I can almost hear the Mahjong tiles...

Sorry not all my blog posts will contain Friends quotes.

Today I went to the actual gym for the first time since they replaces all the machines. I've been to classes and for swims (is that the plural?) but not used the actual equipment seeing as at 7am I need the fear of drowning or a muscly instructor to motivate me to do anything.

This afternoon I started on the new swanky bikes with their swanky screens. I was annoyed I'd forgotten my headphones so I would have to list to the whirrs and panting around me and hope it didn't distract me too much. After about 3 minutes my mind was wandering and the people in the swimming pool were offering no form of entertainment whatsoever, then I discovered the "Games" section on the screen.

Now I always claim I am completely uncompetitive. It's true. I get riled up sometimes when playing monopoly and when I'm trying to get children to be competitive, but quite honestly when it comes to sports or competition I just don't give a monkies... (monkey's?). That said, I live in a permanent state of competition with myself. 

I will spend hours playing Windows Pinball or fighting myself at table tennis on the Wii. But in company I just find it impossible to put any effort in. So the opportunity to battle myself whilst cycling was too hard to pass up.

I've never been able to get the hang of Sudoku and I didn't enjoy matching pairs (by didn't enjoy I mean "Was shit at") so I thought I'd give Mahjong a go (on easy obviously as I'm not an 89 year old and I can't remember how to play it on the computer). First go, smashed the board in 3 minutes 45. Had another go and had mild panic halfway because the screen tells you when you exercise time is nearly up (I'd allowed myself 15 minutes) so upped my minutage, and before you knew it I'd completed a medium level of Mahjong, and I'd been going full pelt for 30 minutes, I couldn't feel my legs and I was sweating out of every crevice.

I practically fell off the bike and hobbled to the arm bike where I lip read Countdown (I'm worse at Countdown that I am at Mahjong) then headed back to the changing rooms feeling wobbly and satisfied. Well done, Virgin Gym. Ten out of Ten for distractions.