Physical Readiness Ch5
Two hours later, Harry and Ruth were back in the locker rooms, showering and changing back into their work clothes. It hadn't been as bad as either had feared. When they arrived, they had been weighed and measured before being given a stress test on a treadmill as part of what the trainer, a pleasant young woman named Daphne, had called their baseline physical assessment. That had been a bit brutal, as they had really pushed themselves, but they had survived. It was essentially a fast walk/trot/run to exhaustion on the treadmill while responding to questions about how each felt, as if the blood pressure cuff on the arm, the pulse oximeter on the fingertip and EKG leads stuck to the chest weren't giving enough info. But it was reassuring to know that these people were interested in their emotional responses, too, Ruth thought.
Despite Harry's obligatory grumbling, both Harry and Ruth had secretly enjoyed the gentle stretching they had done next. Daphne had led them through a series of individual stretches which felt pleasantly relaxing after the treadmill ordeal, then set them up to do several partner stretches. Each had had a chance to surreptitiously investigate the outfit of the other, and had found them quite intriguing. They had had to join hands and touch each other's arms and legs in a way that they would never have done on the Grid, and probably not off the Grid, either, in fact. Daphne made the contact officially impersonal, and yet to the participants, it was all delightfully personal. It was fortunate that Daphne hadn't imparted any exclusive, one-time wisdoms during the stretching, Harry thought, because all he could focus on was his hands, Ruth's hands, how and what they felt.
They had completed the appointment with "classroom" time, in which Daphne had reviewed the food pyramid, caloric requirements, some sample menus and other food intake guidelines. She had also given them a printout of their training plan for the upcoming 8 weeks. "We will be doing the testing again in 8 weeks, and I'm hoping to have you both on the right track by then. I must warn you, though, that the changes we will be making will need to be lifelong changes for lasting health. After 8 weeks, you should be able to manage your own programs without the need for my supervision. I will be available any time, though, if you need advice, help, or even just a pep talk. But that's it for tonight. Good work, you two!" she finished with a friendly smile. " I must say that I am pleasantly surprised by your willing cooperation tonight. So often in these cases I meet all kinds of resistance, but I can see that you Section D folks take things seriously!"
Yes, well, errr, we do want to be in shape for… for all kinds of activities. Errr…" Harry stated shortly before turning beet red.
"See you tomorrow, Daphne." Ruth said and fled into the Ladies' locker room.