In an effort to be more intentional about our spending, this week I actually used the gym membership I've been paying for but not using. I belong to NW Women's Fitness, a women's gym in NE Portland, which used to be close to my workplace. That was before said workplace moved across the river. Now I have to cross the physical and metaphorical bridge to go work out. And man, is it a bridge.
So anyway. I went to the gym at last. That afternoon I told Mike that I was trying to rededicate myself (yet again) and suggested that he think about going back to his gym too. He pooh-poohed my idea, saying that he just couldn't get motivated or interested.
I told him that I was going to start keeping track of when I went to the gym so I could make sure I get my money's worth. I keep thinking of giving up my membership because my office actually has a workout room...but I vastly prefer my women's gym. It smells nice. All of the equipment is designed and set up for women. It has nice motivational quotes on the wall. But man, I wish it were closer.
Finally, I suggested a little competition...we could keep track of how frequently each of us went to the gym. I could sense a spark of interest.
Here it is, a few days later. I gave Mike a headstart. He got quite a workout from mowing our mile-high lawn earlier in the week, so I told him that he should give himself credit for that. Wasn't that nice of me? (We have a chart on our refrigerator to keep a visible count.) Then he returned to the gym on Wednesday (for the first time in over a year). He investigated the child care options there and announced his intention to start going a few times a week. The race is on.
I'm teasing him mercilessly about how he needed a little competition to get his butt in gear. Now he's all over it. Because if there's one thing he is, it's competitive. I'm far less competitive, so I already know that I'm going to lose big time.
The kids keep asking us what the prize is. We haven't come up with a prize, but better health would be the obvious one.
The ironic thing is that this all started with me getting more out of the money I'm putting into my gym membership. And when Mike goes to the gym, it costs us more. (We pay per visit at the SW Community Center.) But victory will be sweet. For Mike, that is.
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| Me working out (yeah, right!) |
I told him that I was going to start keeping track of when I went to the gym so I could make sure I get my money's worth. I keep thinking of giving up my membership because my office actually has a workout room...but I vastly prefer my women's gym. It smells nice. All of the equipment is designed and set up for women. It has nice motivational quotes on the wall. But man, I wish it were closer.
Finally, I suggested a little competition...we could keep track of how frequently each of us went to the gym. I could sense a spark of interest.
Here it is, a few days later. I gave Mike a headstart. He got quite a workout from mowing our mile-high lawn earlier in the week, so I told him that he should give himself credit for that. Wasn't that nice of me? (We have a chart on our refrigerator to keep a visible count.) Then he returned to the gym on Wednesday (for the first time in over a year). He investigated the child care options there and announced his intention to start going a few times a week. The race is on.
I'm teasing him mercilessly about how he needed a little competition to get his butt in gear. Now he's all over it. Because if there's one thing he is, it's competitive. I'm far less competitive, so I already know that I'm going to lose big time.
The kids keep asking us what the prize is. We haven't come up with a prize, but better health would be the obvious one.
The ironic thing is that this all started with me getting more out of the money I'm putting into my gym membership. And when Mike goes to the gym, it costs us more. (We pay per visit at the SW Community Center.) But victory will be sweet. For Mike, that is.
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