I went back to the gym this morning. It’s on the top floor of the mall across the street from where we live, convenient, clean and a nice clientele. I had been a regular there for some years and didn’t think it really did me any good other than keeping the guilt down. When the recession started and I lost a few of my writing clients and my income dropped drastically, I cut back on as many expenses as I could, especially the regular monthly payments that are there no matter what. The gym was first out of the window.

The loan system

I switched my finances to a Personal Loan system while I rushed around looking for new clients and sat, hour after hour, scouring the internet for work opportunities. Slowly things returned to some sort of normality, although at a lower level, and the first place that I thought about reinstating was the gym.

The monthly payment problem

One of the problems of joining a gym is the financial side. I have no complaint about the monthly cost, but rather about the ‘contract’ that you have to sign. The contract is usually for a minimum of 24 months and payments are made through your bank account, making it virtually impossible to cancel. Whatever happens, the payments go through on the specified date every month. You get up feeling tired and don’t go, that’s your problem. You feel like dropping out for the winter – that’s your problem. If you take a holiday or become ill, you bring a copy of the air-tickets or hotel booking or a doctor’s letter and maybe, just maybe, they credit you with the missed weeks or months.

You are locked in

I hate the “locked in” feeling of such a contract. Another place that I gave up on was the art school and my painting group there. It was just plain expensive but here the deal I signed was for monthly payments via the credit card, only for the months that I attend. No long term contracts. It was a relief to know that I could cancel at any time without paying a penalty.

Back to the gym

I was wrong about the ‘no benefits’ from going to the gym. After I stopped going there I began walking in the streets instead, and I quite enjoyed the change in scenery and faces. But I am lazy by nature and soon began to find excuses not to walk. After a month or so I wasn’t walking at all. Then I found myself short of breath whenever I had to walk. I panted up a single flight of stairs and worst of all, I found myself walking unsteadily, like an old man, weaving my way down the sidewalk. That made the decision for me.

Walking lessons

A few years ago, a young man suddenly appeared in town and offered walking lessons to anyone interested. We would meet outside the Mango Coffee Shop at 8 of an evening and he would lead a group of 10 to 20 people through the town streets in single file. Often he would stop and take a critical look at each one of us as we passed him. He then came over and explained how we were walking, why it was wrong and what we had to do to correct it. I remember his lessons very clearly and I still try and walk to his specifications. So with thanks to him and thanks to the gym I will soon be fit again and I’m sure that the fittest part of me will be my head.

In Latin they say…

Mens Sana In Corpore Sano. This translates from Latin as “a healthy mind in a healthy body”. The intended meaning here is that only a healthy body can support a healthy mind, so we should strive to keep our bodies in top condition. I’ve changed this to, “Mens sana in bank account sano,” meaning a healthy mind and a healthy bank account. They go hand in hand, don’t they?