Muscle Monkey

She has taken her love of necklaces to the next level.  And I like to call her Mrs. T.

Do you see similarities?  No?  Me neither, really.  She's much, MUCH, cuter.  But I love the multiple beads. She's going to be a fashion girl, I do believe.  And I love Lucy in mid-bark outside the door.  Too funny.

So I went to the gym yesterday for my "health assessment" and I think that this warrants a letter to the big guys.  The corporate office.  I know that this is a "big box" gym, but do they really have to be so dang pushy when it comes to all of the extra services that they offer?  They have my monthly membership.  I signed up for the monthly childcare.  I signed up for the monthly tanning.  Isn't that enough?  I guess it's not.  Cause I swear, I get asked to buy something or upgrade something every single time I go there!  Don't get me wrong, I love the gym.  I just hate their sales approach.  Makes me crazy.  And I know that it's the way of the world....even McDonald's does it....you want fries or a drink with that?!  If I wanted fries or a drink, I would have asked for it.  Same thing with the gym, if I wanted to buy a $600 personal training package, I would have asked for it.  Or, if I wanted the $80 bottle of lotion for tanning, I would have asked for it.  You do not need to ask me every.freakin.time I tan or come in.  Okay, so they don't harass nearly as much about the trainer as they do the tanning lotion.

But back to my "health assessment" yesterday....

It was with the personal trainer coordinator.  Ooooh, big title there muscle man.  It is "required" when you join to do this assessment.  Which I now know means that it's a required sales pitch that you are to deal with to try and force you to sign up with their personal trainers.  A TWO HOUR SALES PITCH.  WTF.  Not only did this meat-head tell me that everything that I do during my usual work out is wrong, but he also told me that I'd never reach my goals (or it would take me at least twice as long), I wasn't working out the "right way" and that I was confusing my body and would end up losing some weight but then putting it all back on rapidly if I changed anything about my routine.  AND, he had the nerve to tell me that I would probably get skinny but look like a marshmallow.  Because I wouldn't have the right muscle tone.

Yeah, I'm still upset.

Not only did I feel extremely pressured by this "health assessment" but now I feel completely intimidated about going back to the gym.  I feel like every effort I've made is a waste.  I feel like, "why bother" if it's not even going to work.  I know that he was pulling off every sales trick he could think of but that's not the point.

The point is that I am a PAYING member.  I PAY to go here.  I should not have to feel like this just because I didn't sign up for his training program. 

I felt so uncomfortable during this "health assessment" and he wasn't taking no for an answer, so I told him that I would "think about it" and go tan and would let him know.  I figured that it was the best way to get out of that situation and catch him after the tense "stare at her until she breaks" approach that he was using. 

I walk out of tanning and there he sits.  Ummmm, excuse me?!  You are waiting for me?  I told him no.  Not doing it.  Can't afford it.  He says that I only have to put 20% down and that was only $67.  He says, "who can't afford $67!?"   At this point I wanted to punch him in his big fat muscle.  Okay, it wasn't fat, just muscle.  And it would probably hurt my hand really bad....but I wanted to punch him anyway.

I just kept walking and said, "I'll think about it later when finances would allow it."  That was the nicest way I could think of to say, "no."  And I know that I'm a push over.  Big time pushover.  I hate to say no.  I hate to disappoint people.  But taking that 10 minutes to tan helped me get my courage up and realize that he was just being a pushy sales person.  It wasn't about the training at this point, it was about the sale. 

As I was walking out, he says, "I'll look for you in here tomorrow!" 

UGH!  I swear, if he even thinks that it will be okay to harass me about this I will report his ass.

And on another note, today is the state exam for my teaching certification (as I mentioned on twitter)....I'm freaking out.  To say the least.  I did the online study guide and while I did okay on that...I don't have much confidence in myself at all.  I hate these things and am so thankful that this is my last one.  But I'll be a nervous wreck until July 1 when the scores are posted.  Ugh.  I'm getting an ulcer just thinking about it.