Exercise Connection

MARS IN THE 2ND HOUSE
The fighter planet, Mars, blasts its way through the 2nd House, the House of Physicality. Drive and sexuality, rooted in the physical body, pushes us to discover our limits and possibly expand them.

Speaking of pushing physical limits, I've expanded mine by embarking on a new journey at my gym. Usually, I go to the gym to do cardio with a friend of mine or make a well-intentioned attempt at free weights. Sadly, though, I don't have a great deal of experience or background in exercise (unless you count dance class). Therefore, I don't know when to up the reps, the sets, or the weights. However, I do find that cardio is very beneficial and though I don't completely understand the numbers, it's nice to know that I burned 300-500 calories, depending on the session, of course.

Recently, though, I decided that I have been missing out on a huge section of the gym membership: free classes. Now, in the past, I've gone to dance class at Broadway Dance Center or some equivalent, but I simply can't afford daily classes. Fortunately, my gym offers free classes in yoga, strength training, spinning, power dance, etc. To some, that may sound like absolute misery, but I am attempting each class in hopes of toning up with instruction. Some, like spinning, leave me completely drained afterwards. Strength training taught me that I have none. Power dance proved to me that I should never attempt to hip hop. Yoga stretched me - something I needed after taking spinning, strength training, and power dance.

There is an interesting phenomenon I have noticed in my gym experiences. When I work on the free weights, I seem to be mostly, though not exclusively, surrounded by men. Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining. Yet, the second that I set foot in a class - be it yoga, strength training, or dance - the class is overwhelmingly female. Spinning evens the score a bit, but since starting the other classes, I have been the only guy in each and every class. Brings me back to middle school days of taking ballet. Years of that can prepare a guy for being the lonesome Y-chromosome member, but somehow, I figured the New York sports scene would boast a different ratio.

Why is this? Are men (in general - careful, now, I'm not making blanket statements) more independent when it comes to working out and women prefer a bit of direction? Obviously, our body types are different and need different types of workouts. Still, do we gravitate towards what will help us the most? What is easiest for us? Why this gender divide with regard to exercise? I think each gender uses the gym as a metaphor for taking control and in their own way, each enjoys the benefit of support. Women find an obvious connection with others through formalized class; men find this connection by surrounding themselves with like-acting individuals. Either way, the bond is formed and more than endorphins, that connection creates more good feeling for when one leaves the gym. It also keeps us coming back. That's why they say having a gym buddy keeps you going.

I know I will keep going. Class dismissed.

Gender Blur

VENUS/MARS IN PISCES
As discussed yesterday, Pisces is enjoying four planets right now and two of those are so close, they're in what's called a conjunction. That means that they affect each other very strongly, and what better two planets than Venus and Mars? Venus, planet of love, and Mars, planet of passion, are bolstering each other during this time in Pisces, the sign of illusion. Talk about an interesting time to get into a relationship!

Still, there's a lot to discuss with regard to gender, especially when it comes to illusion! Are men really from Mars, and women from Venus? So thinks John Gray. Yet, the gender lines are not as cut and dried as they once were. We're seeing a great deal of gender blur in today's society, most of which are under the heading, Tran. Transsexuals. Transvestites. Transgender.

One of the main areas that we're seeing a blur of the genders is in clothing. That seems to be one of the biggest giveaways that someone is playing with their gender. Some might argue that it all started back when women first wore pants. Thank goodness for Elizabeth Miller and her suffragette ways back in the 1800s! Who would have thought wearing pants would have been such a political move? Fashion has always made a statement. World War I was the true advent of pants as women had to take up the work while the men fought. What a gender bend THAT must have been! Women in the work force? How gauche! Yet, now, it's perfectly acceptable for women to wear pants, suits, button down shirts, ties - all classically male clothing.

What about a man in a dress? Well, that's just weird, isn't it? Unless you're Scottish and then it's not a skirt, it's a kilt. What a difference it is to see a man in female clothing than it is to see a woman in men's clothing. Admit it, guys - seeing your girlfriend wearing just button down shirt is hot. Okay, ladies, would you want to see your boyfriend in your miniskirt? Not sexy at all, is it? In fact, there was just an article in the paper about a husband who had been married for 5 years and his wife just found out that he likes wearing her underwear. She's completely up in arms about it. The doctor at hand suggested that it would be akin to seeing her in his briefs and work boots. Yet, I bet there are more men who find that image arousing than women who would be attracted to the husband in panties.

Walking into any clothing store, you'll notice that the genders are distinctly separated. Men on the first floor, women on the second, or vice-versa, but take a good look at the clothing being offered. Some of it looks awfully similar, doesn't it? Then take a look at some of the people around you. Are you seeing fairly gender neutral clothing that hints one way or another by the length of sleeve or the cut of the leg? Nothing is so cut in stone anymore with regard to gender; not even fashion. Oh, sure, many will argue that sleeve length goes a long way to delineate gender, but think of where we've come from - bodice and bustles to tshirts and jeans. A sleeve length makes the difference?!

However, cross-dressing today will still make an impact. I remember watching Eddie Izzard with my family and my father couldn't get past the fact that he was dressed like a woman. It was a preference. I wanted him to just watch and listen, but the comedy was overpowered by the visual disturbance. Drag is a powerful entertainment tool - just look at RuPaul. She's made drag into a career!

We can then take the train from Dragville to Transgendervania. Men and women who feel that they've been born into the wrong bodies. How much of gender is about genitalia? Does the physicality make a difference? Many would say, "No." It's not about the body you were born into; it's about who you are inside. As we've been told since we were kids, don't judge a book by its cover. How must it feel to be uncomfortable in your own body? To gender identify with the opposite sex? Never mind sexuality. This is just about being yourself. It's amazing to think how societal norms must affect these folks. Of course, we do kind of screw it up from the get-go and dress boys in blue and girls in red. Red is traditionally a masculine color, symbolizing virility, anger, passion, war, blood. Blue represents emotion, intuition, connection, mystery, love. We've been cross-dressing since we were babies!

An errant thought: if Pennsylvania is Penn's Woods, shouldn't Transylvania be filled with cross-dressing trees?

There are many ways that genders are blurring more and more nowadays and it's not just clothing, but what you wear has always been an expression of individuality. Some are more willing to show theirs. There will most likely be other gender rants, but until then, enjoy the Venus/Mars conjunction!