Are You Ready for Some Fitness?

So weight watchers is still going good.  I've lost over 6 pounds (even after I went a week without tracking and felt like I was eating too much).  The gal who is leading the meetings that I attend is very funny and down to earth.  I like her a lot.  She told us that Charles Barkley is going to be a new spokes person for weight watchers--and that there is a new component to get us more active.

Well, curves is not working for me anymore.  I used to go early in the morning--walking there.  It was a nice habit, but now I take the train and that is not going to work.  The curves near my new place is dark and very, very crowded.  Not ideal.

Annie had a heartattack two years ago and she got a personal trainer who helped her lose weight and get fit.  Doesn't it sound really expensive to get a personal trainer.  Annie is perpetually unemployed and always broke, so when she said that she had a personal trainer, it started to sound doable.  I recently saw her and she told me that she couldn't afford the personal trainer any longer, but that she goes to the gym religiously.  She belongs to LA Fitness and the price was more reasonable than I thought it would be.  So I looked into locations.  There's one near weight watchers, but not my new place and not the office.  So then I looked at 24 hour fitness--there's one by the office, but not that close to my new place.  Then I looked at Ballys.  This is the place that I joined when I was twenty something and purchased a two year membership that I NEVER used.  I had the key chain that I used and called my $300 key chain, but I digress.  I poked my head into the Ballys and it was crowded and depressing.  I don't like gyms and I like that it was women only at curves.

So then I looked at Total Woman.  There is one by the new place and the office.  I forced myself to go inside and just look after the leader at weight watchers recommended it.  It was lovely.  Not crowded.  Actually rich looking because they also have a spa.  So in my head, I'm thinking, yea, this would be nice, but I can't afford this place.

You know how you are supposed to avoid three people in life:  used car salesman, time share salesperson and gym membership sales persons.  I broke my own carnal rule and sat down with the very nice (not disgustingly skinny or athletic) gym membership sales person.  She took me on a tour.  Very nice.  There's a hot tub.  I don't like hot tubs, but it was so warm in that room that I wanted to like hot tubs.  There was a zumba class going on.  I could do that.  That actually looks kindof fun.  Now the gym part had lots of treadmills and stationary bikes and stair things and funny looking machines, but it was also an optical illusion, because there were mirrors on all of the walls.  It looked a lot bigger than it was and I had to remind myself over and over--it is not crowded because everyone is in the zumba class and there are fewer machines than it appears.  But it was too late.  I was smiling approvingly from ear to ear.  It looked awesome.

When we sat down to talk brass tacks, I was astonished at the price.  It is less than curves.  How is that possible?  And there is no charge for the classes.  When I belonged to 24 hour fitness for a minute, the classes were extra.  The salesperson said that there was no charge for the babysitting (really cute room for the kids on Saturday when I have them), but later she gave me a gift card to cover a month of free babysitting.  The spa stuff is separate and costs, but the facial that I wanted was on special.  (You can see this starting to add up--but wait...)  So now I was feeling like maybe I should have a personal trainer to get me started.  There was a special:  4 half sessions for only $200.  It was pricey but maybe doable.  This is my health.  My life is toast if I can't walk and my knees are going in that direction.  I could amortize this cost over the year and then it is not so bad to spend a bit more. 

If you have guessed that very charming sales person did not recommend trying to get started with just four half sessions, you win.  She talked me into a bit more than that and I am amortizing in my head over more than just one year.  Also, the contract reminds me of the waste disposal contract that we had at the condo.  There was a one week period once a year that you were allowed to cancel the contract without being charged for an additional penalty of one years contract price.  This contract is not that bad, but it is harsh.  I can cancel anytime with 15 days notice before the monthly payment date.  I've paid for first and last month, so I have gym membership for another 45 days after I cancel.  I can save $24 per year, if I pay for a year in advance, but I'm not willing to pay for a year in advance until I know that I will go enough to make it worth it.

So my new personal trainer called me.  I set her straight right away--no diet advice.  [I have made dieticians cry--it is not pretty.]  To her credit, she agreed as long as I don't faint.  She won't tolerate anorexia.  I laughed for a long time at that one and assured her, there'd be no fainting.  She wants me to bring a towel, because she said that I will sweat.  I told her that she has me confused with an athlete, but that if she thinks she can get me to sweat enough to need a towel, she can try.  We'll see.  Healthy, sure; crazy; not so much.

Stay tuned.