Tried To Be Fit
Posted on | December 20, 2008 at 5:19 pm | 5 Comments
I know it’s a bit early for New Year’s Resolutions, but…
As I mentioned a few days ago, I haven’t been doing any jogging lately. It’s a combination of factors: laziness, cold weather, icy/snowy sidewalks, no time (going to bed too late). The usual. Wintertime makes it very hard to run outside. Although sometimes in the summer I use the excuse that it’s too hot.
So I’ve taken a radical step and done something I’ve never ever done before. I actually signed up with a gym (excuse me, “Fitness Center”). 24-Hour Fitness is currently having a promotion (which ends tomorrow) where you can get all access at any one club for one year for $200 if you prepay. That’s less than $17/month. No commitment (aside from the upfront money), no additional fees, no monthly charges. Even if I end up only using it a couple of times a month, it would still be worth it. There’s a huge facility just over three miles from my house, and it’s on the route between home and work. It even has a pool so I can swim some laps. The group classes (yoga, cycling, etc) are included. If I had known gym membership was so cheap, I would’ve signed up sooner.
I like having the one year limited time membership, since that gives me a long time, all four seasons, to see if this is something that fits my lifestyle. My current plan is to stop at the gym on the way home from work a couple of times a week for some cardio, and then maybe work up to some resistance training and such. It will be a switch for me, since when I jog, I do it in the morning to get it out of the way for the day. At the end of the work day, I don’t feel as much like exercising. But something in my body seems to be telling me I need to try a different schedule. I am a tad worried that after-work is peak time and I may not always be able to find a machine I want (especially the treadmills), but we’ll see how it goes. I may try some weekend morning sessions too.
I’m also kind of worried that I don’t know the first thing about using a gym, but I’m sure I’ll adjust. The center provides a fitness orientation session, which I have scheduled for late next week, so I’m sure that will help. I just have to be sure to not overdo it and injure myself. You all know how prone I am to injuries.
So, cross your fingers that this isn’t just another one of my crazy ideas or fads. I hope the membership is something I’ll actually use. And of course, it doesn’t preclude my morning jogs, though I’m sure if I use the gym regularly I’ll be doing less jogging. Although I can’t be doing less than I’m doing now!
I just know I’ve got to do something, anything to get into shape. I feel like such a lardbutt, it’s ridiculous. I weigh more than I’ve weighed in many, many years and I get sore and injured way too easily. Time to get this body into shape. Woo hoo!
Okay, now my hands are tired from all the typing. Time for a nap.
Latre.
Videogame(s) Played Recently: PlayStation Home (PS3, beta), Lego Indiana Jones (PS3), Wipeout HD (PS3)
Comments
5 Responses to “Tried To Be Fit”
December 20th, 2008 @ 7:19 pm
I tried to sign up at 24-hour Fitness years ago when I first went freelance and adopted a mostly-nocturnal schedule. Oddly enough, I showed up around 2:am and they refused to let me join – I had to come back during business hours!
I patiently explained that if I could come during business hours, I would probably be joining a gym closer to my home, but the guy didn’t appear to be swayed by my logic…
And it’s now been nearly 3 years since moving out of the apartment building that had a gym (and before that I’d had to ditch all my own equipment while moving to California) during which time I’ve had a handful of real workouts. Exercise equipment has never been affordable and gyms just aren’t right for me, so I’ve become pathetically unfit – it sucks!
Get a treadmill and plop it in front of the TV if you have to. Or rowing machines are good too, quieter and you get a back workout along with your cardio.
December 20th, 2008 @ 7:51 pm
My family has joined gyms twice, but after the first month we just don’t find ourselves going very often. I did jog this morning, but we haven’t been hit with any sidewalk slipping ice storms yet.
So for a while it will be just me and the WiiFit.
December 20th, 2008 @ 8:29 pm
Treadmill running is an adjustment–it is just a different feeling altogether than running a real route. But the good news is, you can adjust, and you will, and the ol’ iPod helps. And if your gym has a steam room: aagh! Heaven!
I belong to a 24-hour gym and it is a godsend on inclement days, or crazy work days when the only time I can exercise is at 10:30 PM, not the safest time to be out on the street.
Good luck–I hope you like it!
December 21st, 2008 @ 3:30 pm
Oprah is fat again, despite her access to the best fitness trainers and personal chefs in the world. I give up. If Oprah can’t stay in shape how can I?
December 22nd, 2008 @ 3:58 pm
I’m trying to decide between buying a stationary bike and getting a Denver Rec Center membership. The membership is cheap because my taxes already pay part of it, but if I have a bike at home I can put on one of those ‘bike riding through Europe’ videos.