Watch out world – crazy things are happening!

We are currently in a very comfortable position with three fosters, five dogs total.  Everything is running smoothly and there isn’t much to say about them (knock on wood).  I would like to mention that Spirit has become more personable since sharing the house with fewer dogs – fingers crossed!
 
Therefore, please excuse me while I digress from my usual doggie topic and explore a few other things that I have been thinking about… like the gym. 
 
Scott joined a gym several months ago and has been dedicated to going several times a week.  While I am proud of his commitment, I have had a very hard time getting over my deep-seeded, blood boiling anger towards the whole “gym concept”. 
 
In an effort to support his hobby and because I sit at work all day – every day – I agreed to join Scott’s gym.  Three days ago, Scott dragged me, kicking and screaming like a toddler to sign up.  12 hours until I can no longer break my contract.  I am counting the minutes while grinding my clenched, angry teeth. 
 
I understand that my reaction to the whole thing seems rather irrational.  This has lead to many deep conversations with myself.  What is my problem with the gym?  I have reached two conclusions…
 
First, It really irks me to pay for something that I SHOULD be able to get for free, like exercise.  The gym is EXPENSIVE. 
 
We have a lot of options for gyms within 15 minutes of our home.  However, knowing myself, the 15 minute drive to a cheaper/better gym is enough of a mental block to keep me from going.  Therefore, we joined the one gym that is less than a mile from our house.  The price is $54 a month (I could save $20 a month if I signed a TWO YEAR contract… but TWO YEARS in my world is an eternity.  I change my mind faster than a pre-teen changes her crush).  There was also a $50 sign-up fee (reduced from $150 because I cried a little – well worth it!).  In October, there will be a $30 charge to pay for “improving their equipment”… which leads me to wonder what are they doing with the $54 a month I am paying… shouldn’t that cover the cost of new equipment??? 
 
Despite hours of negotiating, begging and pleading with Scott… I had to admit that no matter how many times we have tried different “free” routines, they never seem to work.  The structure and regimen offered by a fitness center just seems to help.  There are no weather-related excuses, a variety of equipment to use and we have to go because “we are paying for it”.  Man, I HATE when he is right. 
 
Secondly, there is something unnatural about the concept of a gym.  I am the last person to worry about doing things naturally – I mean, I like to dip French fries into ice cream.  But, for some reason, whenever I am running on that rubber belt, I suddenly start to picture my ancestors rolling over in their graves.  All I can imagine is trying to tell my great-great-grandfather that I PAY to run in place and lift heavy objects.  When did life become so easy that we started creating environments to simulate hard work? 
 
I suppose that signing up for a gym feels a bit like failing… it is admitting that I don’t work hard enough in my daily life to get the exercise I need.  That means that I am not contributing as much as I should to the world around me (Wowa, was that a revelation!?) 
 
Okay, the twitching in my eye is going away.  Thanks for letting me vent.