Impressions of FF: Day 5

I got up too late to go to the gym before work but managed to go to one gym class during lunch time. I did have to forgo lunch though. The class, "Core Fitness", utilised free weights, a dome like thing (for training balance, can't remember what it's called) for balance and strength training. The instructor, Kathy, wasn't too bad and occassionally liked to sing along with the track, which I thought was pretty funny. It wasn't an easy class (not that any of them were, considering how unfit I've become) and it left me a bit sore. Still, I thought I could manage another gym session after work. However as it turned out, my body was a bit slow and I didn't feel the full impact until closer to the end of day. I didn't get another gym session in, but I did sign up.

Olivia, the membership consultant, (strangely the same name as the other rude chick from another gym) was trying very hard to get me to sign up for the platinum membership as it turned out she could only sell the platinum ones. Eventually I did sign up for the platinum membership, with the explicit understanding (yes, she did have to write it down and sign off on it in the terms and conditions booklet that forms part of the contract) that I could downgrade within the 7 day cooling off period at no penalty. The contract she'd pre drawned up meant that the membership started on that day, which meant that I'd have to pay more in pro-rated fees and I was unhappy about that since my free trial was until the end of the week. I highlighted that to her and she amended it quickly (thought it smart of her not to argue with me since she'd have lost me as a customer).

So what swayed me to take up the platinum membership? Olivia mentioned that if I signed up on a regular membership, I'd have to pay a whopping $150 joining fee on top of everything else, which I didn't have to with this platinum one because this club had just opened and they were waiving the fee. That is something I'm going to check up on when I visit a regular club next week (not taking what she says at face value). Not that I'm trying to be snarky, but as part of my personal training in critical thinking (as espoused by the book "Turning Numbers into Knowledge"), I'm working hard to evaluate things as objectively as I can. "Objective" is a misnomer, of course, since valuations of things tend to be personal and dependent on the person's set of values.

I'm also quite keen on taking up a bit of swimming and unfortunately this is the closest gym with pool facilities. I'm also considering whether it makes more sense to just get the regular gym membership and add in visits to the closest public pool (there is one in my suburb). So in the following 7 days, I'll have to decide if I'm going to be dedicated enough to swim one or more times a week to make the extra $2 a week worth it.