So, I signed up for Virgin Active Genoa gym about 3 years ago. Well, maybe 4. I have not been consistent in going there as I was a lazy ass. Oh, wait…I still am. Which makes my trip back there today monumental. I am going to list what I like about the place and what I dislike about it.

Like

1. It has 2 pools, one indoor and another on the roof equipped with deck chairs for summer,

2. football pitch,

3. children’s nursery for mum who want to work-out

4. bar area for smoothies, coffee, lunch, dinner, fruit salads or just drinks

5. Spa onsite

6. Sauna and tanning area

all this besides the normal gym equipment. And all on 3 floors!

The best part is that it is very near my office and home. Which makes it inexcusable for me to NOT go to the gym.

Dislike

1. Even after going there for years, you are still required to get a medical certification every year or they will deny you access but you continue to pay. You have to go to their doctor too before. Now we go for our own. This adds costs on top of our monthly subs.

2. They don’t provide towels, so I have to bring 2 with me all the time which makes me go through all my towels so fast and the amount of laundry just for towels if I go there 3 times a week is 6 towels just for gym days.

3. No toiletries provided. So on top of the towels, I have to bring my own shampoo, soap, conditioner, cream,  make up remover, cotton pads, tissues…everything! Which weighs down the bag and makes things so difficult. There are already so many things to bring. They can even provide the minimum?? Fitness First provides both towels and basic amenities, ie. shampoo, soap, cream, cotton balls/pads even slippers for the shower stalls.

4. They don’t have that many classes to take. Limited timings too. It could be because they are the ONLY Virgin Active in Genoa which doesn’t have enough members maybe for more classes. That could be because on average their subscriptions are really expensive relatively to someone’s pay here.

5. The toilet in the changing rooms are really dirty looking most of the time. I think the Italians are really bad at keeping it clean. The gym looks beautiful inside and out except for their toilets. I blame the people using them. Can’t they throw their tissue papers properly? Today, the papers were all over the floor in all 3 stalls. The sink area was all wet everywhere. Not just around the sinks but on the floor. Not just drops but puddles. So so strange. Such bad etiquette.

Actually these are really big reasons that outweigh most of the good things. Because it really weighs one down having to carry all of these.

But, I could be so picky because I am comparing it to other gyms. I am a Fitness First member as well in Malaysia and was a California Fitness member in Thailand. Though these other gyms did not have swimming pools, spa, bar area and sauna they had everything else which made things easier for me. I don’t have to lug so many things around with me. I could pare down my bag to just the exercise attire and shoes. It was most helpful when I was in Bangkok because I had to take public transport to get to the gym. A small bag would do.

Now here it is like taking everything from home just to go for a run. In the end it is better to just run around the office, go to the mini gym in the office and then straight to the showers which already has all the necessary items. Which leads to me becoming too lazy to get to the gym.

What has changed? I tried to cancel my subscription more than a year ago but the contract was already renewed and I couldn’t cancel till mid March this year before the new contract starts again in April. So we decided to suspend it for 6 months. Now, after that 6 months have past they started to charge me again for the suspended 6 months and then the contracts end. Since I am active now, I decided to make the most of it by attending some classes.

Today, I tried a strange class. Something In never heard of before. Nike Fusion. I wanted to go for a V-mat Pilates class but we had someone who came to show us some bikes that we were thinking of buying. I made it just in time for this Nike Fusion class. Interesting and strange at the same time. It says it is a amalgamation of different workouts. It uses a step board and some weights. It started of almost like a step aerobics class, then there was a lot of jumping, skipping all over the room with all the participant’s step boards all lines up. It felt like my athletics training. Running from end to end touching the boards, burpees, hopscotch up and down boards moving along the row of boards. There was also some capoeira moves. I was sweating and my heart rate was up throughout the 45 min class. All very confusing but very interesting. I will just have to wait for tomorrow to see if I touched any muscle that I have not used for a long time. I think it will hurt tomorrow. 😛

I want to lose weight. Something I struggle with since I came to Italy. You will see me blog about this occasionally. On top of that, in tandem with my paradigm shift in my mindset, I have decided I want to have “un corpo strepitoso” for this summer. A swimsuit worthy (not a six pack but maybe just a slimmer toned body) body by the 2nd of August 2012. Then continue to exercise and reach my goal of 10kgs off by end of the year.

I am using self realisation and envisioning myself in that ideal body that I have in mind for myself. Every toned body I see on TV, commercials, posters or even around me, I remind myself that that is what I want. So get my lazy ass off the couch and work at it!

Time for bed! And for my body recover. To feel the prepare myself for the pain tomorrow. 🙂

Goose night to all!

Toodeloos!