Joining the gym

I admit it---I am a fair weather runner. During the spring and fall, running outside is awesome. Back in Kentucky, March and April were my favorite months, because the weather was PERFECT for outdoor running.  Especially after being cooped up all winter.  Running in the cold or running on the treadmill is just not exciting.  The clean, spring air. The beautiful blue sky. The mild wind instead of the harsh winter blows. Yes, running in the spring is definitely my favorite time of year.

Now, after moving to Boston, I KNEW I was going to join a gym.  Boston got over 100" of snow last year, and since I have never lived in an area with such harsh winters, I started scouting out places to join. I did not have to look long, since GymIt is literally within a short walking distance of the house. (Though when the snow starts falling, I will start driving there. No need to slip on ice to get my exercise on!).

While the weather has been decent the first few months here, the winter is still several months away, I decided the last day of September was the perfect time to join, for several reason. 1) In an effort to lose weight, I need to add strength training to my workout routine, and I was itching to get started on that regiment. 2) It was my birthday this week, so I had some extra month to help pay for it. The good thing about GymIt is that their monthly fee is only $20, so it is perfect for those of us on a budget. 3) The weather was turning into nasty weather. It went from 80 degrees to 50 degrees almost overnight.

I walked into the gym and asked about working out as a "try it before you buy it", and they agreed!  Wow, loving this place already!  I entered my information into their system, and away I went into their facility. I was really, really blown away by the place! There were at least 20 televisions in front of the 100+ cardio machines.  They have treadmills, rowing machines, a variety of different styles of elliptical machines, arc machines.  You name it, they probably have it. There is a weight section with free weights, TRX machine, as well as weight machines.  They also have a large area of free space so you can lay out a yoga mat to stretch, or just create your own little space to complete your workout. They have a locker room, complete with showers, and (of course) lockers, which can either be rented on a monthly basis, or used on a daily basis, as long as you take your lock off each day.

One thing that I was TRULY impressed with (on top of everything that I mentioned above) was how CLEAN the place was!! For $20 a month, you expect some run-down place that has three working machines and maybe 10 free weights, with dirt and grime all over the place. But this place was spin and span, not a single spec of dirt in sight! Wow, I almost want to say it was cleaner than my house. But I have two small boys living there, a ballpark would be cleaner than my house right now.

Overall, I am really satisfied with my choice, and am very excited to see how my weight will drop (hopefully) and to diversify my workout routine.