As moms, what is “Me-Time” really? A trip to the grocery store? A mani-pedi before your sister’s wedding? A 45 minute spin class that is really 60 minutes, but you can only seem to squeeze in 45 minutes? Some would argue yes. Others, like moms I know, would say, “No, those are necessities!” In the rare moment, when a girlfriend unexpectedly shows up to take a spin class you are in, it is a double whammy of Me-Time: a work out and a chance to see a friend.
That’s exactly what happened at the Bay Club last week. A girlfriend and I were catching up on potty training, husband travel schedules, and life during a recovery song, “Southern Cross.” It wasn’t exactly an interval song, like “Despacito,” where you shouldn’t be able to talk if you’re really working out. But, right when Crosby, Stills, and Nash start singing about seeing the southern cross for the first time, a grumpy old man, mid-sixties barked at us to quit the chit-chat.
Eeeecuuuuuse me?
Quit the chit-chat? First of all, it is well documented that speaking at a conversational rate during workouts is a great indicator of cardiovascular health. Second, it is a wonderful way to regulate your heart rate during a work out which is especially important when one is pregnant. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you don’t speak to people like that.
After class, my girlfriend quickly pointed out that if we were two men, there is no way the grumpster would have spoken to us like that.
As a mom, I get very few “me-moments,” and if I want to chat through my spin session, it’s my gosh darn right! It’s my class just as much as his. Besides, everyone has their “thing” when they work out. Who among us doesn’t know what it means to run like Phoebe or jog like Rachel. We’ve all been in classes or on teams with the “heavy-panter,” the “whoo”girl, the “sing-along-to-every-song” girl, and yes, even the “chit-chatter.” Can’t we all live and let live, or in this case, sweat and let sweat?
I do have a few suggestions for this man that I would have gladly shared if he hadn’t run out of class and hid in the men’s locker room…I promise I did not stalk him.
Take the class at a different time.
I promise at 6:00am, I’m busy making lunches, wiping bottoms, and finding socks. At 5:30pm, I’m staring at my fridge wondering what to make for dinner. I’m not ever going to make a class at either of those times. Of course, I know the world does not revolve around me, and if right after kindergarten and preschool drop off is the only time this retiree can make it to they gym, I’ll gladly give him a pair of earplugs to wear. I still have plenty left over from my “cry-it-out” days…
Agreed!