Fun Friday – The lighter side of fitness

You don’t have to be a fitness expert in order to begin a workout regimen, but it helps to have a little knowledge. Over the past year or so, my family has been on a fitness kick. Do we know everything there is to know about being fit? No, but we know how to laugh at ourselves along the way.

My mom has a membership to a fitness gym in her area and she workouts a few times a week. I’ve gone with her on a few occasions and observed her workout. She is quite the social butterfly, but manages to get time in on the treadmill between conversations with other members.

When I talked to my mom on the phone the other morning, I asked if she had worked out. Her response was, “I stirred some eggs.” Whisking eggs for breakfast was my mother’s workout that morning. I don’t believe making scrambled eggs counts in the process of elevating your heart rate as part of fitness, but it could be just a matter of perspective.

Speaking of perspective. When my teen son told me he wanted 30 pound dumbbells for Christmas, I discovered I had a different perspective on how he could use the weights. My first thought was okay, dumbbells shouldn’t cost too much, especially compared to the video games he wanted.

I asked my brother how much he thought 30 pound dumbbells would cost. He said about $33.00. I said, “Oh, that’s not a bad price, $33 for two weights?”

“No, that’s for each weight,” he said.

I later told my son the approximate price of the weights and suggested I purchase just one weight. “Can’t you just alternate hands when using the weight?”

“No Mom, that’s not how it works,” he told me.

It appears that I was the dumbbell to think that I would get a set of weights at the low price of $33. What my son may not realize is that I can be resourceful at times.

While my son and I were shopping the other day, I suggested we go over to the fitness section and price the weights that he wanted. The cost was $35 each for a 30 pound weight. My son removed one of the weights from the shelf and began doing arm curls. And that was the moment my resourcefulness kicked into gear.

As I looked over at the treadmills, I shared my idea with my son. “Why don’t we come to the store a couple of times a week and you can use their weights? I will test out the treadmill while you do your repetitions.”

My son said, “Wow, mom. Only you would think of that.”

Of course I would never really do such a thing, but every now and then it doesn’t hurt to think outside the box.

Have you had any funny experiences with fitness?