The Spirit is Willing But The Body is Weak...

Toronto has been gray and gloomy the past few weeks. The locals call it the February blahs. Despite being the shortest month of the year, it feels loooong here, mainly because we're sick and tired of winters and want some sunshine. I like to walk and usually use my lunch hour to walk around a few city blocks, as much for the exercise as for clearing my head. But the slick and icy streets through the past 3 months had started to threaten my walk time. I started walking indoors in the mall, but the wonderful displays of chothes, shoes and handbags were starting to threaten my wallet and bank balance.

So a few weeks ago a colleague who has a membership at the local YMCA which happens to be five minutes from office, convinced me to join for a trial membership. In true Indian fasion, I kept waiting till the YMCA started a 2-week free promotional membership. Why spend money on something I may not like enough to continue?

The Y is pretty awesome. 2 pools, gigantic gym, sauna, whirlpool, steamroom, pilates room, dance halls, basketball and squash courts and even an indoor running track (!!). Ofcourse, being as comfortble as I am in my winter blubber (hey its perfectly natural insulation), I am not very interested in most of those activities. However I remember that as a child I tremendously enjoyed swimming. So I took up the free membership (hey, who wouldn't? it was free) and went today for the first day. I swam for 30 minutes, sat in the sauna for 10, and then showered and was back at work...my lunch hour well-utilized. However, it is now 4:30 pm...and my body hurts in places I did not know I had muscles in. Typing on the keyboard is somwhat hard because my arms HURT. my back is screaming at me. and my shoulders...they'll get their revenge tonight.

What was I thinking? Well, actually I was thinking it might help winters go by faster if I could just be as active now as I am in summers. But my good intentions are no salve for the pain. I long for the sunny winters in Delhi, when all I did on weekends was sit on a khaat in the sun and nap or eat dry fruits.

Tomorrow I plan to attend the Ice Fest at Bloor-Yorkville, which is sort of like the GK meets Sundarnagar of Toronto. Its expected that we'll see hundreds of ice sculptures which winter-weary locals and expats alike will swoon over. I'll try to get photos.