Posts Tagged ‘Gym’

Returning to normal

February 10th, 2010

Things are definitely looking up

When the Great Recession fell upon us in December 2007, I made some basic changes in order to continue enjoying life as I was accustomed. As my writing clients dropped off, I stopped various activities.

The symphony concert

The first to go was our renewal of the subscription to the symphony concert. For about 7 months of the year there is a concert every month. The tickets are expensive but the orchestra is great and we love about sixty percent of the music. The rest of the music is either modern or we simply don’t enjoy it. The non-renewal of the subscription was an easy decision.

The gym

I stopped going and decided that in these times of Great Recession I would simply walk in the streets each morning. As a writer I spend many hours scrunched in front of the computer in a question mark. I took to the gym in an effort to prevent my back giving out. Walking in the street is just as good, I decided. But I didn’t. I hated the exhaust fumes, the traffic, the noise, the summer heat and the winter rain.

The art school

Last on my list of luxury cut-backs was to stop my once-a-week session of the painting group at the art school. This was an expensive luxury, but I loved it. I had always dabbled with a brush and paints and never managed to produce anything worth looking at, let alone keeping. In my later years I decided to ‘just do it’. I registered at the local art school and joined the painting group. My life took on another dimension – I was creating properly and under supervision. I painted great pictures. I gave some to my children and hung others on the walls at home.

The work situation

As the Great Recession stumbled along I made further cuts in places like the supermarket, the movies houses, gifts; in fact I cut anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary. My moves paid off. My writing clientele all but disappeared and my income dropped dramatically – so I tailored the spending accordingly, always leaving a small margin between the two so as to keep the bank manager from banging on my door.

Bottoming out

The situation reached bottom some months ago and my first ‘remedial’ action was to rejoin the gym. I found that I was missing the exercise and once back to my routine I felt better immediately. More work trickled in and I weighed the options of returning to the symphony concert but so far I have done nothing about it, despite the many phone calls from the concert office to please come back. I guess they are feeling the pinch too…

The latest step.

I went back to the registration office at the art school this morning. They were pleased to see me and I can’t wait to get back into the painting group tomorrow morning. I hope things  ar e ba ck  to normal.

Tags: Concert tickets, Gym, Painting group, Recession, Spending
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A sound mind in a healthy body

November 3rd, 2009

Health is not all about money

I went back to the gym this morning. It’s on the top floor of the mall across the street. 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 my income dropped drastically and 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 to go.

Looking for business

I hit the streets looking for new clients and scoured the internet for work opportunities. Slowly things returned to normal, although at a lower level, and I decided to reinstate the gym.

The monthly payment problem

The problem with the gym is a financial one. 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 credit card, meaning that the payments go through on the specified date every month. You wake 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 they credit you with the missed weeks or months. Otherwise you pay.

You are locked in

I hate the “locked in” feeling of such a contract. Another place that I gave up 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. 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.

Walking lessons

A few years ago, a young man suddenly appeared in town and offered walking lessons to anyone interested. We would meet at 8 of an evening and he would lead a group of people through the streets. On the way he would stop and take a critical look at each of us as we passed him. He then came and explained how we were walking, why it was wrong and what we had to do to correct it. 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.

Tags: Costs, Expenses, Gym, Recession, Work Fall-off
Posted in Personal / Internet | No Comments »