The Little Gym Around the Corner

They say the key to a successful exercise program is twofold: making exercise a habit, and choosing something you like.

Choosing something you like. Not so easy. I was always picked last at gym, and with good reason. If a ball comes my way, I duck and cover. After one lap of anything, except beverages, I’m gasping for air. Dance classes worked for a while, but as time goes on, I’m questioning the intelligence of any intelligent design that created joints.

As for making exercise a habit, I work full-time. And that’s just at the office.

I could get up early and go to the gym before work. Ha ha ha. No way am I getting up even earlier than I already do to make myself fit. Since another key to good health is getting enough sleep, I flipped a (two-headed) coin, and sleep won.

I could exercise at lunch, but I’m too hungry. I’d have to eat before the noon-time class, and eat some more after the noon-time class, and I’d have to change clothes before the class, shower and change after the class, and I‘d have to drive somewhere to do all that. I’m exhausted (and hungry) just writing about it. Not to mention I’d be unemployed for not getting any work done.

I could exercise after work, but there’s chauffeuring to do, dinner to make, laundry to shuffle, and homework to supervise. Ha ha ha ha again.

The last possibility is weekends. This always worked the best for me, but “best” is relative. That two-headed coin works pretty well on weekends, too, and there’s still chauffeuring, cooking, and laundry, plus the weekly cleaning tasks such as sweeping untold horrors under the rug and the bed.

Therefore, I was astonished a few weeks ago to realize that I have been a member, and regular attendee, of the same gym for seven years! What is this fabulous place that could turn the Queen of Excuses into a devoted exerciser?

Lady Circuit 30 Minute Fitness — the little gym around the corner.

It’s inconspicuously located in the strip mall on Mary and Fremont in Sunnyvale, next to the Country Gourmet, so it’s easy to negate your Sunday morning calorie burn-off with a plate of eggs benedict. And a calorie burn-off is a likely outcome as you spend 40 seconds at each station, alternating between low-impact muscle-toning hydraulic machines and jogging squares or step benches.

The owner, Kristin Gerhart, sets the tone (pun intended). She’s upbeat, but not the kind of upbeat that makes you want to smack someone at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning. She's welcoming, helpful, accommodating, encouraging, and just plain fun to be around. She holds a few contests a year, rewarding members who come regularly, or who maintain their weight through the holidays. She decorates the walls with professional artwork from members and their families. She keeps members informed about current health news and activities, such as the recent Day of Dance, sponsored by El Camino Hospital.

But staying fit is only the beginning at Lady Circuit. As you go around the circuit, you get to know the women around you—the retirees, the high-tech professionals, the moms with young kids, the teachers. Need an electrician? Someone knows a good one. Want the scoop on college financial aid? The guidance counselor from a local high school can tell you. Do you just need a place to vent? You’ve come to the right place. I once even put someone in touch with a hiring manager, and she got a new job.

You can borrow your next good read from the shelves of books that member bring in. You can take home the lemons, tomatoes, and other excess produce from their gardens. An occasional spice cake makes an appearance (and rapid disappearance).

You run into your new friends when you take an evening walk, when you go grocery shopping, and when you eat that eggs benedict at the Country Gourmet.

Throughout the circuit, you exercise your body, your mind, and, well, your jaw.

I’m reminded of the old TV show Cheers, back when they still had theme songs that lasted more than 10 seconds:

“Sometimes you gotta go

Where everybody knows your name

And they’re always glad you came”.