Would you sign up for a Gym-Pact? And other random thoughts...

Have you discovered Google Reader? I might be severely behind the times, but I just set it up on my computer—and I love it! I read a number of different blogs on a daily basis. Most are health and wellness blogs, others talk about cooking, fashion, celebrities...my list of links is forever long, but I feel the need to keep up on all those links because I don't want to miss a thing. I love my blog links so, but when I try opening them all in one fell swoop, it just about crashes my browser every. single. time. But oh, Google Reader! You make my life so easy. When I log in, all the newest posts from all my favorite blogs are right there, ready and waiting to be read. Yesterday, I found this little gem of a tidbit. Pay attention to the text in blue:

This particular post comes at me from Goodlifer, a blog I just started reading. It teased me with a link to yet another article on a different site that discusses the concept of charging gym members for NOT using the facilities. Here's how it works: You agree to work out a certain number of days per week. In other words, you make a Gym-Pact. If you don't follow through on your end, the gym charges you for each day per week that you miss. (Otherwise known as a "motivational fee".) It could be $10, it could be more. But in this day and age, every last penny in our pocketbooks is worth something which makes this a huge attempt to hold people accountable for their own health and fitness. Would I join a gym with such an agreement? I don't know. It doesn't take much to get me into the gym (and yes, I realize I work at one). But for some, making the journey to the gym is like driving to the dentist. You know you have to go, but you feel as though you're going to hate every second of it. So maybe a program like this would be ideal for those types. The types that need, well...a little "motivation".

As I continue to sit here and ponder the very thought of the concept above, I can't help but notice one thing: my legs are sore.

My legs never get sore! I'm serious. Maybe it's the running, perhaps all those years of cheerleading and gymnastics, they just never get sore! I made the mistake of sharing this news with my teacher during my personal training studies at Blue Heron Academy. Come practice day, I got paired up with her and you betcha she decided it was going to be a legs day.

Needless to say, she killed me.

And my legs feel like that again today. Was it the BOSU squats in my Circuit Sculpt? Maybe the squat-jumps we did immediately following. Or perhaps the bridges we did on the BOSU, which served to work our hamstrings and glutes. Or maybe it was today's interval run. I'll never know. But I do enjoy this feeling. Am I the only one? Do you like feeling sore? It's a sense of accomplishment, in my opinion. Although one never wants to be too sore. There's a fine line between working hard and working too hard. Try not to cross it.

But do cross on over into the column at right. See the "TALK TO ME!" box? I've gotten a few submissions lately that would have been better served with a direct response, but I can't tell who is submitting what. From here on out, go ahead and submit your email address along with your topic. Don't worry, I won't do anything with it but respond if necessary. I know, kind of a boring little rant but I wanted to mention it just in case you've submitted something in the past and haven't heard anything. Please feel free to resubmit! I want to hear from you.

Until then, I'm off. Just got a great package from MyBlogSpark and I can't wait to dig in. Looking forward to telling you about it!

Question: Would you join a gym if they charged you for missed sessions? Also, what are your thoughts on feeling sore? Good thing, or bad?