...and back to swimming
Yay, me, I actually managed to drag my carcass to the pool. Couldn't quite get it together enough to do it this morning, but I did get there by 12:40 pm. And thankfully, the pool was not offensively crowded, even though 2 lanes were reserved for kids.
Going swimming is a big undertaking for me, particularly when it's cold (more layers involved). Yes, my pool's only 7 blocks away, but since I'm one of those people who's not happy unless she's carrying around her entire universe of stuff with her, the whole process is Involved. I'm hiding it behind a cut so you can choose whether or not you actually care about said process. :-)
First, I put on my bathing suit, a t-shirt, sweatpants, sweatshirt, socks, fuzzy-lined boots. I put my hair in a ponytail, double the ponytail and use a scrunchie to turn it into a very messy knot. Then I pin back all the loose strands of hair. I put on my waterproof watch.
Then it's time to pack the bag. At the bottom goes my hairbrush and my hairdryer (yes, the pool has hair dryers, but they're not very strong, they're always breaking, and besides, mine has a brush attachment.)
Next comes the clothes I'm going to change into, followed by a plastic grocery bag with all of my toiletries--skin lotion, after-swim shower gel/shampoo, color-care shampoo, color-care conditioner, deodorant, perfume, hydrating lotion. (Yes, the locker room has shampoo, deodorant, shower gel, and lotion, but I like MY stuff. Plus, I don't think the shampoo and gel are specific after-swim products, and let's face it, the thought of using communal deodorant is, well, icky. I do use a bit of their hair gel, which is okay stuff)
Then I put in my towel. (Yes, the gym has towels, but those gym towels are for teeny tiny people, and I'm not a teeny tiny person. I do use two gym towels, one for apres-pool, and one to dry my hair after the shower. But for the rest of my body, I require a bath sheet.)
Then I put in another plastic bag containing my goggles in their case, my pool/shower shoes, and my bathing cap. Finally, I put a final bag containing my iPod mini (encased in a waterproof Otterbox and attached to H2O audio headphones
And that's just to leave the house! It's no wonder that some people prefer to exercise at home.
Now you know what a high-maintenance loon I am. Or maybe you already knew that, but were unaware of the specifics. I'm sure this has all proved to be highly valuable information. Personally, I don't know what's crazier--actually hauling all this stuff around or writing about it for the presumed edification or possible entertainment of others.
Going swimming is a big undertaking for me, particularly when it's cold (more layers involved). Yes, my pool's only 7 blocks away, but since I'm one of those people who's not happy unless she's carrying around her entire universe of stuff with her, the whole process is Involved. I'm hiding it behind a cut so you can choose whether or not you actually care about said process. :-)
First, I put on my bathing suit, a t-shirt, sweatpants, sweatshirt, socks, fuzzy-lined boots. I put my hair in a ponytail, double the ponytail and use a scrunchie to turn it into a very messy knot. Then I pin back all the loose strands of hair. I put on my waterproof watch.
Then it's time to pack the bag. At the bottom goes my hairbrush and my hairdryer (yes, the pool has hair dryers, but they're not very strong, they're always breaking, and besides, mine has a brush attachment.)
Next comes the clothes I'm going to change into, followed by a plastic grocery bag with all of my toiletries--skin lotion, after-swim shower gel/shampoo, color-care shampoo, color-care conditioner, deodorant, perfume, hydrating lotion. (Yes, the locker room has shampoo, deodorant, shower gel, and lotion, but I like MY stuff. Plus, I don't think the shampoo and gel are specific after-swim products, and let's face it, the thought of using communal deodorant is, well, icky. I do use a bit of their hair gel, which is okay stuff)
Then I put in my towel. (Yes, the gym has towels, but those gym towels are for teeny tiny people, and I'm not a teeny tiny person. I do use two gym towels, one for apres-pool, and one to dry my hair after the shower. But for the rest of my body, I require a bath sheet.)
Then I put in another plastic bag containing my goggles in their case, my pool/shower shoes, and my bathing cap. Finally, I put a final bag containing my iPod mini (encased in a waterproof Otterbox and attached to H2O audio headphones
And that's just to leave the house! It's no wonder that some people prefer to exercise at home.
Now you know what a high-maintenance loon I am. Or maybe you already knew that, but were unaware of the specifics. I'm sure this has all proved to be highly valuable information. Personally, I don't know what's crazier--actually hauling all this stuff around or writing about it for the presumed edification or possible entertainment of others.