Two weeks ago I formally joined the Berkeley City Club. It’s a beautiful facility near the University and even has a parking lot. The building was designed by Julia Morgan and built in 1932 as a women’s residence for the University. The place is incredibly beautiful with charming details everywhere. Lots of nooks to sit in and relax and enjoy chatting or reading. But for me, it’s really a change of gyms. Fifteen years ago I joined Oakwood Athletic Club in Lafayette and have been a dedicated member since. For years I went three times a week, working out on the machines and taking classes. More recently I have just been taking Chair Yoga twice a week. There was quite a nice little community of gym friends I’d made. On my last day in yoga, I thanked David our quirky teacher, telling him “he’ll always be my first yoga teacher.” I was very sad to leave several people and we exchanged contact information and I hope we’ll stay in touch.
The motivation to change was mostly because of the 9 mile drive along windy Grizzly Peak and then a drive on a busy freeway. I can do it now, but I was thinking of 5 years from now when driving will be even more difficult. So for the past two weeks, I’ve been taking as many gym classes as I could, getting to know which ones I’ll want to attend regularly. So far I’ve loved them all: Cardio and Core is challenging and reminds me of my weekly workout with Karen; Aqua Zumba is water aerobics in the gorgeous Julia Morgan pool and Fit for Life is a great class focusing on core strength and balance. There is also a yoga class and a Zumba class both of which people recommend. Plus there are many other activities: a lovely restaurant ( Bob and I tried “Taco Tuesday” and loved the atmosphere, the food and the 30 percent discount members get), art classes, a book club, lectures, concerts and even a play group. And so far people have been very very friendly, welcoming me with open arms. I’m loving it and feel that the change was for the better.
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