observations

During my time home for Christmas one of the most common questions I got from friends and family was, "So how different is it over there really?" and my response, based on my observation was that a lot our cultures are very similar. I think that comes from speaking pretty much the same language, watching a lot of the same TV shows and movies, and listening to much of the same music. However, gym and sport culture have some differences. I don't want to say that one culture is healthier than the other by any means, I think we just do things different. So my experience today...

For all good Americans, January is always a good month to kickstart or re-engage a workout routine. It's been almost a full year since I've lifted weights so I decided that I should get back at it. Let's start with my expectations: I spent three years at UNI in Cedar Falls and like clockwork, there were three times of the year that you can always count on the gym being packed. Right when classes start in the fall, before Spring break, and just after the New Year. Now for those of us who are pretty consistent gym users throughout the year, the extra people in the gym with their "New Years Resolutions" are something you have to mentally prepare to be patient with, because its mostly annoying. I'm not saying that I don't think they should be there-- I think everyone should exercise. Anyway... so I was absolutely shocked when I walked into the gym and it was just as empty as usual. I'm not even sure what conclusions to draw from that... Could it be a lack of New Years Resolutions? or New Years Resolutions that don't revolve around body image and weight loss? Hm... Or just a fluke?

So I did a short warmup and then made my way over to what I consider the "Boys' side" of the gym.. the weights. I was looking for the usual 8, 10, 15 and quickly realized that these weights weren't the same as the ones we have at home. Oh the metric system! So as I did conversions in my head to try to figure out which weights to use to do curls as close to 10 pounds as I could I found myself pondering the problems with having separate measuring systems... I've had some trouble cooking and baking because of the temperature being in celcius, and the little bit that weight comes up in converstation between girls I did notice that they weigh themselves in kilos.. They do height for people in feet and inches but distance from sea level in meters. The road signs and distances are all in miles (I noticed when I was in Canada that their road signs were all in kilometers!). Seems to me that they are stuck in the middle of this whole battle of measurement systems!