Water walking

Wow, is water walking a workout! I joined the YMCA today and spent almost an hour and a half in the current channel, a lazy river-like area of the warm water pool that is designed to be used by folks who have joint issues.

I am the first to admit that I am totally socially awkward in new situations and this was no exception. After signing up and getting my picture badge/swipe card (TERRIBLE picture), I got lost for a minute, as I do when I go almost anywhere with more than one room, while I tried to find the locker room. After almost giving up and using the completely not-private co-ed family room, and then the girls' (tween and teen) locker room, I finally remembered that the ladies locker room was a floor down...or was it up??? Anyway, I found it. Then I was instantly transported back to my Jr. High and High School days in swim class. The locker room was full of naked ladies (not like in the movies, gentlemen) and I remembered how much I hate changing into and out of swimsuits in locker rooms. So, I found a (dirty) locker, changed in the (dirty) bathroom stall and eyed up the (dirty) showers that I'd have to use after my workout. Ok, they weren't really THAT dirty, but they WERE old and I AM a germophobe. It was then that I realized that I forgot my shower/pool shoes. Dammit. So, I put my running shoes back on, grabbed my towel, locked up my stuff with my new combination lock (haven't used one of those in oh...15 years!), and headed to the pool area, which I miraculously found in just one try. Thankfully, the pool area was clean-looking and sparkly, and there was only one other person in the entire warm-water area when I got there. Showering later was rough on me...not gonna lie.

Anyway, when I walked into the current area and immediately thought, "Yikes!!!! This is going to be hard!!!!" It kind of was. There were two areas of the pool that I had to fight against every lap where the current must originate, and overall, the experience was pretty boring while I was walking by myself. Luckily, I Googled "water walking" before I got there so I knew that I should walk heel to toe, do some laps backwards, take some grapevine steps, etc, which helped pass the time. However, meeting someone else with Fibromyalgia is what really helped me pass the time.

My new Fibro friend had lots to tell me about the Y, Fibro and how she copes since she's been dealing with it for far longer than I have (She's 54 years old to my 32), and has been going to the Y for much longer. What valuable Y information did I learn? Don't take the "Twinges in the Hinges" aqua class for Fibro and Arthritis, unless you want to do small finger movements for minutes at a time, and unless I would like to be the youngest person in the class by literally 40 years. That group is made of folks in their 70's, 80's and 90's and they love to gossip according to my new friend...especially about the young ones...50's being young! So, I'm going to try a more vigorous class, but will stand in the back, just in case I can't keep up. :) Then later, she showed me the secret way back to the locker room so that I don't have to keep my id badge on me in the pool area and showed me how to use the suit dryer, which looks suspiciously like a golf ball cleaner, though bigger and automatic instead of hand-crank.

In the meantime, I'm still waiting for a call back from my pain clinic so that I can start a prescription for the Fibromyalgia. I'm hung up in the system again, so to speak, and I just don't feel like expanding on it now because I think it's at the point where a flowchart is needed to adequately explain the situation and I don't feel like pulling up Visio right now. ha.

Anyone taking bets on how sore I'm gonna be tomorrow after my first day at the Y?
-S