This past year my wife and I joined a local gym that has two amazing things going for it over other gyms who have taken my membership money but are little used:

1. They offer FREE child care while you exercise! The hours this is offered are slightly limited, but this is a massive incentive for me to get to the gym a couple of times every week.
2. Unlike many gyms, each of the showers are private, rather than a wall and a dozen shower heads. Call me crazy, but a couple of extra walls and curtain make me feel a lot more comfortable.

It’s so nice to be able to drop the boys off for an hour or so while I simultaneously get a break, get some exercise, and am able to get a hot shower uninterrupted by a crying baby or invading toddler.

What I have noticed recently though is a startling correlation between the days I don’t get to the gym and the days I never am able to find time for the luxury of a shower. The only exception seems to be days when my lovely wife is home to run defense for me AND I have somewhere I need to go that requires some consideration of personal hygiene.