My happy place.... NOT the gym

Unless my friend Kelsey Taylor is there telling me it's time to call it a day, the gym is not my happy place.

I go there, but it's a struggle. And my current gym doesn't even have the Kelsey factor because swimming is what I think could keep me going back, so I need a gym with a pool. Once my hair won't freeze getting back to the car, I'll be in it. It should not surprise you that swimming in the Caribbean (my inspiration) is a lot more fun than swimming anywhere in Indiana in winter.

I want to be in shape. I do. I really do. But I also have an active mixologist in the house stirring up all kinds of yummy drinks. And when it's not Jeff at the bar, it's our friend, Bruce, who sends me all kinds of exotic and lovely concoctions that he dreams up or finds in ancient texts. (I don't know that they come from ancient texts, but he has an encyclopedic knowledge of mixers I've never heard of that when comingled will knock your socks off.)

It's not their fault, of course. I like a nice drink. I also like chocolate. And ice cream. And well, just about anything with an empty calorie. I might skip breakfast and have salads for lunch, but Covid kept me from the gym too long and my fat cells have come home, more than happy to roost and multiply right back in my gut. It's not pretty. 

And while I kind of admire and am kind of horrified by my friend Tracy's ability to fast for more than a day at a time, I can barely make it to noon before I'm ripping the plastic off my bag o' salad or low-fat cheese sticks. If I fast longer than 12 hours, it's because I got distracted or trapped under a tree. 

A few years ago, and with Kelsey as my gym whisperer, and Weight Watchers' zero point soup, I toned myself up and was in the best shape of my life. I had that damn soup for at least one meal a day for about two years. No joke. 

I did enjoy the way my jeans felt, and I threw a party for myself when I realized the fat cells had been evicted. (It wasn't much of a party; zero point soup was the feature act.) 

So anyway, I'm kind of back at it. I'm doing a few weight machines in addition to aerobic stuff, and I'm seeing tiny improvements even as my back hurts and the lactic acid courses through my flabby muscles. The fat cells are digging in, but they know at least some of them are heading back to a holding cell.

But enough about me. How's your February going?

THIS is my happy place.

If you're in Indy and you don't need a pool, you should check out Kelsey's fitness center, Taylor Made Wellness. It's downtown, with lots of parking and the hands-down, best trainer in the state. 

Plus, she's a wonderful person who gives back in so many ways you'll never need to wonder where to put your extra cash or energy.

You'll be back to your happy place in no time. OK. That's a lie. It'll take a while. But you'll get there. And so will I.