after four years in nyc, i finally joined a gym.
as with anything in the city, gym membership is not cheap so i actually put some thought into it. you see, in my head the gym is this over air conditioned cess pool of sweat with a weird guy doing squats in the corner and big-boobed women running on treadmills. why is the gym filled with good looking people who don't even need to be at the gym?
while filling out membership paperwork, i kept thinking about ross gellar yelling "i wanna quit the gym!"
i have never felt the need to join a gym as i to and fro about the city by foot or bike. exercise comes in different forms and the gym is merely one way to do so.
then comes winter. the winter funky funks come around due to lack of movement and sunlight and by gosh i might just be a happier person come january-ish if i turn into a gym whore. but forget winter, i'm here to tell you that i can barely carry a bag of groceries mere city blocks. my lower half is constantly being exercised, but from the waist up i may turn to mush.
if i HATE the gym so much, then what could the gym offer me?
classes! oh, the classes. zumba, vinyasa yoga, barre burn (some sort of ballet class?), and yoga again.
classes! oh, the classes. zumba, vinyasa yoga, barre burn (some sort of ballet class?), and yoga again.
my cliché lululemons and myself have been to several yoga classes thus far and i kinda feel like a new woman. but isn't that what every new gym member says? figured.
25 comments:
Congratulations. :) I think it will help in winter. As a Chicagoan, I know that keeping active in winter keeps me from feeling like a sloth.
-Sonya
I had a gym membership for the first 7 or so years that I lived here. The classes are definitely worth it. Training for the new york marathon now... so don't need the gym much these days.
I'm one of those weirdo people that loves working out in a gym- probably because I'm bad at running outside and prefer air conditioning and a treadmill. But, I'm definitely with you on the winter blues- I really need the exercise to keep my spirits up!
Hilarious. The classes are totally worth it though. I have never felt so good in my life after taking prenatal yoga.
ha! definitely feel your pain on this one. went to gym in chelsea (nyc), where it seemed like the only one sweating was me!
the convenience of classes taking place at one location is pretty awesome, though. i quit the gym and have to run all over town to get everything in.
elita
This is typically how I work out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDCxH88-9X8&feature=related
I'd been wondering about signing up for a gym myself. The most convenient one would be a whopping $100 a month! For the time being, I think I'll just stick to my usual walks around the neighborhood (maybe an exercise video here and there). I might change my mind once the colder weather sets in.
Congrats, though! Everyone I know that goes to a gym regularly loves it. My sister takes Bikram and says she's addicted!
I'm so impressed–and it seems like you found a good one! The gym always seems like such an unhappy place, and I always end up doing yoga in my living room instead of sharing a studio with a lot of other sweaty women comparing our warrior pose. I once nearly broke my hip in a ballet class, so I KNOW other women must do it, too. :)
Cute post....calls em as u sees em!!!!! Have fun!!!
I wish I had the discipline (and time) to go to regular yoga. I prefer to exercise outdoors, but I'm with you on this one: I'd join purely for the classes.
Haha no lie, I instantly thought of Ross when I saw the title of this post! Good for you...the gym still frightens me.
Brooke
There's no gym here, but for the most part my sisters and I all do something every day. I swim in the morning and they run and do video work outs in the evening. I won't be able to swim as the winter gets here, but I'm hoping to keep it up! It really does make you feel so much better! And you notice when you skip ;)
For those that fear the gym, I can highly recommend bodyrock.tv. They post a new, completely free workout each day that you can do at home in 12 minutes.
If that sounds too good to be true, let me point out that the website is difficult to navigate, the exercises are a bit complicated, and this stuff is really, really hard.
However, I get better results than I ever got at the gym and appreciate being able to sweat it out in the privacy of my own home.
Haha! Love my lululemons...hope to put them back to work soon. ;)
im right there with you!! gym classes are a life saver in the winter though
I swear by Zumba, but it give it 3 classes. The first one you will feel lost and frustrated. The second one you'll remember hearing some of the music before and it becomes a little less frustrating. The third one is about when things start to make sense. And remember, nobody is watching, we're all too busy watching ourselves in the mirror. Have fun!
elizabeth-
ha! thanks for the good advice.
Good for you!! I used to belong to the gym but laziness and lack of finances forced me to give it up a couple years ago. The classes are great, though - I loved the barre class I took!
Haha, I just joined a gym a couple weeks ago. Mine doesn't offer fancy classes or towel service, but I'm only paying $8.25/month (in Brooklyn nonetheless!), so what the heck. And, I like going to donation-based classes for yoga. They feel so... wholesome. :)
Good luck! Hope your membership sticks!
You will love the Barre class. It's crazy good and muscles you didn't even know you had will ache in the best way possible.
and btw, I loved that episode of Friends. I can't believe it's on Nick at Night.
I used to be a gym girl, but since a couple of years back I just can't stand the gym atmosphere. So, instead, I'm doing floor exercises in my living room and have come up with a thousand ways to use a dumbbell. Some say it's hard to motivate yourself, but my motivation is that by training at home, I'm allowed to skip the gym ;-)
I'm the big boobed girl on the treadmill, but my boobs are real and the treadmill is softer on my knees than running outside. Oh and there's nothing better than classes. Yoga and pilates have literally made me stronger enough to handle my 150 lb dog. Gym it!
lonely wife-
you're the big-boobed gym girl i'm jealous of!
The winter makes me sad too. Seasonal depression is such a bummer. But this winter I worked out like 3-4 times a week and it made me feel SO much better. And toned arms are hot. So I think you made a good choice!! Plus, I highly doubt you'll regret it.
GOOD LUCK GYMMING!
Love the friends reference!
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