Recently “The Biggest Loser” came to Ubon Ratchathani via satellite TV on Hallmark Channel. I was curious about the whole process and began watching it to see how it all works.

I have seen before and after photos of the contestants and was utterly amazed at the positive transformation that took place. Even though the before and after are critical I was interested in the in-between. What events and experience took place on the journey to the after photo?

As I was watching the show and particularly one of the  trainers, Jillian Michaels, I was reminded of a few drill sergeants in basic training and other training courses I attended. She was definitely a hardass but with a purpose.

If I had to chose a personal trainer it would be Jillian Michaels for me. Self-motivation is great but we all need a kick in the butt to keep us moving in the right direction.

In my heart I knew that, I too, needed to get busy. I had developed a lazy streak and the mirror was showing me the results of eating too much and not enough physical activity.

From the time I awoke that morning, Jillian Michaels was sitting on my shoulder talking to me as though she is my conscience. I kept hearing, get going, go do something, get your body moving.

I gave in and headed over to the new fitness center at Sunee Grand Hotel. I sneaked through the lobby to the elevators and pressed the button for floor five. I was there within a minute.

As I exited the elevator a sign informed me the place to sweat was to my left. I immediately saw the entrance which got me thinking it was some sort of secret social society club.

What I saw upon entering did not change my perception. A social area was set up with tables and easy chairs for members to sit, talk and relax before and after using the facilities.

I rounded the partition that blocked view of the inside and was greeted by a wai and a smile from one of the staff members sitting at the official table.

The first thing she asked me was my room number. Hmmmm, maybe I could have come up with one but instead I informed her I was not a guest of the hotel. Next the question was am I am member. Again my answer was negative.

She handed me a large towel and a locker key. I was then informed it would be 100TB per session for non-members. Then as I handed her the money she directed me to the swimming pool. I told her I might use it later but for now I was headed to the fitness room.

I just found out that I can use either the pool or the fitness center for 100TB, if I want to use both it would be 200TB. I was disappointed to hear that but my priority  was the exerise room. I had to trade in my big towel for a smaller one.

The fitness room is nice, clean, well equipped but small. My guess is around 6X8 meters. Most of the floor space is covered with equipment. The equipment is state-of-the-art and very user friendly.

I didn’t do an inventory but I think there are about 6 treadmills, 5 or 6 stationary bicycles and 3 ellypical trainers. On one wall there are a few benches and some universal machines.

It seemed I was having a VIP session. It was 8:00am and I was all alone. I think it wouldn’t have been a good experience if 10 other people are in there. It would be a crowd. There also is no place to sit in between sets if you work that way.

I hopped on one of the treadmills and quickly got it doing what I wanted. It came equipped with a hookup for an ipod or iphone which I didn’t use. Some of the other machines have TV monitors on them.

One of the staff members came in and turned on some music and a television. I politely asked him to turn one off as I wanted to exercise not entertain myself. He turned off the music.

I did a 20 minutes on a treadmill and another 20 on a bicycle then a few sets of weights. I must say it felt good. I had the feeling Jillian Michaels would be proud of me. But of course I must do this everyday.

The place is clean and fresh but still under construction. Along with the fitness room there is an aerobics/fitness ball room next door. They offer sessions in the evening. If you aren’t a member it’s 100TB to participate and have 2 sessions a night and different programs each night too.

There will be a spin bike room soon. When I was there the machines were sitting in the hallway waiting for a home.

So if you decide to visit the fitness center at Sunee Grand Hotel it will cost you 100TB per visit. If you are a guest, of course, it is free. There are memberships available. If you want it for 3 months it is 4000TB. If you would prefer 6 months it will be 7000TB to you. With the membership you get unlimited use of the fitness center, swimming pool, sauna and a discount on massages.

The memberships are great if you plan to use the facilities frequently. But if you go maybe 3 times per week it might be cheaper just to pay per  visit.  If you like to take a swim after working out then the membership is definitely the way to go.

The staff told me high useage time is in the evenings starting about 5pm. So if you can get there in the mornings that would be the best time to go. If you are curious you can take a ride up to the 5th floor and get yourself a guided tour.

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