Ok so every January, gyms all over the country see their memberships surge. Thousands (perhaps even hundreds of thousands) vow every single year that this will be the year that they are going to get in shape, work out, eat healthy, etc. And 3 week later they are back to being lazy.
So this year, I am doing things a little differently. Today, I am heading down to my local gym and cancel my membership. Why, you ask? Well – I’ve been paying for this stupid membership for over a year ($20/month – that I really, really don’t have) & never going. I’ve gone maybe 10 times this year (& it was probably by force every time). I’ve started referring to my gym membership as my “lazy fee” – as in, I pay $20/month so that I can at least feel good about the possibility of perhaps one day going to the gym, but really not ever going.
But I do have a treadmill in my house… & a yoga mat & exercise ball… & a bunch of yoga/pilates DVDs… & a TV that points directly at the treadmill. So why should I continue to pay $20/month when I could do my workout at home, for free, without strangers judging me? (… & if I decide to not to my workout at home, well – at least it didn’t cost me $20/month.)
My dad is a gym rat. (Ok well, not really. He is just a guy who frequents the gym every morning. But he isn’t one of those huge scary dudes that is amped up on steroids and glistening.) He goes to the gym literally every single morning. Even when he fell off a ladder (way to go, Pops) and broke 3 ribs and his elbow (for a grand total of 7 breaks) he still tried to get to the gym in the mornings to use the stationary bikes to stay in shape. So, if he can do it, then I can definitely run a couple miles on the treadmill. And once the snow clears, the sun comes back up, & it’s no longer frigid outside, I will hit the streets…
And sure – I won’t be able to go tanning for free anymore, but that’s a good thing. I am trying to avoid skin cancer at all costs. I haven’t been tanning since April, & even then it was just a few times in order to get ready for a cruise (…& I didn’t even go at the gym, I went to a tanning salon, go figure). So not being able to go tanning for free will just work to dissuade me from tanning in the first place. (Although, to be honest, my olive complexion looks icky when I’m not tan. My old boss actually told me I was “looking a little green” and asked if I needed to go home. I had to explain that this was my skin’s version of being “pasty”.)
And when I finally get a job, I will most likely join the same gym that my sister & her friend belong to, so that we can go to the classes together. But until then – I will make do with what I have, and stop spending that ridiculous extra $20/month.
And I included the obligatory “L” in the title of this post, which obviously stands for “Laundry”. I will continue to do my laundry at home, for free. And in the process, irritate my entire family because apparently I am the slowest laundry do-er ever. Sorry y’all.