Gym Renewal

It has now been one year since we starting to go to the gym and work out as often as we can. For the last little while we haven’t been going very often but hopefully once the weather cools down a little bit we will get back to going.

Membership tag

Our membership was for one year so we figured that considering we joined on August 12^th it was time to go and renew our membership. I am glad that we knew the date that we joined because we didn’t receive any type of notification letting us know that our membership was coming to an end. Yes, there is an option where Fit4Less will take money out of your bank account every two weeks if you select that option but we didn’t do that. We paid the up front membership for a year and that included a joining fee.

We went into the gym on the 12^th of August again this year to renew our membership only to discover a few things that seem to be inefficient for a company like Fit4Less. For the first thing not letting members know that their membership is about to elapse wasn’t good and something that I feel they need to improve on. Now when we went into our local gym there were a few more issues that I don’t blame the local gym about but the business as a whole.

To renew our membership we were required to complete the paper work that we did a year ago all over again. Yes, this is like joining the gym for a second time. The system doesn’t even allow the employees to just click a renew button on a membership but they have to re-enter all the information all over again. Yes, this is now a new membership because we paid our balance all at once. The new membership includes a joining fee because that is the cost of the key tag and being set up in the system. I cannot believe that after being with a gym for a year we were charged the joining fee for a second time. If this is the way that the gym operates it means that they will be losing members because people will either forget to renew or refuse to pay the joining fee each year.

The two of us have paid our membership for the year up front so that it means that if we decide not to go Fit4Less doesn’t have to collect the cancellation fee for the remainder of the year commitment. Fit4Less also has the reduced cost of not having to set up a process where the transaction is done on a bi-weekly schedule increasing their costs. The only benefit of doing the bi-weekly transaction would have been that we didn’t have the joining fee but have the increased our banking fees.

I am extremely disappointed about how the renewal of the gym membership was handled by Fit4Less but don’t blame the local gym. They can only do what the corporation tells them they can do. The process needs to improve otherwise Fit4Less is going to have some extremely upset former members.

The Gym -- 12 weeks in

It is hard to believe but I have been going to the gym now for 12 weeks and am loving it. Of course my muscles sometimes don't like the after effects of the workout but I am feeling very good about going.

I continue to try some of the different equipment that is at the gym and now I think I have only a couple more pieces to try that are not in the free weight area. It has been interesting seeing how some of the equipment that I had such a hard time using at the beginning is getting easier and easier to use now.

The one machine that is used twice most times is the one for the abdominal muscles. I have been able to increase the weight that I have been doing on this machine so I know that it is making me stronger as doors are so much easier to open now.  Most of the weights that I started with have increased on all the machines and that is wonderful because I know I am getting stronger in general. I have found that I can do sit ups now that I wasn't able to do in the past and I enjoy doing the most of the time. For me to make sit ups work I have had to hold a 4 kg exercise ball while doing them but at least it means I can do them now. The only times I have had a problem doing them is after really working those same muscles on different equipment or while watching my husband try and do them beside me as he was having real problems doing them.

No, the weight hasn't been going down quickly but things have been getting easier for me to do. My briefcase doesn't feel as heavy as it did when I started going to the gym and I haven't taken things out of it. I think I may have even increased what I am carrying as I normally have a textbook wit me when I go to the office now. Our clothes are fitting differently as well which is a big thing and that shows we are doing the right things. We think the increase in muscle mass is currently getting in the way of weight dropping off faster.

This past week we decided that besides going to the gym we were going to try and do some walking that we haven't done before. The walk we decided to do was the walk home from the office instead of taking transit. The 6 km route isn't bad and it is something that we figured we were in shape now to do it. We accomplished this in just over an hour so not bad considering there were traffic lights and such that we had to deal with. This walk was accomplished after doing another 2.2 km walk earlier in the day so yes we pushed ourselves that day but felt good afterwards.

The gym is a place that I am still enjoying going and I am looking forward to seeing people that I haven't seen for a while and hoping that they notice a difference in me. While the weight isn't where I would like it to be yet but at least just being able to feel better in myself if a huge step.

The treadmill is still a piece of equipment that I love using and I am normally on it between 20 and 30 minutes most trips to the gym. I haven't tried a 5 km walk in a few weeks so I think it is time for me to try that again and see how fast I can now complete it. I can see that it should be under the hour mark now but not sure how much under the hour.

One goal that I have set for myself is for next spring/summer and that is to complete a 5 km event. Being able to complete that event in a good time would be very rewarding. If I could possibly run a little bit of it that would even be better but that will have to wait as I need to make sure I don't re-injure a knee that sometimes reminds me to slow a bit.

