This year for Christmas, Ryan gave me a gym membership . Some of you may think that this is weird or insulting. It is in fact, quite the opposite! I am/was so excited.
I would just like to point out that a few of my other most favorite gifts in the past six years include a new vacuum and new cookie sheets so a gym membership would not be a strange gift for me to be excited about.
I have been asking Ryan for about two years now if I could join a local club. We have plenty of work-out videos, weights and a treadmill so obviously I don’t need to join a gym… right? Well, in my opinion, I am literally the least motivated person on the planet. There is pretty much nothing that will get me down in that basement to do a Jillian Michaels DVD everyday (even if it is only 20 minutes!). I think I made it three consecutive weeks- I know, I am impressed too!
And, I HATE working out. Who seriously likes to work out? Oh, You do? Freak. I work out so I can eat cake. If I were naturally in-shape looking and if I didn’t have two kids worth of jiggle I wouldn’t do it.
Why would I want a gym membership if I hate working out? Well, maybe I would like working out if I belonged to a gym. Maybe working out is good for you. There are other people besides two-year olds that belong to gyms, right? I could eat more cake.
OK- Back to the point.
When Ryan gifted me the membership, he gave me freedom to shop around at every local gym in the area. My only requirements (besides being affordable) were fitness classes and child care. Classes because like I had mentioned before, I am not motivated and going to a gym is just as motivating as working out in my basement. If I have a class to attend with other living people and sun light, I’m in! Just kidding. But really, having class options has really helped me. I have taken most of them by now and there is no way I would be working out as hard or as regular if I were trying to do it myself. Days that I go to the gym when they don’t offer classes, I am probably there for about 30 minutes at most because I get bored and I will not push myself. If I get a little sweaty, that is good enough for me. Having structure, a goal, accountability… motivates me.
Side note: I do not understand how some women can be walking on a treadmill for two hours. Sure, you brought five magazines to keep you occupied but really. Is that even working out? But seriously. Two hours? No thanks.
And Childcare. This was important to me because having childcare has allowed me more flexibility as to when I can go. My Husband does not work regular hours so if I always had to count on him or a babysitter to be home I would rarely be able to go. I have incorporated the gym into my weekly routine and the kids LOVE going with me. They love it. Being a Stay-at-home Mom is sometimes challenging for me because I am such a people person and being stuck in the house all day (especially in the winter) is very difficult. This is most true when my husband works out-of-state on large commercial jobs and isn’t home for days at a time. Or he just works 14 hour days and I run out of things to occupy my children. Sometimes Momma just needs a break and this has been a HUGE help during those times. It has seriously been a blessing to me and my soul. Fo real. God bless Child Care workers. They are great and I love them.
Okay. So as I continue writing this I just keep think that no one probably cares about why I go to the gym. I assume that all of this seems pointless and you probably really don’t care. So, I’ll cut this off and get to the purpose of my writing this here post…
(Run on sentences… and go…)
Today as I was laying on my back during a Yoga class I was reflecting on how wonderful I have been feeling and how I never really realized how much I actually wanted this and how having this membership is one of the best gifts that Ryan could have ever given me. It has improved my energy, my attitude, my confidence, my mental stability, my need for social interaction, my butt muscles and many other things. It has also provided opportunities for some social growth in my little ones that I didn’t realize they needed until I started to noticed the positive changes.
I am grateful to you Ryan for giving me something that has turned into so much more than just a gym membership.
I still don’t like working out though. ^_ô
[For the record, I do love the gym where I belong and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a Health Club. I have been 100% satisfied with the staff, members, childcare and club itself since becoming a member. http://www.fitgymusa.com]
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