I have just rejoined the little gym in the marina at least for the last 2 weeks of November. It definitely isn´t the David Lloyd Club but it is very flexible, friendly AND I think reasonable AND it is only 5 mins from home!
Membership for a month is 40€ and for a half month €23, there are 4 exercise classes most days and a pleasant little gym with adequate equipment.

Bad luck if you want to exercise at the weekend as it is only open Mon to Fri and it is definitely not trying to capture the pre-work people as it doesn’t open until 9am, but it IS open until 10pm with a lunch closing between 12 and 2pm.

For me this is a welcome break from running as I have a few bits of my body that are niggling a bit and that could do with a rest from that activity, AND it is getting chilly certainly in the mornings and evenings when I like to exercise. SO I´m giving the gym another try, having stopped for the Summer.

The only downside to this change is that I do struggle a bit with the Spanish exercise classes. They are still very into step and little dance routines which are really not my forte. I like simple focused steps not increasingly complex routines. My training is in pilates and weights NOT dance and whilst I can see that it could be fun, too often people seem to end up standing still because they have lost track which is NOT good exercise.

Anyway I did my first class for ages last Thursday. It was called “Cardio Abdomen”, and sure enough the cardio involved a step! My recommendation to anyone who like me doesn´t like dance routines is to just stick with the simple stuff, keep moving and let everyone else attempt the twirls, kicks and slowly more complex options. I actually felt pretty good as the poor man next to me struggled to step from side to side to the beat and therefore had no chance!

The upside is that different muscles were definitely aching the next day, I was reminded of some stomach exercises that I hadn’t done for ages, and it was fun working out in a room of people again (instead of running alone) and having someone else there to motivate me for a change.

Tomorrow I am going to do “Power Dumbel” which should involve more weights and hopefully something for my arms which I am not good at getting around to working. However, whilst this would never feature in a power dumbel class in the UK, I am expecting to be re-aquainted once more with my step. BUT who knows … watch this space …