Exercise

In China it has been easy to exercise. Basically everywhere I go in my opinion is walking distance. Unless of course I have been grocery shopping then I either catch a Bung Bung or a taxi home.

However in saying this I recall my first day here and how I walked up to the office on the 4th floor and was breathing normal. Soon I found myself walking up and heavy breathing. I decided I needed to do something about this as I didn't want to lose my fitness and all the walking I was doing was purely incidental exercise.

I wrote myself a program and bought a skipping rope I was about to start my exercise regime. This proved difficult. I didn't enjoy running around the school oval whilst my students were there. So I went looking for a gym.

I found one at the Zhong Bai shopping centre on the 4th floor. The gym obviously was not of Australian Standards but had everything I needed. I signed up for 6 months at Y499 ie $83. What a bargain!

I took it easy on my first session. Only to wake the next day with legs that felt like steel, Gluts that hurt to sit and a stomach that hurt to talk. I guess that's what you get for not going for 4 months.

Now I'm focused and have been everyday since. 5 days later my body seems to be back to it's normal self.

Being the only foreigner at the gym is always going to be an interesting experience. On my first day it was like a fish bowl. It was OK though cause I had heaps of people wanting to spot for me. Kind of like having your own personal trainer with out having the associated cost.

The guy at the gym was also friendly. He started sending me text messages, 'When are you coming to the gym next.' Not thinking anything of it I responded. Then the messages became more frequent and the dreaded message, 'I think I like you.' Which of course I did not respond.

My next time at the gym he ignored me. That's cool. The next time he said, 'hi.' Now that he knows my routine he is never there when I go. That's cool by me.

I have some very strict guidelines that basically means I will be a spinster for life. They guidelines are:
1. Must make more money than I do. I'm giving them all a chance with my current income level.
2. Must have a greater net worth than I do. I'm not sharing anything that I have worked for with anyone.
3. They must be in the age group of 35 - 40.
4. Don't care if they have been previously married, but I don't do kids.
5. Don't do mixing of race.

So that just about wipes out the whole male population. Don't care what people think about my guidelines. I am happy being by myself doing what I want to do when I want to do it and with whom I chose to do it with.