There Is Hope After All

Okay, so despite that I have a love/hate/hate relationship with 24 Hour Fitness, and blogged about it here, and here, ... and here, I might have to suspend my WTF guns from firing any further because I witnessed something grand this morning.

Now that I've moved, I'm using a different gym then the one I've been using for the past 2+ years. The 24 Hour Fitness I go to now is located in downtown Seattle, and it is pretty much a beacon to me now that I've seen what wonders behold.

Initially I wasn't stoked, because parking is almost impossible to locate. However, once I got in, I could swear I heard the Hallelujah song playing while my jaw dropped as if someone was showing me a to-scale replica of the city of Boston built entirely of Skittles. I was shocked.

The first thing that initially hit me was treadmills. Rows, and rows, and ROWS of treadmills. Even at peak hours, I couldn't fathom this army of treadmills ever being full. And beyond that, a crap ton of other cardio machines to compliment said treadmills. Imagine a football field filled with cadio equipment, now that was just the ground floor.

After my 30 minute stint running, I ventured around to see what other wonders were about. Going up the stairs, I found a large matted surface on which apparently people should stretch and whatever. "Meh", I thought as I decided to go back down and take the stairs leading down. Beneath the army of treadmills, one floor below, laid half a full sized pool and an equally large army of weight lifting equipment! I believe the only words I could sum up this site was "holy sh$t on toast!"

Now bear in mind, years and years of military gyms that are underfunded and sparsely equipped for anything. The Army is built on the idea that all exercises can be done with little to no additional equipment.

But not this 24 Hour Fitness. I looked at this gym almost like it was taunting me to come in and destroy it's treadmills.

And on equal note, the patrons. Unlike the unholy 24 Hour Fitness I had been previously going through, made up entirely of ancient people and mild fatties, this place was sporting patrons the likes of which I'd never witnessed en mass. Everyone I saw save one on a treadmill was actually running. People weren't reading papers, or lying down, or talking on the phone...they were sweating as if their lives depended on it.

I think this was the bandage I needed to put faith back into my somewhat slumping work out regime. It's good to see that so many people are still interested in being healthy, that early in the morning, and know that walking on treadmills is absolutely pointless.