The Gym Rat Shuffle

If you know me, then you know that I get up and work out at the butt crack of dawn every morning to work out. Recently, the gym I currently go to (Fitness Edge) is really ticking me off. I use to get up at 5:15 - 5:30 am and would call in to the gym to reserve a bike for the next morning’s spin class. After making the call, I get ready and go to the gym. Actually, when I first started going there I would wake up at 5:15am drive down there and sign up in person, but after not getting in a couple of times I started calling once I woke up.

Fitness Edge has now switched to an online registration system. Apparently their front desk people are over worked…must be all the smoothies they are making. (Special Note: I have never once seen anyone waiting for a smoothie.) I don’t mind the system going online, what I do mind is that I now must wake up before 5am so that I can get to their website and press “reserve” on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings so that I can get a bike for the next day’s class. On Wednesday morning the Thursday class was totally reserved (27 bikes) in two minutes. This is crazy!!! I sat in bed with my laptop and just laughed at the absurdity of how fast the class filled up.

I have belonged to many a gym before and have never encountered spin classes being totally packed at all hours. This is becoming so insane! It’s almost like Russian Roulette or something. The other crazy thing to me is that everyone at the spin class the next day is talking about how fast the class fills up. It is gymsanity.

I really think the solution is to move the class from 5:45am to 5:30am so that they could have a 6:30am class afterwards or build a bigger bike studio. The bike studio is pretty small and the bikes are very worn down. Maybe they need to start charging more that $19.99 a month and stop having so many promo’s for people to join the gym. I should write them a letter…

I know-- a good solution to my problem would be to actually ride my road bike outside. Brilliant! Right?...Wrong. I am so scared to ride out here. The road’s are poor there is little to no bike lane, drivers are crazy, and I have no one to ride with. I have looked into tri-clubs, but the one closest to be is uber competitive and the other one is a bit far away to make it for rides by 6am on a Sunday. For these reasons, I will remain a slave to my computer at 4:55 in the morning. It’s actually not that bad, it’s just that I cannot believe how many people are vying for spots for a 5:45am spin class. I guess they are all just as crazy as me about getting a good workout in before starting the day.

Here’s to working out and waking up before the sun comes up!

It may be Fall

As quickly as the summer heat and humidity came...it seems as though they may have to bid farewell in a hasty manner as well. It seems as though overnight the summer has turned to fall and I couldn't be happier! I really love the Fall weather. Sunny, blue skies, sometimes a small breeze---oooh it makes me giddy.

With the birth of Fall it means that I don't have to sweat for no reason! That is good news since I started using natural deodorant (I know earth mother here I come). Jeremy always gives me crap about using antiperspirant and how the chemicals are horrible for you, it may lead to Alzheimer's, blah, blah, blah. Well, this summer I decided I would try out being a true hippie and just use all natural deodorant. We were at Whole (Paycheck) Foods and we went by the natural cosmetics isle. I decided to stop and peruse the deodorant section. Sure enough, some smelled pretty granola--I'm talking patchouli oil scents here people! I couldn't hang with that and went for some kind of lavender smell. Of course, two days after I purchased my way to hippiedom, the humidity spiked up and I was really rethinking my choices.

I do not like to sweat unless I am running/spinning/hiking/shopping. I'm talking real sweat starting activities. Seriously though, if I'm a sweaty mess and haven't just come back from a 4mile run, I am not a happy camper. Just ask Jeremy. I proceed to have serious are-you-kidding-me meltdowns. You really don't want to get to know that side of me. It's not pretty.

I have to say this summer only produced about 2 weeks of unbearable sweating as far as I'm concerned. I cursed Jeremy's name more than once since he is against us getting a air conditioning unit. His motto is basically no air in the summer, no heat in the winter. Last winter I wasn't allowed to put the heater on until my mom came for Christmas. He would just tell me to put another sweater and a beanie on. Hello--pipes can freeze out here Scrooge! Don't get me started on the no cable rule. Anyhoo, the compromise to the no air conditioner fight was getting an input/output fan that you put in your window. I swear it made our room at least 10 degrees cooler.

It was a good summer. I will miss laying out on the beach and listening to the high schoolers talk about boys and the college kids talk about being a drunken mess the night before and who's sleeping with who. I will miss the long hours in the day and riding our bikes in the evening. We also saw a few good shows this summer in New York--Pete Seger's outdoor festival & Old Crow Medicine Show. I saw Britney (for free), but that doesn't really count as a "good show".

I will miss summer, but I am more excited for Fall. I love sweaters and boots. Yes, pretty much everything that is important to me is wrapped in my love for commercialism. I love being able to run outside and not have the humidity stifle my breathing. I'm looking forward to our 2 night trip to Lenox, Mass to be "leaf peepers". I also see some apple picking in the future and pumpkin muffins!

I really hope that the weather gods are not tricking me. They better not be luring me into Fall and then plan on bitch-slapping me with an Indian Summer. Not cool weather gods, not cool. I guess time will tell.