I joined a gym. Maybe this isn’t a big deal, but for me, it was a huge thing to check off my list. I’ve been talking about it for over a year now, and I think I finally got bored of hearing myself talk about how much I detest the gym.  I just couldn’t stomach the thought of spending more time indoors. There’s a 24-Hour Fitness a block from my office, and I’d often walk by staring at the people on the gerbil-like treadmill machines and think that there’s got to be a better way to stay in shape. So, I tried my own exercise routine – walking to and from work, climbing stairs by my house, playing tennis or hiking on the weekend. But the truth is, I haven’t been super disciplined about it, especially when it’s cold outside, I’ve had a long day at work, and I just want to wear my slippers.

So, a friend and I decided to keep each other accountable and we gave ourselves a week deadline to sign up. I willed myself into the 24-Hour Fitness on my lunch break and was greeted by an overly peppy “FitnessCounselor.” I’m not joking. That was really his title. I couldn’t help but think of Brad Pitt who played a gym employee in the movie Burn After Reading. Brad had that character type down to a “T” – smiley, lots of hair gel, endearing, and a bounce to his step. My counseling session at the gym included a grand tour of the facilities and an abundance of questions of my fitness goals.The conversation went something like this:

Fitness Counselor: “So, how long has it been since you’vebeen a member of a gym?

Me: “Ummm… I think 7 years.“

FC: “SEVEN YEARS? WHY?

Me: “I’m just more of an outdoor girl.”

FC:  “Well… I’vegot a surprise for you.”

Me; “What… do you have an underground park or something?”

FC: “Just you wait.”

Then he led me to the top floor of the gym, and with a wave of his arm, like he was opening a curtain and saying “voilá!” he asked, “What do you think?” Looking at his sincere grin, I stifled a giggle as I checked out this open space, which was the size of a small Starbucks. What kind of exercise could anyone really do in that courtyard? But wait a minute. Is that a hot tub that I see? I wondered if I could fool people at the office by saying I was “going to the gym” but in reality I was just sitting in the hot tub. I could just sweat off a few calories, right?

So, I’m a gym card-holder now. I’m not really sure I can call this a New Year’s resolution, since it took me over a year to actually go and do it. But it is definitely something I can check off my list. And who knows? Maybe the kickboxing aerobics class will prove to be helpful. John Cusack did say it was the sport of the future, right?