Marching to the Gym....

(ONE MORE DAY to enter my giveaway! Tell your friends! Shout from the rooftops! Make it happen!)
BTW: Being the Master of Karate And Friendship for Everyone WILL grant you an extra entry. If you can quote more songs from my favorite show bonus entries will be yours!

Thanks for the advice on adding bacon to Brussels Sprouts too- BRILLIANT! Bacon is my favorite food and I firmly believe that if improves the taste of anything.

Well, now that my sales pitch/thank you letter is over we'll get down to the business at hand. My Foray into the world of backcountry Gyms!

After tumbling headfirst into a ditch last week due to falling over my frozen feet I determined that running in single digit temps is not for me. I am a brave gal- I work in excess of 10 hours per day outside in the harsh, unforgiving elements. To be rather blunt, the last thing I enjoy is doing ANY additional activities outdoors during this ghastly time of year. And clearly it is becoming unsafe for me... Doom!

Those of you who have been following along know that a treadmill has been on my horizons of things to acquire. Two major things got up in my way: The vehicle that the Huz calls his went and died on him, resulting in a repair bill close to $400. Yowza! The propane tank needed to get filled (we have geothermal heat- which is awesomesauce- but we use propane for hot water and fill the tank yearly.) Anywho that was another $300 of pocket change out the door. No fun fund treadmill money for me at this time. No running on the road for me either, for obvious safety issued due to my epic lack of coordination. With my 10K just around the corner hanging up the running shoes and being as lazy as my Dog was NOT going to happen.

So I bit the bullet, and headed to the Gym.

We need to backtrack just a teensy bit for one moment. First of all driving to the Gym is no little thing around these parts. It matters not which direction I go in, any of the (THREE) gyms in the "area" are a minimum of a 20 minute drive- one way. This means that logically I am going to have to give up either eating breakfast or lunch, or just do so in my car (that was my end decision, not enough hours in the day damnit!) The other matter that required a bit of mulling over way my desire for solitude while exercising. I don't love chatty Cathy's on the treadmill next door (unless I know them) I'm not always a fan of the Gym owners/employees who don't understand why I do not wish to upgrade my membership to include Zumba classes and perks I will not use. I might enjoy those things but I don't have the time! AAKK! By far the biggest issue for me was the amount of time/money I'd be spending to do something that I can normally do for free..... All I could imagine was hauling my booty off to the gym during my beloved lunch break only to find that all of the treadmills were in use, and having to leave without getting a run in, shamefaced and desolate (dramatic imaginings by yours truly.)

I was able to make a quick decision on what Gym to go to based on two factors. Price (cheap as anything!) and Meathead-free factors (female owner of Gym did not harass me to upgrade membership or to pump iron!) The Gym looks to be straight out of the 80's and even has a step aerobics class, which is so charmingly retro that perhaps I'll dig up my high top sneakers and join in the fun?! The equipment is in excellent condition even though it is obviously as old as I am, but the real plus is that the place is deserted and so far I have not seen another soul. Perfect for my anti social tendencies (but bad if the coordination thing becomes a factor and I tumble off my treadmill...)

Week one at said Gym was a great success- it got me out of the sub zeros, I did a decent amount of mileage, and all of this for only a fistful of change that I dug out of the couch cushions. I'm hoping that my luck continues with the (lack of) crowds there and I'm able to do what I need to do with no waiting involved... So far, so good!