Sunday, November 01, 2009

Knit, Sweat or Sleep?

I still haven't found my missing knitting motivation. From time to time, I pick up the sticks and fiddle around for a while, but the end result these days is usually just a few minutes of swatching followed by some frogging. Occasionally, I get a small burst of knitting inspiration and finish a quick project, like the Ivy Vines Neckwarmer I showed you in my last post. (And to answer the question posed by a couple of people, the yarn in the project is my FF Sportweight Cashmere. The cashmere is pretty much sold out right now, except a few odds and ends, but will eventually return for another appearance.)

My spare time these days has been spent - now steady yourselves here, for if you know me at all this will come as something of a shock - at the gym. Yes, that's right. The gym!

My husband talked me into joining a gym a month or so ago. Perhaps "talked me into" isn't the right phrase. "Guilted me into" might be more appropriate. He basically told me that it will all be downhill for him from here forward, he is rapidly ageing and becoming increasingly decrepit. It will be one quick downslide toward death if he doesn't do something soon. All of this comes from him, mind you! This is the same man who is only 42, plays softball and bowls, works in the yard and on the house constantly, and - although admittedly overweight - is as strong as an ox. (I can't tell you how much I appreciated hearing about his inevitable and accelerating slide into death's door, given that I'm three years older than he is and in worse physical condition as well despite his being more overweight than I.)

Anyhow, the guilt got to me and I reluctantly agreed to join a gym with him. Reluctant is an understatement actually. It was more of a dragged kicking and screaming and whining sort of a thing. I've never gone to a gym and the whole thing was so foreign to me that I had it worked up in my mind to be some sort of torture chamber. Oh my, that first week or so was so awful!

Now that I'm getting used to the drill of going to the dreaded gym, I'm finding I rather enjoy it. Well, again I think perhaps I've chosen the wrong word. "Enjoy" isn't really right. But I don't hate it anymore and I am feeling pretty motivated to try to get into better physical condition.

And so now when I have free time, I'm off to the gym rather than to my recliner for a bit of knitting. Even in the house, I find myself flicking on the TV for an On Demand Exercise TV workout when I've got a half hour to spare.

According to this website, I could burn off around 90 calories an hour knitting. Then again, it also says I burn off around 55 calories an hour when sleeping. I guess I better stick to sweating it out at the gym.

Perhaps I can learn to knit while on the treadmill or stationary bike?

2 comments:

Lindsey said...

I feel like I'm in the same boat! My husband requested that we join a gym....mid life crisis is what I called it. He told me I had to join too so that we could be in this together.

Uhm. True to history - we had joined a gym years ago - together - I went more than him. Yup, now to the present - after 6 months I go more than he does. But he still loses more weight than me. Blurgh.

But at least I don't feel as guilty when I stop in at the Dessert Tray for a slice of fudge cake! Granted I dream about stopping more than I actually do *grin*.

Anonymous said...

The knitting on the tread mill doesnt work too well. Tried that and got so many weird looks! one guy almost went off the treadmill while watching me try to knit! Was not a pretty picture! So, I tend to take the project with me and sit in the park after I kick my butt in the gym. While in that park I have gotten some....lets say intersting comments! That is time for me to sit and relax before I have to go home to dogs, cleaning and husband!