Get Fitter, Not Fatter

Well the new year is upon us and now that we've stopped being all jolly and merry and whatnot I've decided to go all Krampus on the world. You see, we're just over the hump at the beginning of the year when our good intentions drive us gymward in an effort to lose the festive flab.

Good luck with that. And so I rant.

It annoys me immensely that I can't just pick and choose which exercises to take or how often without being ripped off in the name of the free market. I work full time so a day pass is no good to me. There are twenty four hours a day and health clubs are usually open for up to eighteen hours. How in the world could I get my money's worth? I mean, come on, tell me please which planet "a day" comprises "an hour, perhaps an hour and a half?"

This got me thinking about how long days are on other planets.

Length Of A Day On The Planets In Our Solar System

Mercury: 58 days and 15 hours
Venus: 243 days
Mars: 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds
Jupiter: 9.9 hours
Saturn: 10 hours 45 minutes 45 seconds, but can only be approximated because of atmospheric density.
Uranus: 17 hours, 14 minutes and 24 seconds
Neptune: 16 hours, 6 minutes and 36 seconds, but it is a bit more complicated than that. The equator and poles rotate at different speeds. You would have to do more research on the planet to fully understand the varying day on Neptune.

Source: Universe Today

I can't help wondering which planet the gym owner/operators come from. Time was, you could stroll into a leisure centre, pay a small fee, then jump in the swimming pool. Not so today, it seems.

I've also noticed that they're not forthcoming with the costs of partaking of their facilities. They'll rant and rave about how awesome their facilities are and how great the value for money is but ask how much it is and you're just given a day pass option. I've not really seen any exceptions to this apparent rule.

At which point I come to the inescapable conclusion that the owner/operators of gyms and leisure centres are either gleefully intent on ripping us off or believe that they're aliens from a world where the days are much shorter than ours. I doubt that'd stand up in court, though, and I'm fairly certain it's a breach of the Trades Descriptions Act given that only wealthy, dedicated gym bunnies would ever spend an entire day in the gym, even if that did include an hour or so in the sauna. As a working woman, I don't have the time.

Sod it, I'll just do more walking. I look awful in a swimsuit anyway.