Thursday, July 21, 2011

why the Y?


So...the other day me, my daughter Jenny and friend Rachel joined the YMCA in town. It's less than a mile from our house although it isn't the most modern one you'll ever go to. I had shared on a previous post that I had checked out the Y along with another place that is open 24 hours and was 10 dollars cheaper per month. The drawbacks were that it is about 6 miles away and was filled with very young and buff people. The Y had all ages and sizes so it won out as the better choice.
We tried out the equipment after paying our dues and I quickly learned that an elliptical is a lot harder than an exercise bike and I get a little motion sick on a treadmill. Ha!!
A young man showed us how to use all the fitness gadgets and asked if we had any questions, but of course we didn't because when you are fitness center illiterate, you can't think of a single thing to ask. It was a little warmish to me in the workout area even though there were ceiling fans throughout the room. And it was mostly teenage boys in the weight lifting area so we determined to NEVER, no NEVER venture over in that direction. The regular strength training machines would have to do.
After struggling to do 5 minutes on the elliptical, I began to rethink my decision. The Y requires a written cancellation 30 days in advance when you want to quit, and I began rehearsing the letter in my mind.
"Dear YMCA, I am afraid that it is not going to "work out" between us. I am too self conscious, too old, too fat, and way too HOT!!!!
Thanks,
Darlene Franchi"
Well, today I went by myself for the first time and used the exercise bike for one hour. If you know anything about me,you know that I have an exercise bike at home and usually do an hour a day on it. So...weird way to make use of my monthly fee, huh? You see, I am taking baby steps with this health club stuff. I need to get used to just being there before I can tackle all the new fangled machinery. Like the elliptical. ( I managed to do 6 minutes and 35 seconds on it the second time there )
Hopefully I can last there until the cool mornings of Fall begin and I can return to my beautiful and refreshing walks at Noccalula Falls or in the historic neighborhood nearby.

2 comments:

  1. :) We joined the Y once too! We went faithfully at first and then just paid them every month for holding our spots --hee-- for a long time. I too tried the elliptical and found it very hard - looks so easy, doesn't it? Does yours have a pool? That is what I took advantage of most.

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  2. Sooo funny, but this is exactly how my mind works, and I would have been doing the cancellation letter in my head as I was handing over my first payment LOL - Good Luck!

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