Fitness Revolution by Elizabeth Pongo

As a personal trainer, here in Park Slope I’ve taken careful note of many an interesting phenomenon. Primarily, the gym is a surreal and extraordinary place. I enjoy the challenge of teaching people new things. And I must admit, sharing the excitement with my clients of learning how to grow and change things inspires me. After all, transformation of a body and growing into a functional, flexible, strong human being is no easy task! Yet,
above and beyond the joy of learning, is the power of knowledge.

But there’s one thing I know for sure, the gym is the school playground of the
middle aged.

If you threaten to take away a baby-boomer’s Social Security, you’ll see that
individual whip his or her self into shape, faster than you can say, "George, that’s  a stupid idea."  Strength and power come from within.
And the baby-boomers, who grew up during the bloom and blush of the
cultural revolution of the 1960’s and 1970’s are striking back! Have you noticed the biceps on women who work out between the ages of 40 and 60 lately? Now there’s a bunch of women I wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. I can just imagine what might happen if someone threatened one of these lovely ladies. The assailant would certainly be beaten down with a bag of organic vegetables.

I
admire the courage, the conviction and the commitment of my clients who
are middle aged. I look up to these people. I am the typical cute
little kid, who befriends the older kids, to make sure that I get taken
care of. What I’ve found is that while I admire their focus, and
encourage them to get stronger, we do end up addressing certain fears
about our bodies, and our selve’s together. That’s the real fun, and
the true catharsis. Looking at a weakness together and learning how to
tackle it as a team, is powerful stuff: the stuff that revolutions are
made of.

There’s
a lot to be afraid of in the school playground, and in the gym. While
some clients are afraid of the gym equipment, other clients are afraid
of the other members in the gym. I made the mistake of asking a client
to mount a stationary bike, before adjusting the seat for her. She replied, "That’s a 15 hand stallion, baby and I’m not getting up there."

People stand around and literally gawk at other people who are doing things that seem too difficult or exotic. This is much the same as the group of kids standing around and staring at the kid doing crazy things on the jungle gym. But all the while, we are learning from each other — no matter how uncomfortable or bizarre it may seem at the time. 

Here’s how I see it: the important thing is the evolution of our society. The digital revolution and the information age may not be as exciting as the sexual revolution and the age of Aquarius, depending on your view point. But in order for a society to remain strong and healthy, a cultural revolution must take place every 30 years.

I think we’re in the middle of a new era, and although it may seem odd to run around like gerbils on a treadmill and go inside to an indoor playground in order to workout; these are monumental and surreal and important times we’re living in. And as the adults now, we must embrace that. So I say: play hard and be strong. We’ve got our work cut out for us. The revolution is here again!

Elizabeth Pongo is a stand up comedian and a fitness trainer in Park Slope. She can be reached on her cell phone at (917) 207-3588 or by e-mail: pongofitness@yahoo.com.