Music Monday: Fatima’s YMCA Work Out Playlist

I started going back to the YMCA with the following wellness goals in mind:

Prevent weight gain.
Clear the mind.
- Important in creativity.
Manage stress.
Get my conditioning back and start running again.
Adding movement to go with modifying food after hibernating all winter.

Why the Y? I have one downtown and use it after work. At this one, we have young men pumping iron, families using the open gym, all with a diverse range of bodies and cultures. I get sick and tired of suburbanites sniffing at downtown. Fine, I don’t need your Lululemon ass on the track while I walk.

The Y also has a pool and a whirlpool, the latter proving important as my over-40 body reminds me of muscles used for a long time. The track mentioned earlier allows me to feel like I move from Point A to Point B, even in a circular fashion. The TVs on the elliptical are a bonus. Most of the time, I tune into an audiobook, check the chapter length or set a timer as I move around the track. Currently, Richard Armitage has turned personal trainer as I use his 36 hour reading of Dicken’s David Copperfield for track walking. Wow, that lady has a smile on her face walking around the track, people would think if people actually looked up and wondered what I am thinking. It’s not sweet nothings whispered in my ear but, hey, a woman takes what she can get at this point.

Sometimes actual music does get played. If AMC plays yet another Michael Bay film on the elliptical tv, it’s time to haul out the playlist. Here’s a sampling of some additions to some of those lists. (Note: Does not include the Village People classic. I have danced to it at enough weddings and socials.)