In 2004, my roommate at the time convinced me to join Washington Sports Club with her. We worked out every day, and it was great.
Minus me not losing any weight because I didn’t put any resistance on the elliptical and was wondering why she was drenched in sweat and I wasn’t. I told myself that even though I was overweight, I must still just be in good cardiovascular shape from high school sports. HA! (I used to be GREAT at denial.)
2005-2008: I make various attempts at being a gym rat. All fail.
2009: The year I got my shit together. When I moved to NYC, I transferred my WSC membership to New York Sports Club. I lived downtown at the time, so the club I frequented most was Wall Street. Which, as NYSCs go, is really nice. It’s where I met the trainer who helped me finally shed the weight I’d struggled with since college. For the entire year of 2009, it’s safe to say I was a gym rat.
2010: I think I stopped working out with Joel in early 2010, when I met my ultimate goal weight. After being a member of the Town Sports Gyms for so long, I was really bored with all of their classes, since New York and D.C. had very similar classes.
Summer 2010: I downgrade my cable bill to bare-bones and decide to use the extra money to try out that fancy Equinox I’d heard so much about. I got a decent (err, relatively) corporate rate and there was a location in my office building and on my walk home from the subway. I loved their classes, and–I’m not gonna lie–the super-fancy gym. It felt like a spa every time I walked in, with its inviting mood lighting, a nice change from NYSC’s fluorescent lights that felt too much like my office. Its classes were challenging and unique and seemed like those fancy boutique fitness classes I’d read so much about. I used these classes as cross-training as I trained for the Chicago Marathon, and I often hopped on the treadmill at lunch to bang out some miles.
June 2011 – November 2011: I got laid off but was still training for a triathlon. I briefly canceled my membership, but realized it was cheaper than therapy and a good, healthy way to fill my time between interviews, so I re-upped. It wasn’t convenient to my apartment–it had been convenient to my old job–but since I had lots of time, that was just fine. I spent a lot of time there. I also start attending a lot more classes to review or to take with blogger friends.
November 2011 – January 2012: I try to make it work, but since becoming a more devoted runner, I’m basically only interested in classes at the gym, and my new job makes it difficult to get to night classes, and I’m too lazy to make it to morning classes. (Also, I need to go home and walk my dog before work, so morning classes that aren’t really close are a huge pain in the ass.)
March 2012: I move much closer to an Equinox location, and think that will change things. Not a bit. At this point, the weather’s getting nice and I’m happy to run outside or meet up with friends at fun blogger events. I really would have canceled at this point if I could have, but I was locked into a contract, and their contracts are air-freaking-tight.
June 2012: submit my cancelation notice. Even though I know we’re not right for each other right now, I wonder if I’m really making the right decision to leave my lover, Equinox. I’ve wanted for a while to dabble in some of the boutique fitness classes–I like the accountability of the schedulers, the sometimes-better schedules in general and the flexibility of not needing a membership. Even if I take one fancy fitness class per week, it will still be cheaper than Equinox, but will be a far better use of my money. I’ll certainly miss the very lovely Equinox–especially its pool–but unless they unveil some a la carte option or add some earlier or later classes, it’s just not for me right now.
I mostly run as exercise, and I’m training for a marathon right now, so I’m not concerned about not getting exercise in, but it does seem weird–especially as a person who is into fitness–to not have a formal gym membership. I might revisit this after the marathon, and I’m thinking of trying the CrossFit cult then, but for now, it’s me, my sneaks and random classes whenever and wherever I feel like. Including occasionally on my laptop, in my apartment.
What about you? Do you belong to a formal gym? (By formal, I mean gym with classes, and stuff. Not a gym you have to dress up for.) If not, how do you get your exercise in?
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Good for you! I haven't had a gym membership in years, and I managed to lose most of my weight without one. I think gym memberships can be great but I hate the feeling of commitment and letting it down when I don't get the most out of it. I found that I do better running outside and getting "punch card" type rates for drop-in group exercise. I take Zumba, Piloxing and Spin whenever I can for much cheaper than a membership.
Canceling a gym membership is liberating! I did it a few months ago after not using the gym for a full year because I found better workout options, including a 5-day-a-week outdoor morning boot camp, a specialized indoor cycling studio, and a swim team whose membership includes free use of local pools. I hesitated for so long before canceling because I wasn't sure if I would stick with boot camp, spinning, and swimming, but a year later, I'm still doing boot camp and swimming, and have kept up once a week spinning for about 5 months now. Another thing I've been doing as a result of not having the gym membership bill (which, admittedly, was pretty cheap) is getting groupon and living social deals for various local specialized studios in the area that I've been wanting to try. I tried CrossFit and the spinning studio (that I'm now addicted to) that way, and have been so, so tempted by the many yoga/pilates offers. You might try some of those out if you feel like there's a void in your life without the gym, though I doubt you will!
@Lindsay: True! I've always had my eye on random fitness Groupons but never pull the trigger because, even if they're inexpensive, it's still too expensive to do that + Equinox.
@Theodora: Seriously! And they're so frequent that you could probably jump from studio to studio until you find one you really like enough to pay full price for!
I belong to Planet Fitness and use it a few times a month. It's kind of a waste of money but it's only $20 a month and I have the black membership so I can go to any PF. If I want to get in a treadmill/elliptical workout I have a place to go. It's also air conditioned which is nice in the summer. I am part of the CrossFit cult and it's expensive but worth it. However, if money gets tight, CF is going to get dropped. Hopefully that won't happen! :)
I actually left my gym for awhile, but recently joined again. I love the classes, I like that it's a way for me to workout with my non-runner/non-crossfit friends and on a rainy/snowy/cold day, I know I have a place to workout. Living outside of Chicago, I don't pay the city price that most gyms have, mine is only about $30/month, so even if I only get there a few times a week (especially in the summer when I prefer to workout outside) it's worth it!
I was a super avid gym goer for years. I loved my gym in my hometown, but when I moved away for grad school, I was less than thrilled. I also realized that my workouts weren't really amounting to much in terms of results. I switched to beachbody programs and have completed p90x, p90x2 and now insanity. I don't think I'll ever go back to a formal gym. But, I am waiting to one day live close to a cross fit box.
I use workout dvd's...much cheaper and I don't have to worry about how old my workout clothes are! Especially love ones by Ellen Barrett...pilates/ballet inspired - they make you feel graceful:)
I had the awesome timing of joining a new gym right before I decided to start training for a marathon, which means I rarely go. Right now it's nice to have a cool place to run when I want it, but I'm not sure if I'll keep the membership once fall comes. (Thankfully it's only a 3 month commitment instead of 12.) Their class schedule isn't super convenient for my work hours, and I don't if $30/mo (I know, right?) is worth it for just going to a class on Sundays.
Congrats on pulling the trigger! I finally cancelled my NYSC membership just a few months ago. I kept freezing and un-freezing it over the last year and realized it wasn't worth it. It just was never a gym that I loved and really wanted to go to... which meant I always was choosing to workout somewhere else. So I cancelled and even though I didn't like the place, it was still hard to do because I liked having the safety net. So weird that it is so hard to do but it WAS the right choice!
yayy gym freedom! outdoors ftw.
I agree that the gym isn't necessary, but it's convenient for the times when it's too cold/hot/rainy/late to run outside. But I know lots of people who pay insane membership fees and never go - don't understand why.
@Beckett @ Birchwood Pie: That's definitely what I was doing, and unfortunately, what I've done in the past. In the past, I kept telling myself that no, I'd really start using it. And this time...it just didn't fit into my lifestyle any more.