Lately it’s been cold and I’ve found out that I don’t like the cold.  I worked outside in the weather for thirty-seven years and it never bothered me.  I’m not sure if I’ve lost my acclimation in my four years of retirement or if I’m just getting old.  Doesn’t matter.  I want to get my steps in and I don’t like the cold.

The best solution was to join a gym.  The Splash Zone in Oberlin is only ten minutes away and perfect for my needs.  They have an indoor pool and a nice weight room with stationary bicycles and treadmills.  I find treadmills a bit boring but they are much better than walking around my development in freezing temperatures.

First time I went I walked around the outside of the fieldhouse on the track.

Eight times around is a mile and it is interesting watching so many people playing basketball and other games.  One game they were playing looked like tennis but was being played with paddles and plastic wiffle balls.

Part of the reason that I choose treadmills over walking around the fieldhouse is I’m incredibly social.  I know a lot of people and as I walked I saw people from The Silver Wheels Cycling Club and had to talk to them.  Then they invited me to play the game.  I found it was called Pickleball.  It’s a big deal among older people as it slower on a smaller court.  I played and had a blast.  The ball doesn’t bounce like you’d expect (from playing racquetball.  Plus you have to hit it harder.  It takes a little while to get used to it but once you do it’s a blast.

I walked a few miles in the fieldhouse and then moved to the treadmill to finish my walk.  I expect it to take a few weeks to get in the habit of going but as I do I plan to enhance my experience by using the pool and the weights.

When cycling season becomes a reality I plan to continue the walking and the gym.  As I approach the last third of my life I’m making permanent changes.