I had a pleasant interlude this evening at 24 Hour Fitness, where a friend got me a seven day free pass.  We worked out together and had a nice chat.  I’ve been at my current gym for a few years so getting out of my rut and trying something new was…well, I was going to say refreshing, but that’s not the right word for what I feel right now.  It was different.  It was new.  Newness – and thus the corresponding hope of putting to rest any old ways of doing things, old mindsets, old habits, old attachments – has a distinct allure for me right now.  Change your thinking?  Change your actions.  Of course that’s a trope, a too-simple formulation of a complex psychological phenomenon, but when we’re in crisis we reach for anything that offers even the promise of a lifeline out of the dark.

So – about the gym itself.  Crowded would be an understatement!  It was peak time, right after everyone gets off work, so I can’t fairly judge what it’s like at other times of the day, or on the weekends.  We may work out a time or two again, and I’ll get there once or twice on my own, so I’ll be able to better say if it’s a good alternative to my current gym.

One interesting and unusual thing is that they don’t have any showers.  I’m pretty sure they’re not anti-hygiene; I just think they cater to a professional crowd that stops by for a quick workout on the way home.  Still raised my eyebrows a bit.