Things to love about Mexico: Nearly free pilates

Not everything in Mexico is cheap, as many goods are still imported and in spite of NAFTA, the import taxes plus the IVA (a value added tax of 16%) make many purchases painful (toys, clothes, appliances, many imported food items, etc.). Gyms tend to work on exclusivity, in a country-clubish sort of way, with a sometimes significant fee paid up front and then not so cheap monthly dues to keep the riffraff out. The last time I belonged to a gym was while doing my research in Cancun, and I believe I talked them into halving the initial fee to a couple of hundred bucks and then paid a good hundred or so per month (I was pregnant and not about to work out outside in July there with temps in the 90s with matching humidity, so give me a break on the self-indulgence). So imagine my delight when I found a neighborhood pilates reformer studio, meaning the fancy machines not just mat work, where I can take a month of classes, five days a week, for about a hundred bucks. I just checked the Arlington pilates studio where some friends and I contemplated trying it out while the hubbies were in DC for training, only to find that a similar package of classes would run close to two Gs. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to walk tomorrow after today's class, but I think that's what it's going to take to get me back in shape, with the added benefit of not paying something like a house mortgage to attain such a goal.