Celebrity Fitness Vs. Fitness Studio Penang

When I first arrived in Penang, I was determined to get into better overall shape. I was not in bad shape, I really needed to get leaner and work on my core strength though, I have been told by fitness minds greater than my own that good core strength would make me a better runner overall... so, a gym membership seemed like a good idea...So rewind to those first few weeks, I checked out 4 gyms, the gym at the G-Hotel, Celebrity Fitness on the 7th floor of Gurney Plaza, The gym at Island Plaza, (I think, I don't remember, but it may have been the one at straits quay...either way it was too far away, blah blah blah.) and Fitness Studio in the Gurney Hotel tower. So my impressions of each: The G-hotel gym, crowded, and a bit expensive for what you get, nice gym, don't get me wrong, just not worth the money in my opinion. Celebrity Fitness, not my cup of tea, lots of great equipment, and if I was single, cute and single I would be all over that place like a cheap suit, but married, old and swimming around in the "EW he looks like my 4th grade math teacher!" pool, this place was not for me. With Straits Quay/Island Plaza being to "blah blah", that left Fitness Studio...not too far away, in fact I could (when I could walk) walk to it, it was inexpensive, not much newer equipment, but enough to keep me happy, it seemed like the perfect fit, so we signed up. Now I have to admit, although it felt small and cozy and smelled like what a gym is supposed to smell like, the novelty wore off, and although Rox and I did use it, we did not use it as much as we should have...I mean yes I did use the (cringing) treadmill a few times, and Rox would use it on the weekends. The injury put the kibosh on everything so.....fast forward to 4 weeks ago...The doctor finally clears me to rehab my wrist, and weight bearing at 20 - 25% on my hip, so I figure I need to get stronger now, I'm getting around better and can do non weight bearing exercise, so damn, I need a gym!! Fitness studio?? nope, had to be something closer...so that meant...oh yes loyal reader...Celebrity Fitness. I thought ok, I will keep an open mind, lets just check it out, so we sat and got the sales pitch and decided that for the sake of convenience and my need to build strength before I got the nod to walk again...what the hell!! I mean i have pretty thick skin, I can take the "oh god who let the old guy in" looks, I NEED to do this. Well loyal reader...I was wrong...yes, I can admit it, it was not the meat market I thought it to be (although it may be, but since i am there early...may be I miss all that). The people were friendly, the trainers well qualified, the equipment was new and state of the art, and there were even some people there that I knew....I really like Celebrity Fitness, I really do...I mean it doesn't smell like a gym should, and its fancy and loud, but I like Celebrity Fitness...In the beginning...
"I would not go there on a bet
I would not go there with a pet
I would not go there to work out
I would not go there with the gout
I would not go there covered in slime
I would not go there anytime
I do not like it dumb and witless
I do not like Celebrity Fitness"

Now...
I would go there on a bet
I would go there with a pet
I would go there to work out
I would go there with the gout
I would go there covered in slime
I would...ok you get the picture...I'm doing the Dr. Seuss thing with it, yeah its lame but it was funny in my mind for a second and i have ADD so it works. Anyway I really really like Celebrity Fitness, it works for me and other than having to take the service elevator...It just plain  rocks, I like everything about it and now find myself disappointed I did not put aside my judgement and give it a chance!!!
So Celebrity Fitness is the winner in this battle of the gyms, and i am better for it.
Run Happy!!

Records at Kona...and Rehab.

Ok, so I figured it was a good morning to get in a blog, since my posts are now at about 2 to 3 weeks...not much going on. Rehab is going well, the stretching and the strength training seems to be working, i feel stronger, and people who have watched my recovery from day one are saying that the leg looks better, not so puffy and discolored. Still trying to get to the gym at least 4 days a week and in the pool at least twice. that changes if I am sore from Rehab though, which was last weeks story. I find that I am eating really bad too. its like, when I was running all the time my body seemed to crave the healthy foods, fruits, veggies, healthy carbs and proteins, now that I am far more sedentary, I seem to crave the junk...not good, but I have been able to maintain my weight, I have just lost and muscle tone I did have (which was not much). Kona 70.3, was yesterday, and Crissie Wellington and Craig Alexander both won, which is good, because If I had been able to put money down in Vegas it would have been on them...For Craig, it seems like business as usual, the guy is a machine and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, I had the opportunity to meet him at a Florida tri event and he was a great guy! Crissie is a Brooks runner, so enough said...She even has her own pair of limited edition T7's which look awesome. (I would buy them just because I LOVE the T7 and they look awesome, but at this point I am going to need a suitcase just for new shoes when we go home in December.) Craig posted his THIRD Ironman Win, and set a course record, personally i would be happy to finish it before the guys were out taking the course down, Which is amazing since he started to cramp towards the end and actually stopped with about a mile and a half to go, despite all of that a 12 second under the course record finish. For Crissie,her FOURTH win, with a torn pectoral muscle no less, and still swam, biked and ran 70.3 to a victory...Not athletes...not a sport...Think about what she accomplished with an injury that would put most Basketball and Baseball players on injured reserve for months!! You have to respect both of their accomplishments!! BRAVO!! Loyal reader, Run Happy!!