Wednesday, September 12, 2007

It's Fun to Stay at the Y-M-C-A


We are officially members of the YMCA. Hubby's insurance from work pays for our membership at a gym if we commit to going a certain amount per month, so we are taking advantage of it, now that we don't have a baby in the house. (I think the idea is that if you work out at a gym you'll be healthier. I can see problems with this [sprained ankles, tennis elbow etc.] but apparently they can't.) Hubs goes during work already, so we just added the family and now I have to go 8 times a month too. That doesn't sound like much, until you divide it out into twice a week. Then it seems a bit tougher, because the W'ville YMCA is about 15 miles from here.

The kids are loving it so far, because they have an indoor swimming pool and a few racquetball courts where the kids can just bounce themselves and the racquet balls off the walls. A bonus would be the great echoing effect; you can only imagine this with two (loud) toddlers. There's also a huge gym with aerobic equipment (OK, some stand alone punching bags and those little step thingies) and tumbling mats (They stink like a thousand sweaty wrestlers) and lots of empty space for running around like goobers with no one else in there to make them stop. (There's an official basketball/skating court elsewhere.)

Mommy is loving it, because my saintly mother-in-law has agreed to watch my children once a week so that I can go all by myself. Let me re-emphasize that, in case you didn't catch it. ALL. BY. MYSELF. Can you imagine the possibilities? I can swim, or work in the aerobics room on treadmills or stair-steppers or bicycles. I can lift my way around the nautilus room. I can walk the track at whatever speed I feel like going. The world is my oyster. I can even meet my husband at lunch and play racquetball with him. (He's very good, and I'm just starting. Not generally good for a relationship, but we haven't hit each other with the raquets yet)(OK, not on purpose).

Anyway, today is my day, so I'm looking forward to my new-found powers of choice. I might, in a moment of hedonism, even go to the local thrift store and try on some jeans.

Today I'm going to swim; when I get cold, I'll sit in a hot tub. It's been years since I've sat in a hot tub. No, it's not necessary for mankind to sit in a hot tub, but you have to understand how I work. Swimming makes me cold. Really cold. I have sat on an inner tube in mucky turbid waters in 100+ degree temperatures and still crawled out of that river with purple fingers and toes and blue lips. I used to look like a hypothermia victim every time I swam as a child and still do if someone makes me stay in too long. The thought of being able to sit in warm water after I swim is so very comforting. I plan to enjoy it. It's only too bad I can't take a book in there with me.

7 comments:

Johanna said...

Yeah! That's wonderful, time to yourself on a regular basis. Enjoy!!

Erica said...

Oooo! That is wonderful.. enjoy it! I always end up working when my mom-in-law comes to watch Henry, so don't do that, just enjoy your free time!

Sara said...

I know how hard it is to make it to the Y. We have a membeership that we pay for and we are only garunteed to make it in for swim lessons for the homeschool kids on Wed (and I pay extra for that). Our Y is 10 blocks away w/ childcare during certain hours (9-11:30 and 4-7) and I still don't make it.

Good luck and don't work yourself too hard right off ( I always do).

aftergrace said...

Enjoy your "all by yourself" time. You have earned every second!

Qtpies7 said...

I have to go 12 times a month. That's fun. Not. But we only get $20 off, but Donnie, Drew come next week, and I each get that much off if we go 12 times. So that makes a family membership only $18 a month, so we better do it.

ThriftyMommy said...

Our Y has childcare, but only for certain hours and you can only leave your kids in there for 2 hours a day. lol I guess they've had some people drop theirs off all day. hahahahah

JAM said...

Awesome post. Have fun all by yourself.

You could freak your husband out by starting to buy women't bodybuilder books and leave (fake) workout plans laying around. Might as well have fun with all of it.