Where are My Gym Pals?

In an age of spam and computer viruses I rarely open e-mail from people I don’t know. So I’m not sure what caused me to open an e-mail sent to me at work from an AOL account I didn’t recognize. But I was very touched when I read the message.

A lawyer and lover of all things political, Paul sent me an e-mail saying that he and Eileen, a full-time mom with an MBA, had been wondering why they hadn’t seen me at Gold’s Gym for a while, and hoped I was o.k. Over a period of years, the three of us often chatted on the stair masters at 5:30 a.m.

Paul and I would discuss the odds of various political races, and occasionally the scuttlebutt on upcoming gubernatorial appointments here in Massachusetts. Eileen and I debated the merits of various restaurants and vacation destinations. All of us spoke about our families, especially our children. Upcoming birthday, anniversary, holiday plans and newly released movies were the staples of our conversations.

Time spent on any exercise machine can be deadly, and our chats certainly made the time go faster. We never saw one another outside the gym, and we may never see each other again, but I got to know Paul and Eileen well enough to miss them.

Relationships are important to me, and I thought about that when I left Gold’s Gym at the end of June. I’d joined that gym nearly a decade ago, while still living in the suburbs. Gold’s, located in an industrial park in Needham, was just a little further from home than the Newton JCC, where I’d been a member for nearly 20 years.

I’d walked and run the indoor track of that JCC while mourning the death of my first husband. That JCC was also where I spent hundreds of hours on a Concept II rowing ergometer – usually while chatting with a periodontist named Steve. He ultimately introduced me to his widower friend and lawyer, Dennis. Dennis and I are happily married, looking forward to our 10th anniversary.

Dennis still goes to the JCC, and provides me with reports on mutual gym friends, saying they still ask about me. Shortly before we got married, I switched to Gold’s for its 5 a.m. opening. But when we moved to our condo in Brookline in 2007, I began thinking about whether I might find a gym closer to home. The issue of distance caused me to begin assessing Gold’s housekeeping, climate control, and equipment issues with a more critical eye.

New ownership at Gold’s last spring brought change, including a requirement that I exchange the membership card I’d been happy to keep in my wallet for a large plastic disc to be placed on my key chain. This tacky promotional ploy irritated me enough to cause me to pick up the phone and call Health Works, an all women’s gym with two locations closer to my new home than either Gold’s or the JCC.

Health Works doesn’t open until 5:30. But in addition to towels, they provide vanilla scented body wash, mango shampoo, and a nice conditioner. Although I usually shower at home, their showers are clean, and I occasionally enjoy sitting in the whirlpool after a weekend workout.

Once in a while I run into old neighbors or professional colleagues. But my primary relationship at Health Works is with my noise canceling headset and Motown. That makes me sad.