Crazy Gym Members!

Don't you just hate it when people act like they are the only ones who need to use the gym equipment? I mean, what's with the whole possessive attitude? Who uses the treadmill for 65minutes when there are others waiting in line to use it? It gets more irritating when the one using it isn't jogging/brisk walking but rather doing a very lazy walk on the machine. Jeez!

I'm usually the first one at the gym in the mornings so I get to use whatever I want. My evening sessions at the gym are however irritating. There is this particular lady who can be on the treadmill for more than an hour; like all the pounds would instantly disappear because she is walking at a slow pace for two hours. The first time it happened I asked the trainer whether there was no time limit for the use of machines. All he could say was that he believed the courteous members were smart enough to know that a packed gym meant no more than 40minutes on a particular gym equipment. Ha! Did he say courteous?Very funny!

Today's weight lifting session was equally irritating. Some people just refuse to wipe their sweat off the barbells when they are done. Abaa! Who says I want to share excretory waste with others? Na waa oo. Anyways, I'm not quitting the gym yet since my trainer offers me the two things I need, motivation and drilling but fun workouts.

I Don't Even Have A Title For This...

Yesterday I was at the gym as usual, trying to briskly walk/jog on the treadmill with Beyonce's "freakum dress" playing in my ears. It wasn't until the tenth minute of my routine that I noticed I had an audience of one. The lady had been watching me move as she nodded her head in what seemed to be.... approval? Wow! I thought the gym was for exercising and not staring. Anyways, I ignored her and continued my workout till I was done.

Now get this, as I was taking a breather this lady walks towards me and asks, "Are you trying to lose weight?" Duhhhh!  Now, anyone who really knows me would know that my weight is usually a sensitive issue to discuss. However, I looked at her and answered in the affirmative. That was when she decided to lecture me on garlic and weight loss.

Lady: E se se wo wri garlic no anopa ne anadwo. Na eba ma wo a ni saaa..... Srade ni nyinaa be pue

Me: (Surprised) Saa?

Lady: Shwee! Wo be ko toiret papa!

Now, for those who didn't get my poor twi, here's the translation.

Lady: You need to chew garlic in the mornings and evening. It will make you pass a lot of stool and all the fat will be excreted.

Me: Really?

Lady: Shwee... you will go to toiret (toilet) papa!

Only God knows how I was able to prevent myself from laughing. The interesting thing was that the lady who tried to prescribe the garlic remedy to me was overweight and, she was not a member of the gym (I asked). Perhaps she hasn't been visiting the loo as often as she should. After all, e be ma wo a ni saa!

* Forgive me if you find my language unpolished.

Random Thoughts on Childhood Obesity in Ghana.

As I struggled with my 6th rep of the second set of sit-ups (which I dread with a passion), she walked in. I gasped as my body was stuck in mid-air. She was probably 12 or 13 years but had the largest love handles (or folds if you are blunt) I've ever seen. People stared as she struggled to get on the stationary bike and pedal the fat away.  I actually felt sorry for her. I didn't even want to imagine what she goes through in school... the jokes at her expense and mean comments that may be made by the other kids. hmmm...

That got me thinking, why do parents allow their kids to put on too much weight? Is it as a result of our crazy lifestyles that make it impossible to know what our kids are eating when we are not around? Or, is it that we just give them too much of the junk? Did I forget to add the Playstations that make it impossible for them to consider real soccer over PC soccer?

At least, her parents decided to do something and send her to the gym. How about those who still think their children will grow out of the fat? Have you noticed the number of obese kids on our streets. The last time I was at the Accra Mall, I saw more than five fat kids in thirty minutes. Michelle Obama is doing something about this in the United States... What are we doing in Ghana?

Poor Security at the Accra Mall

Three weeks ago, as two colleagues and I were returning from research duties in town, their need for a quick bite and my need for ipod earphones took us to the Accra Mall. It was a busy afternoon and there seemed to be security officers around as we parked our vehicle and headed into the mall. An hour later, as we approach my car, one of my colleagues excliams, "the laptop is gone". Genuinely surprised, I asked, "which laptop"? Apparently they had left a laptop in my car without my knowledge.

You see, I have on several occasions insisted that they put their valuables in the booth for safety's sake. Heck! even the booth is not safe but it's better than in the car, right? Anyways, the culprits jimmied the lock on the passenger door and made away with a Compaq laptop, car keys, mobile phone chargers among other things.

Now, to the main issue of discussion, I must say that the security officers handled the issue in a very unsatisfactory manner. They seemed to doubt our report. Seriously? Like I don't have anything better to do than cry theft. After demanding to see their boss, they went to the CCTV room and came back to tell us that they saw the culprits but because our car was packed far away from the camera, the images were blurred. Unbelieveable! They couldn't even give us the license plate number of the vehicle these thieves went away in. After all, they saw the vehicle and since there are several cameras at the mall, at least one would have picked it, right?

So after wasting two hours at the Mall and another hour at the Airport Police Station, we lost hope. Not only did we lose a laptop, we lost our appetite and I personally lost the will to leave my car at the Mall's parking lot for more than 10 minutes...Anyway guys, if you ever thought that place was safe, think again. these people could have driven the car away.