Best Splurge Ever

Ever since coming to Mumbai, I’ve been dying to workout for so many reasons. I’m stressed and overwhelmed and need a positive outlet for that anxiety. I involuntarily sweat all day long and would like to do it on purpose for a change. I’m a cubicle monkey at work and need to prevent atrophy. I’m an outsider in a strange land and in a gym I’m in my comfort zone.

Last week, after asking around, I found the entrance to the gym next door to work. Go around the back of the building and take the elevator from an unmarked entrance to the 6th floor and turn left. (Why didn’t I think of that??) I got the tour and the sales pitch. The gym is standard enough, if big-city cramped, but the membership plans are whack. You can buy 1, 4, 7, or 12 month plans either use the cardio/weight room or take classes. Sorry, one class. You can change which class only every three months. There is a slight discount for the “happy hour” plan—which means you can only visit the gym between 12-5pm. The sales woman told me I could only get the “special anniversary discount” if I signed up that evening, but I told her I’d have to think about it.

What with all this reconsidering the job, I was hesitant to make much of a commitment to the gym next door. So … I splurged. Last night, I went and got the “special anniversary discount” without any trouble (ahhh, sales people) on a one-month membership for 3,088 rupee. That’s about $65 to all of you who, like me, do not think in rupee. It’s a ridiculous amount to spend, but, as my sister so aptly noted, it’s a small price to pay for sanity. She is so right. I worked out like a fiend last night and, man, I felt fantastic!!