Today has me tidying the house, checking out my new scale & wondering how I got so fat. This time comes every year, & sometimes I think I should listen to those people who don’t believe in resolutions. I am reminded that there inevitably will always be those persons who don’t seek to better themselves; those who won’t want to know, who just want to consume, without knowing the cost.

I’m looking at my new Taylor scale thinking I should get a gym. I should just buy the stuff that I would use at a normal gym, and
make a place in the basement; set aside an area – and workout. No monthly payment, just more equipment whenever I feel like I should mix it up differently. Now I’m at Target eying the dumbbell coated in something bouncy and colorful. I’m eyeing the half moon bouncy ball that’s glues onto a plastic circle for balance toning; I’m thinking about getting a shag-carpet downstairs
& another HDTV so I can just move the KINECT that my mind’s-eye sees fitting perfectly in this basement gym space. It’s
all just past the ELLIPTICAL. That’s when I sigh. I should just suck it up & get the gym membership. Cedar Falls doesn’t have a
“24Hour Fitness“, but I’m over it. I can’t be running in the snow every morning. & I don’t have the 3 grand to shell out for
a nice elliptical machine. Last year the Wii Fit had me wondering how practical a video game gym would be. This year the benefits or perceived benefits XBox360′s KINECT fitness program seems to bring the same arguments, the same questions are catching me a year later. And so it mulls around in my head.

Some of the benefits of a monthly gym membership i’m missing are:

1. Small initial start up to get going
2. clean sterile environment
3. fellow gym goers motivate by having similar goals
4. top of the line equipment
5. hot chicks (eye candy)

Downside

 

 

• monthly fee
• have to share with other
  members
• people eying u
• have to make it INTO the gym
• time
  schedule
• you are on the go, so food or other
  expenses may result

Benefit of KINECT (& home gym approach):

1. No monthly fee
2. you aren’t paying for time you don’t use
3. don’t have to share
    

   

Despite Iowa‘s (or more specifically Cedar Falls & Waterloo’s) lack of a 24 Hour Fitness; or anything close, there are some solutions out there which provide excellent exercise before work possibilities – but you have to hunt for them.  Sometimes, however – they find you; [eg: stomping through thick snow].

When I was in Goleta, California – I chose Goleta Valley Athletic Club as my gym because Bargain Network INC. was two blocks away. I loved this place. GTL all under one roof! When I got back to Orange County, I picked back up with 24 Hour Fitness, a high intensity workout regimen, diet & supplement routine. Something I look to start up again this year.

After grabbing Papa Murphey’s – (a bake it yourself pizza franchise we like to frequent), i sprinted over to World Wide Fitness in Cedar Falls to check out their set up.  The equipment looks great.  doesn’t seem to be a lot of people in there today, but it’s Sunday, and the 2nd of January.  I wanted to grab a pamphlet and check out their prices – but there wasn’t anyone at the desk.  That’s right – the desk was unmanned.  With only about 4 people in the place, it just looked like the person took off for a bite to eat, or had a smoke break – maybe they couldn’t hold it.  I left after 5 minutes.  My plan is to compare this with the place on University & Main that has the Ice Skating.  Apparently this is a nice gym you pay for by the year, but it includes child care.  BONUS!

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