I've been a gym rat for the last two decades, and I've managed to squeeze in about three cardio/weight sessions a week at the gyms in the Administrative Office, the Federal Circuit and Jones Day in DC, the Y in Winston Salem, Olympia and Chapel Hill, the CSA in Cairo and Club Life in Skopje. I've switched between morning, lunchtime and after work sessions as my schedule allowed, but I've pretty much kept to the regimen, and I have every intention of continuing to do so here in the White City.
There is a fitness club a block equidistant from my office and apartment called Tonusfit. The exterior is modest, but the website looks promising.
So yesterday after work, I walked through the iron gate and came to an unmarked door. I could hear music inside, so I pushed it open. I came into a windowless room about the size of two ping pong tables. It was dark, and some kind of electronic music was pulsating madly. Crammed into the space were a half dozen treadmills, cheek by jowl, each occupied by a determined looking woman. No towels or cold beverages for members; no cheerful instructors; no big screen tvs or ipod docks. I turned around and was headed for the door when a woman came out to greet me. She seemed as surprised to see me as I was to have encountered a fitness club that looked so positively, um, Dickensian. "Do you speak English," I asked. No answer. "Francais? Makedonski?" "Serbski" was the reply. "Imate li visitcard?" I asked, hoping that the Macedonian and Serbian were similar, as they sometimes are. She handed me a card and I headed out the door, grateful that she didn't try to give me the hard sell. I've got two other clubs to check out today, but I'm pretty certain Tonusfit is not in my future.
Update
I joined Spin Masters, which is just a few blocks from my office and apartment, and right across the street from the Green Market. At present I am harboring Utopian fantasies of picking up the ingredients for a delicious dinner after a satisfying workout.
The facility reminds me of CSA in Cairo, although a bit smaller. Nevertheless, it has everything I need and wasn't too crowded when I visited yesterday afternoon. It's $20/month, so the level of commitment is comfortably low. I'm headed over there this afternoon. I'll let you know if the weights are properly labeled.
There is a fitness club a block equidistant from my office and apartment called Tonusfit. The exterior is modest, but the website looks promising.So yesterday after work, I walked through the iron gate and came to an unmarked door. I could hear music inside, so I pushed it open. I came into a windowless room about the size of two ping pong tables. It was dark, and some kind of electronic music was pulsating madly. Crammed into the space were a half dozen treadmills, cheek by jowl, each occupied by a determined looking woman. No towels or cold beverages for members; no cheerful instructors; no big screen tvs or ipod docks. I turned around and was headed for the door when a woman came out to greet me. She seemed as surprised to see me as I was to have encountered a fitness club that looked so positively, um, Dickensian. "Do you speak English," I asked. No answer. "Francais? Makedonski?" "Serbski" was the reply. "Imate li visitcard?" I asked, hoping that the Macedonian and Serbian were similar, as they sometimes are. She handed me a card and I headed out the door, grateful that she didn't try to give me the hard sell. I've got two other clubs to check out today, but I'm pretty certain Tonusfit is not in my future.
Update
I joined Spin Masters, which is just a few blocks from my office and apartment, and right across the street from the Green Market. At present I am harboring Utopian fantasies of picking up the ingredients for a delicious dinner after a satisfying workout.
The facility reminds me of CSA in Cairo, although a bit smaller. Nevertheless, it has everything I need and wasn't too crowded when I visited yesterday afternoon. It's $20/month, so the level of commitment is comfortably low. I'm headed over there this afternoon. I'll let you know if the weights are properly labeled.
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