As I write this, I am sitting and feeling a few muscles that I used yesterday but I know that the pain isn't bad and it is worth it in the long run. I am getting stronger and fitter and that is what I wanted to do. 12 weeks of going to the gym have made a big difference in how I am feeling and I hope that this continues.

Gym membership - 5 weeks in

If you had asked me a year ago if I would have been going to a gym on a regular basis I probably would have said no to you. Now I can say I am enjoying going to a gym and am happy about it.

Five weeks ago we had a gym open within walking distance from our home and that was one of the big selling points to us. Neither one of us wanted to have to drive or take transit to get to the gym and we also didn't want the personal trainers or all the classes that a lot of gyms offer. What we wanted was a gym where we could work out and basically be our own bosses for our exercises and that is what we found. The other nice selling point was something that was reasonable priced and that is also what we got.

We have been going to the gym now for five weeks and I am loving it. The routine is to try and get to the gym between two and three times a week if our schedule allows us to do that. Being able to walk to it also means that one of us can go even when the other one can't go for any reason. Our gym bag is now always sitting close to the front door ready to go so that when we decide to go there isn't the having to prepare the gym bag as it is ready.

For us the purpose of the gym is to get fit and be happy however building big muscles has never been high on the list of things we want to accomplish. The gym offers us the flexibility to do what we want and for how long we want without someone watching over us and saying we should do so many of each certain exercise each time we are at the gym. We have been enjoying going and our routine at the gym differs each time we are there.

The routine that I started with was walking a 5km walk on the treadmill with some other small exercises thrown in before and after that walk. Now my routine is more like 20 minutes on the treadmill at a higher speed and then more time on all the other equipment that I want to work on that trip to the gym. Of course, there is one machine that always get used and that is the one for working on the abdominal muscles. I am now normally using that machine twice each trip to the gym as it is my starting machine and ending of the trip.

The things that have really changed for me is my comfort about myself being at a gym and how I can actually do things. 5 weeks ago me completing the 5 km walk in under 60 minutes was a major milestone and if I could walk it at 3.1 miles an hour that was wonderful. Now I spend 20 minutes on the treadmill normally at around 3.4 miles an hour with sprints at 4.5 miles an hour so that is a big difference for me. I am now looking forward to getting the sprints longer and the amount of walking in the 20 minutes down but I that is going to take some time before I am running the entire 20 minutes.

One of the biggest things that happened was this past week. A friend of mine saw me for the first time since we joined the gym and she noticed a change in me. Of course, I haven't been really working on a lot of areas yet but she did notice that there is a change in my appearance/shape and that made me extremely happy. For me knowing that I have been making some changes in my life and I have been feeling some differences in how clothes fit makes me very happy.

The gym is something that I am really enjoying and now I am very determined to keep at it as we are also getting rid of some weight in this process. The weight isn't leaving quickly but I can say that in the last 5 weeks both of us have gotten rid of 3 pounds each so that is great. I am feeling stronger already and I can also walk at a faster pace normally now.

A gym is helping me change me in some good ways and I wonder what I will be like when I reach the three months of going.

Gym memberships

It is very interesting to investigate the various types of gyms and their memberships. There are gyms that offer swimming pools, fitness classes, personal trainers and all of that. There are some gyms that offer just a few of those things and then there are the gyms that offer you the equipment and you set your own routine while you are there.

As you can guess, the prices of these gyms vary a great deal as well and that is something that you have to consider when you are going to get a membership. The first thing you need to do is figure out what you want in a gym and what you don't want. It is always fun to look at the gym memberships and see what they include and what you are really going to use.

For me I want a gym where I can go and work out and not be looked at because of my weight or fitness level. I have always looked at people going to gyms and said that I would love to be able to go but I just wanted the freedom to go when I wanted without the pressure of a trainer looking at me and trying to focus things on me.

I have finally found a gym where I can go and do what I want to do without the pressure of anyone looking at me and saying that either I don't belong or I need to do specific exercises and how often I am “required” to do specific exercises. I now have a gym membership where I can go and do the exercises that I want to do each time I go and I am not forced to do other things. There are no personal trainers, classes, pool or even showers but it is what I want in a gym. I am looking forward to getting fit and that is the main thing about all of this. I want to be happy with my accomplishments each time I go and that is the only person that I need to make happy.

A gym needs to be for you and you need to figure out exactly what you are looking for in one. Of course, price is something else that is probably going to impact your decision. For me, it is a gym that I can walk to from home and now to see how I can continue to get fit. Off for a work-out and then will see what else I accomplish today.