- Mothers with children can only use the gym between the hours of 9-4pm (God forbid a new mother WORKS!)
- Mothers with children can ONLY use the walking track, and ONLY on the inside lane, in a single file line, no passing slow walkers (although I doubt anyone would make you leave if you did it while there were no runners on the track)
- Mothers with children can not use any other machines in the entire gym.
- They can however go in the basketball court. Like I can play basketball (or would because it is in no way safe) with LB strapped to my chest. Even jogging is too bumpy for him at this age.
- They can also use weights. Um... okay... I can't sit in a full backed chair with my son in my lap and rotate my feet in circles... but I can lift 50lb free weights over my chest while he is laying on top of it!? WHAT the f'in HELL?!
- The other gym, with mildewed walls, offers childcare...
- only while school is in session,
- and only on MWF,
- and only during the hour long class in the morning and one in the afternoon,
- and only if you signed up for and paid for this class (at a free gym),
- and only if a uniformed soldier doesn't pop in (unpaid of course) and need your slot, therefore kicking you out of the class.
I know they are worried about liability and I totally understand about soldiers getting preference for gym usage, but I still felt as though I was being punished for being fat and for being a new mom. How in the hell do they expect new mothers to get healthy after carrying a baby for nearly a year?! I felt so horrible and cried several times before picking DH up. It didn't help that I was parked outside his mock deployment "village" with the Army tents and humvees all set up... that is a completely different post though.
EDIT:
I normally work out at home since I am stuck at home without a car most days. I was hoping to be able to get out of the house one day a week and using the cycling machine though. It's a free military gym for soldiers and families so I figured they would be more accommodating. I understand their rules, but it is still frustrating. There is a room across post with a bike, treadmill, and a couple other things next to the play area so moms can work out, but I would have to put him in one of the play pens and hope it's been cleaned, or drag our own up there, set it up, give him his toys, and tear it down after my workout. {I guess it would weigh less to carry around a bottle of cleaner and some baby wipes to clean all the toys first lol} Children aren't allowed in the machine area, even if they are immobile and strapped to mom. I'm not even sure when that room is open; it seems to be locked every time I go to that building. It seems like I ought to be able to sign a wavier and take responsibility for my own child. It's sad that other people have to govern parents because some, okay maybe a lot, are mindless idiots that would let them play on the machines unsupervised.
I suppose if I want to work out on post, I'll have to go to that mommy room on the other side of post, and LB and I will both have work out bags. So, that would mean, mommy, mommy's purse, mommy's work out gear, baby, baby's diaper bag, baby's gym bag full of cleaning supplies {in baggies of course, in case of leaks} and personal toys so he isn't chewing on someone elses' germs. Well, that will make for a good warm up dragging all those things inside. I guess I can give that a try next Thursday and see how plausible it is to do once a week.
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