Gym Woes

I found a gym that is less than one mile from my apartment.  And it is one of the best gyms in DC. However, it costs $97 per month.  Yes, per month.  That is about what I paid for an entire YEAR at Penn State for fantastic fitness facilities.   The salesman gave me a free pass to check out the gym for a few days and the fitness classes I've been to are really good.  But... that's a lot of money.   I still need to check out other gyms in the city, and there are probably some close to my work (that maybe offer a government employee discount), but it's still going to be expensive.  I've been running outside and that seems to work for me, and the weather should stay nice for quite a while, so it's probably not necessary.  

But I love the gym.  I love going to classes.  Cycling, aerobics, kickboxing, yoga - everything.  I love sweating and agonizing with a group of people around me who are mutually miserable and yet elated to be there.  I love smiling at the people I walk by and getting to know the regulars who show up at the same time, even if it's not on a first-name basis. It's a way for me to feel connected to the world, to my neighborhood, to other people who care about their health and actually enjoy working at it.  For me it's fun. 

My dad used to tell me that working out was an investment.  Put in a little now and get a lot out down the road.  I agree with this, but I could be doing other forms of exercise - and also making a financial investment with that 100 dollars each month.   I'll have to think about this.