In which Nim does her best Jesus impersonation and returns from the dead..

Okay, so I wasn't *dead*.. I had the flu. Let me tell you though, I certainly WISHED that I was dead! Or at least unconscious for a week.

Nothing puts a damper into your best fitness plans like a bout of illness or an injury. I've had months of progress derailed due to a shoulder strain that killed my motivation to work out for weeks afterwards.

However, now that I'm feeling myself again, I'm going to get back to my project of researching local gyms so that I can find one that really suits my needs before I lock myself into a monthly payment. Whereas this wasn't a huge pressing need up until now, with our office's new program of paying for 50% of gym membership costs I want to ensure that I am taking full advantage of that!

There are two gyms near my house that I'm considering getting memberships at, the first one is the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre and the second one is a 24 hour gym. They're both close to the same price, so I just need to compare what I'd be getting for my money.

The Aquatic Centre has a gym and pool facility included in the price. There are a few big drawbacks to this gym though. There are no barbells and there is no Smith machine. So, while I can do squats with dumbbells, this is a little less than ideal. Also, the hours that they're open aren't great and in the afternoon/early evening the facility tends to be infested with sweaty teenagers.

The good thing about the Aquatic Centre is that you can use the pool and hot tub after you've worked out; though they tend to be full of teenagers too. Also, this gym is the closer of the two to my house. It might also be slightly cheaper, though I might be mistaken on this point.

Next time: my review of the 24 hour gym...