About 17 months ago, I signed up at a local fitness center that had just opened up right on my way home from work, so it was convenient for me to get to on my bike. I pre-paid for a year’s membership because with that package they threw in an extra six months, and reduced the sign-up fee. It was a really good monthly rate compared to most places. It would have lasted until the middle of August without me making one more payment. I worked out there off and on, doing strength training a couple of times a week, and Yoga at least two times a week, plus the occassional spinning class, for about 5 months. Then I stopped going for a while… You know how it goes, sometimes… Life and laziness gets in the way of working out… and about a month later I tried to go back again and found that they had closed. Completely. Out of business. Poof, gone!
That was about a year ago, and other than the bike-riding I do every day just to get around, I haven’t worked out at all in the last year. I paid for my membership in advance, so my fitness budget was blown for a long time. World Gym bought the place and re-opened it a few months later, but their cheapest membership was three times what I paid before, and twice the fees at Pure Fitness, just a couple of miles out of my way. Plus their focus is boxing, and … I don’t really want to learn boxing.
So for the last year I’ve been glacially thinking about what/how/when I’m going to start working out again. I’ve been meaning to (but not taking the time to) do Yoga, since I have several Yoga DVDs and a Yoga mat. I[‘d really like to do resistance training, though. Increase muscle mass, lose weight. Get some muscle tone.
So instead of a new, new iMac, after about a year’s slow thought and some research into other people’s opinions and reviews on various gyms, fitness centers, home fitness equipment, workout and diet systems, etc… I have decided that I shall shift my $2200 desire from the new, new iMac to the Bowflex Ultimate.
Some people only rated Bowflex at 70% or 80%, but their complaints were with Customer Service, Cost, and their own inability to follow construction instructions, plus sometimes difficulty with the non-ultimate models’ add-on upgrades. Since I’m competent at following instructions, wouldn’t consider anything less than the top-of-the-line model (this is an investment, not a toy), and am quite skilled at working with even the least reasonable customer service reps, I don’t think I’ll have a problem, except for the same problem I was going to have getting the Mac; justifying the expense.
Actually, I’ve been looking at my finances lately, and as long as I don’t have any unexpected cost increases (and as long as I don’t have another close relative die and go on another spending spree), I should be able to afford the monthly payments on either $2300 purchase comfortably. That’s without monthly bonuses, which I seem to be able to earn pretty consistently at work, making things a little more comfortable all the time.
Well, that’s something else to look forward to, I suppose. Ordering and then using the Bowflex. I think I can put it in my back room, as long as I don’t build the cabinet I wanted to put in there.
