-nyc of Q1: I never did sports or exercised prior to my 40s. It was school and work then motherhood. I did do many low wage physical type jobs when I was young. Q2: My mom swam morning laps at a pool for a bit. She’d also do what she called walking the neighborhood. My dad was sedentary, no sports. Both parents prioritized academics in us kids. And chores at home. They did all their own house, yard work. I guess I was a bit like my mom.

[AndyD]

1. When I was at school in the 1970's, gym was the disliked alternative to outdoor sports when it was raining hard.
   Gym consisted of climbing ropes, bars, vaulting horse, press ups. On better days we played basketball.
   On even worse days with only light rain we we went for a cross country run.
   After school I played a bit of badminton, tennis and regularly squash. No gym.
   In fact I don't recall commercial gyms being available until quite recently. Every town has one or two, despite the local public sports and swimming centres.

Yesterday I noticed two large adjacent shops, one a carpet showroom and the other a fireplace showroom had both shut. And the replacements... a gym and coffee shop.

2. Parents were traditional, anachronistic even. Housework, maintenance, and gardening. They belonged to the church rambling club. Wanted us to be university educated.
   Never encouraged or discouraged sports, a shame as I was a damn good tennis player

[blondie]

@andyd Me too. I don’t remember commercial gyms (or rec centres) until my late 20s or early 30s. Prior to that, I think men went to places to do things like boxing or martial arts. I sort of recall ladies going to places to do aerobics and dance classes, but they did these things before adding weights, bands, step ups. Personally, I was too focused with school or work then. These group classes where you pay to join seemed silly to me.

[jon-nyc]

When I was a kid in upstate NY I don’t remember gym chains. My school had gym equipment and so did the YMCA. I was a member of the Y in high school.

As a pre-teen in Florida my parents bought me a home weight set. It was a bench that had a leg extension/curl attachment, a barbell, and various weights that were made of concrete coated in plastic. I think 25lbs was the heaviest. Somehow I kept that in my little 10x12 bedroom. When we moved to upstate NY it went in the basement.

[jon-nyc]

AI says my experience tracks. In the 70s only institutions had gyms like universities and the YMCA. California had a handful of gyms that catered to bodybuilders.

Late 70s - pumping iron, Jane Fonda, and Jim Fixx made fitness a thing.

80s - gyms started appearing around the country.

90s - the big chains we know today came into view.