I just found out that I’m about to lose my gym membership. I currently receive it through a special program for cancer survivors – but the program is being phased out, and with it my gym membership. The new program is limited to those who are within a two year window of treatment which explicitly excludes hormone therapy – which is truly annoying.

I get it, sort of. Going to the gym regularly in those first two years was critical. The program that got me weight training right after chemo/surgery made a huge difference in my wellbeing.

But now, I’m feeling a little lost. I’m surprised at the impact. The one part of the gym that I loved was access to the pools – specifically, access to really nice salt water heated outdoor lap pools. Swimming is the activity that I attribute to my range of motion (and the fact that I have full range of motion post surgery), as well as the recovery from lymphedema. We have a pool in our community, but it only heated in the summer. It also isn’t a lap pool. It is OK for a short swim, but isn’t really good for a workout.

So now, I’m looking for a new gym. The one thing I dislike about the gym membership I had was that it is a 20 minute drive from home. It is a bit far, that I didn’t use it when I wanted to go for a quick swim. If I can get a membership at a decent pool someplace closer to home, then I would likely use it more often. It did, however, highlight how I really appreciate a decent pool, looker room, and showers. I also really like the security of a quality gym – in that I didn’t feel like I needed to worry about my locker being broken into while I was working out (a problem at some of the lower cost gyms).

The loss of the membership may prompt me to do more outdoor activities, like trying to spend more time on the bike, and certainly more time hiking. Maybe this is an opportunity, a disruption, that I needed.