Tunnel Vision

Do you ever find yourself in tunnel vision? Where things are flying past you in a blur, but all you can see is what's ahead? I'm there. Right there, not noticing or appreciating the here and now, but speeding on from one thing to the next without breathing. I don't even remember what my goals are anymore or think about where/who I want to be in 5-10 yrs. And that scares me.

The bf laughed the other day when I had sat down for a bit to watch the tour, eat some chips and salsa, and then jumped up and was like "ok, well I'm going on a bike ride." He's like "yep, sounds about right. You weren't moving for almost an hour." Sorry, I just can't sit. But the last few days I'm starting to think I need to. I need to just breathe, sit, relax and enjoy.

Maybe it's my way of saying "hey, you might want to sit on the couch all afternoon or evening, but not me." Plus, because I STILL haven't rejoined my gym or a new gym (since i let mine expire before Europe), I've got cals to burn and the only way to do that is to hit the road by bike or foot. Either way, I've got to figure out this balance of work, exercise, boyfriend and sanity, STAT!

Last night on my way home I stopped by a gym I've been wanting to tour. I tried out another gym for a week a few weeks back, but wasn't totally sure. It's small and splits men/women into their own workout areas, but it's centrally located, affordable, and has good classes. The gym I toured last night was almost double the price I'd like to be paying, but it was awesome and has two locations in town (one near bf's house, one near mine). And they offer volleyball leagues (awesome, i've SOOO missed volleyball since hs).

The problem is, I was spoiled with the University gym. The price was right ($70/term ~ $24/month), it was right next to work and has great hours, AND always has new machines that are in good shape. The only problem is that classes are an additional cost and usually don't fit into my schedule. Now, I'm at a loss. I want something affordable, yet nice, with adults, near my work/home/bf, with a good class schedule and a pool.

So, I want to know...
1) What are you willing to pay for a gym membership? And what's most important in choosing a gym?
2) What do you do to get out of tunnel vision mode? How do you slow down?

Comments

I have my membership on hold right now, but will activate it again when I start training for my 1/2 in August. I pay $50 a month for the Y. It's ok - decent classes, equipment has gotten better lately since they just got some treadmills w/ TVs! :) I think $50-60/month is the most I would spend. There are nicer gyms I could join, but I just can't stand to spend more than what I currently spend.

I the tunnel vision type as well. My family always teases me about how I can never just take a break and 'be'. But I don't know how to just hang out w/out pursuing a challenging goal. I have to be working towards something or training for something, whether it was my MBA or training for a 1/2. I know that I can be bullish in pursuit of my goals, but have not figured out how to relax and enjoy the ride... So if you figure it out, let me know! ;)
Amber said…
I think location is really important. Right now I'm at that Ladies Only Gym, not the BEST gym BUT right across the street from work. So it's so easy to pop over there at lunch, after work, or before work. During the school year I belong to the University gym--once again, not the BEST gym but in an ideal location so I can go after or before classes PLUS it has the pool, which is nice. BUT, like you said, doesn't offer classes and classes are pretty important to me when choosing a gym!

The nicest gym here is "Golds Gym" and it's only $45/month but you have to sign on for a year and I just wasn't ready to make that commitment since I'm a student and therefore, transient. Back home, I LOVE my gym, LOVE the classes, LOVE the trainers, equipment etc. But it works out to about $80/month WITH classes. Pricy--yes, but I'm always working when I'm back home and so it's worth it to me. I think a gym that I ENJOY going to and WILL go to is a really good investment.

I'm in the EXACT same place as you right now, as you could probably tell from my blog post this morning! Just trying to enjoy and make the most of the last two months of summer and not worry about what's coming!
I'm feeling like I need to be in a yoga state of mind these days. Click here for a good article I just found...http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2504
Oscar Yeager said…
I wouldn't pay much for a gym membership since I own enough of my own equipment, but you really should work on setting some 10-year goals.

Otherwise you will get into your
40'S and be depressed when you come to the realization that your life isn't panning out the way you hoped.

If you feel the need to slow down, you may want to consider this Sleep Sound Therapy System.

Although it is marketed as a device to lull you to sleep, it also has relaxation modes, and an "enhance" mode which gradually slows down the pacing of the sound, and gradually mellows you out. I use it while on the computer, especially at night.

I was skeptical at first because it sounds a bit hocus pocus, but now that I've used it I really like it, and it got a good writeup in Consumer Reports magazine, and supposedly there was a lot of scientific study that went into producing this. Testers reported that it worked even beter than controlled substance medications such as Ambien.

It's kind of like you don't want to listen to Def Leppard when you would like to unwind, right? You would want something more soothing.

A bit pricey at $130, but worth it in my opinion.

Also, I don't see any harm in responsible occasional use of non-addicting over-the-counter supplements such as Valerian or Diphenhydramine, or one of the other sedative supplements.

I've never tried Yoga, but the fact that so many people say it works might be reason enough to check into it.
Kerry said…
I don't pay for a gym membership. Joe and I do all our exercise outside, even in the winter. We have those charming reflective vests...stylish I know. We do all our strength training with bands and weights at home. I just can't handle cardio machines, but that's just me. I also don't like the idea of paying for something that I can do for close to free at home or from home.

I think that slowing down is really hard. I've been trying to do that this summer, but things are so busy that there are always tons of things to do. I do find that routine helps in general though. I know which days I run and how far in advance. I know which days are my rest days. To stay active I walk everyday at lunch. Because my activity is scheduled, I know all the other time is available for rest, or other tasky things (which are usually my problem). That way, if I decide to go for a bike ride, or kayaking, it's just for fun. Sure I burn calories, but that's not why I'm out there.
Britni said…
I get stuck in one place looking right ahead of me a lot. I forget sometimes I need to look around and enjoy where I'm at too.

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