I did it. Again.

If you've been following me for a while you know there's a whole list of things that I say "I will NEVER do again." They include:

• Joining a dating site
• Having a garage sale
• Adopting another dog
• Sleeping with an ex
• Eating the entire ________ (fill in the blank: cake, half gallon of ice cream, pound of M&M's)
• Joining a gym

And, if you know me, you know that inevitably once a year,  I will...

• Join a dating site
• Have a garage sale
• Adopt another dog
• Sleep with an ex
• Eat the entire_______(fill in the blank: cake, half gallon of ice cream, pound of M&M's)
• Join a gym

Which one did I do THIS time??

I joined a gym.

Again.

Mostly because I've been eating the entire_______ but I would like to sleep with an ex but I'm too embarassed by how fat I am.

The gym is called Planet Fitness and it's located at the local mall in a former Barnes & Noble space. They had a truck stationed in the parking lot for months with a banner on it touting their "$10/month, no commitment" membership. It was so bizarre to walk through the mall, eating an ice cream cone while people were running on treadmills in a storefront.

My curiosity got the best of me and one day I wandered in for a tour. Twenty-something Jay piggy- backed me on a tour of the facilities with a middle aged woman who said nothing the entire time while I asked questions about everything from the machines to the locker rooms.

They have two levels of membership: the Basic which is $10/month and only gives you access to the gym and the "Black Card" membership which is $20/month. The Black Card membership gives you access to the gym along with the tanning beds, massage beds and chairs, red light therapy and unlimited guest privileges. So I could bring one of you with me every time I worked out!

At the end of the tour, they close with "So that's it." No pressure to close the sale or sign away your first born. The woman on the tour with me had to "Talk to her husband. God forbid she join a no contract, $10/month gym that she could quit at any time. I decided to join with the Basic membership to start but after a month I was intrigued by what I had read about the red light therapy and decided to upgrade.

NASA developed LED lights to cultivate plant growth in space and when in use, stumbled upon the fact that the astronauts were experiencing the same cell rejuvenation with the red light therapy as the plants. Since then, red light therapy has taken the anti-aging and skin care markets by storm. It's non-invasive unlike other like surgical treatments and red light therapy users experience virtually no side effects.

Red light therapy, also known as photo rejuvenation, is characterized by infrared light which has a stronger wavelengh than other types of light. This enables it to penetrate more deeply into the skin to improve not only the appearance of the skin but the structure as well. And the best part is that the red light therapy doesn't emit any UV light.

As the red light passes deep into the the layers of the skin, it stimulates the growth of collagen and elastin. Yep, the stuff that plumps us up and makes us look younger.

Salons are charging upwards of $100 for a package of sessions but I get it for FREE with my membership.

I feel younger and plumper already!