Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Fitness challenge: historic hotel


If you look at historical photos, people did not have gym fit bodies. If you had muscles, it was because you had a manual labor job. People of means had soft, un-muscled bodies.

Of course now, it is almost the opposite; those with means can afford gyms, trainers, adventure vacations. If you have a hankering to stay in a historic hotel, you usually have to make do with a tiny fitness room.

Such is the case at the Hotel Utica, a grand hotel from 1912 with glimmering chandeliers, elaborate plaster and intricate, restored woodwork. The ceilings soar in the lobby, but the fitness room brings you back down to earth.

The room has 3 ancient cardio machines – an elliptical, a treadmill and a stationary bike, 2 benches and free weights. There is a television, but no way to adjust the heat pouring into the room.

Nevertheless, it adequately serves to keep visitors on fitness routines and if you time your workout right, you can exercise to Kelly & Michael or reruns of Friends. Watching TV is a great motivator for me; to finish a show (or a second sitcom), I have to work out for an hour.

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