natjtan The clouds rolled in on my last kilometre running this morning and I was dancing inside. The temperature dropped about 10 degrees and it felt like I was running in a cool jet stream. It felt so good after the last 7km of hot sun. It didn’t help my pace, but it definitely reminded that there’s only a few weeks of hot sun left. It’ll be a sad day digging out my jeans. 
Sweat. The best filter.
I’ve decided it’s time to re join a gym. I’ve trained at home for the past 3 years, mostly due to location in France. Now I’m back in Barcelona, gyms are all around, cheaper and I have no excuse not too. I also need a social life! Since Saturday I’ve been trying out a few municipal run sports clubs. Saturday was my old gym, Monday my area’s council gym and Tuesdays was 2 districts down council gym. While Barcelona does have a few gym chains, the Ajuntamento de Barcelona or Town Hall has its own sports centre in each of Barcelona’s Districts. Most come with a weight and cardio room, swimming pool, paddle/racquet sport courts and fitness classes. They’re not as fancy as the DIR and Metropolitan clubs, are probably underfunded, rates are reasonable for everyone to join. As I’m learning, the best one for me isn’t necessarily in my district.
Monday I could have cried. Little space to burpee, the monitor was reading a book and playing on his phone, only 2kg and 3kg medicine balls, a few resistance bands and I didn’t get the impression many people burpee there. Limited opening hours for it being August, Spanish national holiday month. The showers were basically a cave in the changing rooms and it had a whiff of my old high school. I couldn’t wrap my workout quick enough to get home for a shower! 
Tuesday’s gym was better. I had intended to try out a 24hour gym with several clubs throughout the city. I had a free 7 day pass and arrived within customer service hours to activate it. I buzzed (that should have been a warning sign in itself. Back in France gym’s with tag entries from what I saw, only had cardio and standard weight machines) waited. No reply. Then I noticed on the window you had to make an appointment with customer services. Stuff that, I’m here to work out, not discuss payment options. Plan B, a local gym that has Les Mills classes. It wasn’t a complete wasted trip. I got to see more the city and it’s different era’s of buildings. Off the beaten path always has hidden gyms.
For one moment, I was back in Nice.
The next city gym was better. More modern, but still limited bupree space. Massive changing rooms, TRX, medicine balls, a few fit balls and bosus. In peak times, it would be be difficult to find space to set a circuit up. Once again I was taken back to high school with the stretch mats. Remember those thick padded ones?
I have a few more to try before I make my decision. My old one is still number one at the moment, thanks to it’s terrace and lots of bupree space. Being a 30 minute bike ride away makes me hesitant to join immediately.
Apart from gym hunting, Monday I found myself doing something I’ve never done before. I took some clothes to the tailors. Oh, If my Mum knew she’d have a fit! ‘Why can’t you do it yourself?” ‘Why?’ It’ll take me all day! I also thought I’d never use clothes pegs in my life. Since moving here 3 months ago, I’ve had to stop clothes drying from flying off the balcony!
Anyways, no day here at the moment isn’t without it’s beach siesta. Despite the sun during the day, as soon as it’s 6pm, those clouds come and block out the sun!
Have you ever been gym hunting? What do you look for in a gym? What’s the one thing you thought you’d never find yourself doing?