my gyms, a not so brief history

Why do I love going the gym? Because it's ME time! I love getting an hour's break from my kids and pushing myself hard, because I know it will be over soon. I work out because I like the way my jeans fit when I go to the gym regularly but mostly because I eat more chocolate than you do everyday and I want my jeans to still fit.... And all those endorphins just make you feel so good. Yes gym memberships cost money but I think of it as 1) my "free" (I've already paid for it so it's not going to cost any more money) out of the house event of the day....no aimless Target aisle wanderings for me and 2) I think of it as an investment in my health. I never exercised regularly until I was a mom with a gym membership and I love that it's added a whole new part of "me" to my life. I know some of you have the self discipline to work out at home, but I don't. Associating exercise with going to a gym is what works for me.

We go to a new gym now in this initial Utah chapter of our lives. It's pretty unique and I'll tell you why in a minute but first a look back at the previous gyms in my life.

Our family first bought a gym membership at a YMCA in Kansas City. Here I discovered that I like to exercise and love Zumba, weight lifting, step aerobics, and yoga sometimes with a special retiree from my ward....

Then there was a Y in St. Louis but only for a couple months. Elliott took swimming with Daddy and I went probably about 5 times. This gym had the first "multi-step" aerobics class I'd ever been to. In that class we used anywhere from 2-4 different steps in our combinations. Talk about brain-overload for a sleep deprived new mommy. I had to stay alert so I wouldn't go to the wrong step and cause a crashing domino line of sweaty people. We cancelled our membership there because I started walking/jogging with Lisa at 6AM Mon-Fri in the big park by our neighborhood. That is my only time to ever have had an exercise buddy. It rocked! Nothing like setting the alarm to wake up at 5:30ish to nurse your baby and know your friend is counting on you to be on her door at 6. I was amazed anyone wanted to see my face at 6am so when she asked I said yes and we rarely missed a day from April until we moved in June. I still mourn the loss of the great daily conversations we had. Moving sucks. I digress.

Then there was a swanky gym in North Carolina. I miss the HARD yoga and fitness classes that were taught by personal trainers there. Thanks to the hard trainers in the classes, I pushed myself harder than ever. I also grew to like running on the fancy shmancy treadmills because they had little fans that would blow on my face as I would crank my Avril Lavigne on my ipod and play solitaire on the touch screen treadmill screen. Enter shin splints. Ouch. I really want to get into running greater distances than 3 miles but it just makes me ache. Oh well. I'm reading a book now about running form that I hope will help.

So after we got settled in a bit here we joined the local rec center. It's amazing. Not swanky. There's no fans on these treadmills, but there's an ice skating rink, 3 pools, a running track, racquet ball courts, a work out room, free fitness classes, and (not free) child care all for $40/month for the whole family. Elliott just excelled at Preschool Level 1 swimming lessons and we've been going to the indoor waterpark area weekly as a family.

But for me the highlight of the gym is the indoor running track. It's on the 3rd floor and is surrounded at least half of the way with windows. Out one window wall you can see the great Salt Lake and out the other wall you can see the mountains (still snow on the top) and the Bountiful Temple. It's just gorgeous. Often when I'm there there is an elderly couple holding hands walking on the track. Sometimes the lady has to sit out a lap but her husband meets up with her again and grabs her hand and leads her around the track another time. It makes me think of the quote "Grow old with me. The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made."

At one point in the track you can also look down at the ice skating rink and watch the kids who are obviously being home schooled and the parents are paying to rent the rink hourly so their kid can practice to be the next Michelle Kwan. One day I say a girl who looked to be about 7 sitting down on the ice with her legs sprawled out and her fists balled up pounding the ice and she was crying. Frustration. She displayed what I've felt COUNTLESS times over the last 16 years of playing the horn. I wanted to yell out to her, "Don't give up! Use that frustrated energy to fix it/learn it/master it! What if you are the next Michelle Kwan!!!"

Earlier this week I shook what my momma gave me (or didn't give me) in Zumba right next to a current Biggest Loser contestant who was shaking off the pounds for the finale next week! She looks amazing and it was so inspiring to sweat it up next to her!

Yep I'd say going to the gym is pretty rewarding. I'm so blessed to have a healthy body that can do what I ask of it. Anybody else watch NieNie on 20/20 last night?