First impressions…facilities.

I can’t believe it’s been a full week since I arrived!  I have some down time today (Sunday) so I thought I’d share a few thoughts about the facilities here at LIFE (maybe you’ll love it and decide to go on your own quest!)

I arrived Monday, around noon to the apartment complex where I’m staying.  It’s nice, in a corporate hotel kind of way, with bland furniture, no art, but decent facilities.  There’s a pool which I haven’t been to yet, and a fitness center (not that I’ll be using it, considering my days!).  Pros: the apartment is centrally located – there’s a mall right across the street and I could walk to the marina (though the beach would be a hike).  Cons: We’re right off a major road, Lincoln, and there’s lots of noise and certainly no charm.  But all in all, decent housing!  I have a ‘suite mate,’ a German woman from Indonesia.  She’s nice.  Luckily we both have our own bathrooms and bedrooms!

The fitness facility (“the office” or “the gym” as most people call it) is about 1/2 mile from the apartment.  We drove to the gym that afternoon, but every day I walk there before my workouts and back home afterward.  At the end of a long day, it can seem a bit daunting.

I was introduced to Nicola, the director of training, and we took my before/after photos. We did a few fitness tests, including that VO2 Max (where I had to run on the machine with a crazy breathing mask) and my dunk test (where I had to balance on a big scale while submerged in water!)  My numbers were not unexpected considering my fitness level, and I have some goals in mind now.

The gym is not fancy, but it has everything you need.  There’s a large mat where we do everything from crunches to jumping jacks to boxing, tons of cardio machines (treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, stair climbers), a free weight and weight machine area, and a spinning area. There’s a lounge where we often eat together (either our pre-packed and delivered daily meals, or a hot meal prepared right there at the gym) and rest during breaks.  All the water you can drink.    Considering we spend everyday there from about 7:30 till 5 or even 7pm, its been surprisingly conducive to meeting new people and making friends.

We’re about a 10 min drive from the beach (closer if you could drive as the crow flies).  We’ve done a few workouts there – from traditional boot camp to volleyball drills.  There’s a Y pool nearby that we use when we go swimming, and of course, the Santa Monica Steps I talked about earlier.

Overall I’m happy with the facilities and everything.  I have a bunch of first impressions about the program itself, but I’ll save that for another day.  Today’s Sunday…I’m enjoying my first day of rest (other than of course, the one-hour workout this morning).  Labor day is a normal day for us – but we are having a BBQ at the gym.  Should be fun   Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!

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