(43-316) Thank you B.O.A!

It's been quite a while since I've mentioned anything about going to the gym; and there's a really good reason for that.... I haven't been going.  But there's NOT a really good reason for that - just excuses.  With that being said, I had very mixed feelings when my good friend (and gym buddy) Lesa G called today to tell me that our gym had closed down.

Lesa said that our friend Stefania had gone to the gym and there was a pad lock on the door, and a notice on the window stating that they hadn't paid their rent.  She and Lesa both tried calling but the phone just rang and rang, went straight to voice mail and said that the mailbox was full.  Lesa also said that they couldn't locate any corporate phone number or contact information for Fitness 19.

I was disappointed to learn that my gym had closed. OK and inappropriately relieved as well.  But I was also concerned that they would continue to charge my monthly fee to my debit card.  And since Lesa said that she and Stefania had both called their bank and found them to be less cooperative than they'd expected, I called Bank of America immediately.   

I explained to the customer service associate (that I got on the phone in record time), that my gym had closed down and I wanted to block them from debiting my account, since they were no longer providing me a service.  The associate told me that he could place a recurring stop payment on my account; at no cost to me.  He said that if a charge was to go through, Bank of America would refund it to me, and that if at some point in time, I want to pay Fitness 19 again, I would have to call the bank to let them know.  Fair enough, I thought. 

I concluded my call feeling very relieved and extremely satisfied.  Bank of America gave me peace of mind; and I am optimistic that Fitness 19 will not be able to charge me for a gym that's closed.  Since I waste no time to tell you when I've received poor or inferior service, I want to accentuate the positive and say a big ole THANK YOU to Bank of America for a job well done.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-119) I FEEL GOOD

When I posted "A Helping Hand," on Sunday; I told you that I had made my long, overdue return to the gym, and that I was planning to go back the next day... and indeed I did.  I went today as well, so if you're counting that's three days in a row, and although three days isn't much; it's three days more than I had gone in a long, long time; and I AM very proud of myself.

I am so grateful that Lesa G suggested that we go to the gym the other day.  I KNEW that I needed to get there; and yet I just kept standing in my own way.  Now that I've gone back, and I've been reminded of how good it feels; I believe that I'm going to stick with it.  After all, once upon a time I wrote post 43-3; and look at me now.  I'm already up to post  43-119; so before you know it, I'll be telling you that I made my 119th visit to the gym; and HOPEFULLY by then, I will have lost at least 20 lbs.  It's good to have goals.  Of course I need to lose a lot more than 20 lbs; because if you recall, in "100 MORE Random Things About Me;" I shared that I need to lose 100 lbs.  I'm going to approach my weight loss just as I am this blog; and I'm going to set small goals for myself; so that I can enjoy success along the way. 

I was talking to my friend Dawn earlier today, and she was telling me that she was very happy and proud of me for getting back to the gym.  Dawn suggested that I try a Zumba class; but I explained that I go to a no frills kinda gym and they don't offer any classes; they just have treadmills, stair climbers, ellipticals, circuit training machines and free weights.  Not even a shower; but that's OK because you get what you pay for; and I really don't pay very much at all.  I must say that although a class would be nice; I enjoy going to Fitness 19 because there are all kinds of people, all kinds of shapes and all kinds of ages; so where I had always thought that I'd feel self-conscious at a gym; that has NEVER been the case here.

It's only three days in; but I can honestly say that I FEEL GOOD; and when I'm saying that, I'm hearing James Brown in my head of course.  I'm not the biggest James Brown fan, but somehow it seems unavoidable. Dadda Dadda Dadda Da!

I don't want to get ahead of myself; but the promise of what can be, is extremely exciting.  I want to look like the picture on the side of my blog again, the picture on my Facebook avatar, and NOT the woman in the pictures that my friend Tiffany posted on Facebook yesterday.  For those of you who aren't familiar with Facebook; if a friend posts a picture and you're in it; they "tag" you so that the picture is associated with your account as well. This morning I actually removed my tags from my friend's pictures because I didn't want any of my other friend's attention being called to them.  SO SAD, I know.  I emailed Tiff and explained why I'd removed my tags; and I NEVER want to have to do so again.  This is it!!!                       

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING