Well – If any of my friends or family read this they won’t believe it! I’ve finally gone and joined a gym.

We promised the kids that from now on, we’ll take them swimming once a week on either a Saturday or Sunday. The cost of a trip to the pool is £4.50 per adult (Mote Park Leisure Centre). In other words nearly £20 a month. However, for just £14.95 a month – price fixed for life as well – I can have unlimited use of the Gym and Pool all weekend and between 1pm and 3pm, Monday to Fridays. What a bargain!

As a new member, one of the first things you must do is have an induction to the gym. This is to learn how to use all the equipment correctly, and I was assured, not just to show me up!

I arrived bright and breezy ready to learn what (and how) I needed to do each visit. First, a 10 minute warm-up on the cycling machine – and that’s just the warm up! I did 5 minutes, and said to my instructor – OK, I know how to use this machine now, shall we move on. Truth was I was worn out already! We moved on to a ‘cross-trainer’ where you sort of step up and down whilst holding on to bars. I was advised that I should do about 10-20 minutes on this to start with. I managed 2, then made up some story about needing to move on, as I hadn’t really allowed enough time to do a full work out today.

Next a running machine – now I actually quite like running, but it seemed a bit pointless to me just staring at the pool in front running on a machine, that simulated hills (well the ups anyway) when I could be out running and seeing a bit of the local countryside and getting to go down hills as well as up. I lasted about 5 minutes on this machine and then muttered about moving on.

I have a real phobia about the size of my thighs – because I used to run so much, they’ve always been big and muscley – even now that I’m post pregnancy and really unfit, they’re still large. Thankfully, this meant that I shouldn’t use the step machine as this targets thighs, so it was on to the rowing machine. This was fun, as I just played a game where you have to catch fish by rowing at an appropriate speed. I played for a little while and then said that I was comfortable with how to use this machine.

“So” says the instructor “I’ll work out a program for you, and each time you come, you just pick up your card and work through the steps on it”.

Well – having been overtaken on the bicycles by 2 octogenarians, broken out into a major sweat at walking speed on the cross-trainer,  decided I’d rather go for a run around the local fields and knowing that I’d never in a million years return to the gym – I said to him “That’d be great – thanks – I’m really looking forward to coming back each week”.

Back down at the main leisure centre reception I changed my membership. Just hours after signing up originally, I’m now paying £18.95 a month, but this time, it’s for unlimited use of the swimming pool and no gym – much better suited for me and still a bargain!

If you’re interested in any of the fantastically priced memberships, check out Maidstone Leisure Centres website for more information.