I'm Too Cool For My Nikes.

I joined a gym today.

This is the first time in my life that I have paid to workout in a gym...it was difficult to sign that contract. I have taught thousands of fitness and kickboxing classes and have always had the perk of a free gym membership. Doing this was like throwing in the towel and giving up.

I waited and wanted to continue my classes here, but have yet to be accepted by the Austrian government as competent to stay in the country. Yes, I am married to an Austrian, so that should secure me a visa, but they want to know that I am not a criminal. So I have been dealing with bureaucracy for the last 8 months. I STILL don't have a visa.

I just got tired of waiting and working out at home. I have a Total Gym and some odds and ends in the free weights department. Enough is enough. With the warmer temperatures, bikini season is soon upon us, and with that thought, I ran in that gym waving my credit card and pen.

So I'm in. It has been 8 months since I worked out at a gym and it was really nice to just be out of the house and not have the threat of my 2 year old walking under my squat. Plus he doesn't like the upbeat music selection that I like to play at high volume. And I just don't get pumped up by the Baby Mozart soundtrack.

No more endless downtime while I change the dumbbells to increase the weight. Just kilometers (metric land here) of dumbbells. What I had forgotten about the "gym scene" is that it is kind of gross. Sweaty, stinky, and a germ haven. But I am willing to forgive all that because there is a serious squat rack.

But there are some disturbing things going on here in Austria. The first thing that comes to mind is the smoking in the lounge area. Indoors, people. Right there in the gym. So there is this smoky kind of undertone to the place. Like working out in a pool hall. Not to mention that it is just plain weird to see some guy all pumped up sitting at a table, puffing and drinking his low-carb fat burner.

I also don't get the flip-flops in the gym thing. I even mentioned it to the manager because it was just so weird to me, and his answer was only the muscle-heads do it because they aren't on the cardio machines! Have you seen someone squat 250 with flip-flops on?! Plus I just don't want to look at these guys' feet...sorry.

Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled and excited to be there! Perhaps I will embrace the flip-flops one day -- but forget about the smoking! Never.