Why I'm joining Curves (part 1)

Today I went to my local Curves gym. Around here, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one. (Okay, I want to know what on earth would possess someone to swing a dead cat? That just can't be hygienic. Yuck.)

For anyone who's re-reading this, I edited out the disgusting part about someone actually swinging a dead cat.

Anyway.

I've been nervous about joining Curves because I am somewhat shy and worried about everyone looking at me. Plus I was afraid they would weigh me in public, which I always hate. I mean, I'm not overweight, but I've never been terribly thin, either. The scale is not my friend.

But my doctor's visit last week took care of the scale issue. There is no debating with those nurses - you get your tooshie on that scale or else. I did so, and while not terribly unhappy with what the scale said, I would still love to lose ten pounds or so by my birthday (which is November 3rd, so you may want to start shopping now. I'm just saying.).

So, having set aside my fear of a piece of metal and a dial (how stupid am I?), this morning finds me standing nervously at the entrance to Curves. I was motioned in by a lady at the front desk, so in I went. She looked at me expectantly, and I blurted out, "I want ... um ... sign up?" (Not cool at all. I felt like Chandler on "Friends" - "I want to quit the gym!") Dork.

Now this brings me to the reason I'm joining Curves: Despite my blatant "I'm-ready-to-part-with-thirty-bucks-a-month; here's-my-checkbook" intro, the nice lady says that they are offering a one-week-free deal, and that I could check it out for a few days before I sign up. I was like, what? No hard sell? What kind of establishment is this? Surely I was missing something.

But nope. I went on in, and the nice lady didn't even weigh me today! Woo-hoo! (That comes when I sign up "for real" next week.) Instead, she taught me the proper use of every single machine, and how the circuit worked. Music plays in the background, and every 30 seconds a voice automatically says "switch." There is no question about how long someone's been on a piece of equipment - you keep it moving. And once every few minutes, the voice tells everyone to stop and take their heart rate.

Half an hour later, I was flushed and exhilarated! I've never enjoyed a workout so much. And at the end, I got to go into a stretching/cooldown room, where a huge mirror hangs on one wall. One of the owners painted across the top "Objects in mirror may be smaller than they appear," which I thought was great.

All the ladies I met today were so sweet, too. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the youngest ones there, which makes me feel like I've got a real shot to get into shape before my birthday.

Which is November 3rd, y'all.