Gunners Fitness Center

by Pa Rock
Cultural Explorer


Although mercifully I do not seem to be putting on any weight, I have been horribly remiss in going to the gym since arriving on Okinawa.  I did a couple of short strolls on the treadmill while I was in temporary housing at the Shogun Inn, but have ignored exercise altogether since moving into my apartment.  Oh, I've had good intentions, but there have always been other demands on my time that saved me the sweat of serious exercise.

Today I finally ran out of excuses and headed over to Camp Foster.  Foster is a relatively small Marine Corps facility that is literally within walking distance of where I live.  I have gone there to shop at the PX, the commissary, and to use their "hot spot" food court for my early Internet needs.  Today I finally sucked it up and went looking for the gym.

Gunners Fitness Center is a large exercise complex located behind Camp Foster's enormous field house.  Not knowing exactly where I was heading, I roamed through the field house first, where I met a kind lady who was watching some wrestling instruction.  She took me through the field house and out back to the fitness center.  A second kind lady, this one in the fitness center, gave me a towel - and I was ready to get serious on my old nemesis, the treadmill.

The marines know how to do things right.  The treadmills were equipped with television screens.  I watched a bit on crime profilers, listened to my iPod, and marched on the machine for an embarrassingly short period of time.  (I didn't realize how negatively my hiatus from exercising had impacted me.)  Tomorrow I will hit it again, and hopefully do better.

After burning off six or seven calories, I headed to the commissary (base grocery store) and bought a few supplies for this week.  I am now patiently waiting on a crock pot full of chicken breast, soup, and rice to rise to the occasion of my supper - and several suppers later in the week.

It's a beautiful day on Okinawa!