I be up in the gym just working on my fitness (he's my witness)

It was always the plan to join a real gym once I graduated and the free use of the school's gym expired with my degree. But when my boyfriend and I met with a couple we're friends with for lunch today, and they waxed poetic about the beauty of their gym, and then offered to get us a guest pass for free so we could take a look around and try out all the equipment, we couldn't pass that opportunity up. And when we go there, well, we'll be joining a new gym on Friday.

I feel kind of guilty for paying for a gym when there's a free one at my disposal, especially since I'm supposed to be amassing grad school funds, but at the same time, if having a membership with a gym that offers a fitness checkup (free!) every six months, constantly updated and accessible charts tracking your progress, free classes as varied at Tai Chi, Body Pump, Water Aerobics and dance lessons, and sectioned off areas for those "self-conscious" exercisers, then it's a price I'm probably willing to pay in order to get myself healthy.

I've been eating kind of cruddily lately--I'm stressed out and constantly busy with school--and I've been feeling it. I did elliptical training for the first time tonight in probably a week and a half, and I didn't feel it as much as I thought I would. I think having to read the captions to the O'Reilly factor annoyed me to the point of being able to ignore the burning in my quads. Taking the new gym for a test drive tonight invigorated me to get back on track. I'm so excited to start a more comprehensive and total-body workout plan. In addition to the fitness checkup I'll get when I start, a trainer will show me the finer points of all the gear, and help me plan what I need to do to be satisfied with my workouts. I'll be trying a spinning class for the first time (and I'm so stoked about this!!); I want to start swimming (which should be interesting, as I have no idea where my swimsuit is, or even if I'd be comfortable working out in it). The couple we met for lunch told us about their favorite class-Body Pumping-I'd never heard of it, but they LOVE it, so I'm really excited to try it.

And one of the best things? It doesn't look like a gym. It's not a big open box with machines crammed together. Machines are sectioned off and spread apart, so if bimbos march in, I can distance myself from them lest I be tempted to throw my sweaty towel at them. The walls literally look like Dr. Seuss illustrations--walls are curved, the hallways twist around, every four feet or so is painted a different color--it's really quite postmodern. And perhaps on of the most awesome things? It's located smack in the middle of Broad Street, the center of our downtown, and where the boyfriend and I like to spend a lot of our time. Directly across the street is our favorite bars and restaurants, it's a quick walk to our Riverwalk and to a library. Now if only we could sprig for a loft with swanky furniture, we'd be set.