| rev:text
| - Normally I use the outdoors as my gym. This winter, Mother Nature decided to cancel my membership.
I prefer solitude when I exercise, and the idea of running alone in -30, snowy, icy, dark conditions made me anxious. However, I missed the runner's high, so I decided to join up at the YMCA in order to have access to a heated, well-lit indoor track. Since joining at the beginning of February, my visits have almost exclusively included this track, so keep that in mind when reading the rest of this review.
Here's my experience so-far:
Pros:
- Month-to-month membership. Yes, you have to pay an initiation fee if you haven't been a member within the last 12 months. My first bill was about $160 (initiation fee and first month membership), and each month after that first payment sets me back $65. I only plan on being a member for three months (bring on the sunshine, Mother Nature), which equals out to about $96/month for three months. Pricey? Yes, but I don't have to pay that for a full year (like I would at a majority of gyms after getting locked into a contract), and I USED to pay that exact amount back when I made the mistake of joining Extreme Fitness.
- Tons of equipment, all in good working order. When I worked out at the aforementioned brand-new Extreme Fitness at Richmond and John (this was about 7 years ago now), their equipment was constantly out of order. I've seen machines with out-of-order signs at the Y that ACTUALLY GET FIXED. Also, you may find yourself waiting awhile to get on a treadmill or elliptical, but it won't be for long. And there is plenty to do in the meantime.
- There are tons of activities to choose from. I choose to run the track, but you can join up at a spinning or yoga class, or play basketball, or swim, or lift weights, or stretch, or play squash. The choices to make your experience whatever you want it to be are basically endless.
- Everyone leaves me alone. That's not to say the staff/other members aren't friendly. Security at the desk always greets you when you come in. People have said hello and shared a smile in the changing room. That's perfectly okay by me. What I don't miss is having a personal trainer interrupt my workout and try to sell me on a 40-session personal training package by belittling my progress and making me feel bad about myself (can you tell I'm still bitter, Extreme Fitness?)
- It's clean. I mean, I'm not planning to eat dinner off the floors any time soon, but it's never felt dingy or unsanitary.
- I've never had problems getting a locker or finding a space to change in the changing room. At my old gym (I may have mentioned its name once or twice now) I would often leave without working out because every locker was occupied leaving me no place to lock up my bag.
Cons:
- The gym has a very distinct YMCA smell. It smells exactly like every other YMCA I've ever set foot in - a combo of chlorine, body odour, and cheap disinfectant. Other gyms don't smell quite the way the YMCA does.
- I wish there was an enforced "athletic wear" dress code. I know that the YMCA will do whatever they can to help lower income members, and I know that not everyone can afford the latest and greatest in athletic wear, but I find there to be something really off-putting about running (yes, running) next to a gentleman in a button-down shirt, wool pants, and black dress shoes.
- People like to use the running track for things that aren't running. Taking a phone call in the "running" lane is not cool. I shouldn't have to pass you on the inside lane while you argue with your girlfriend.
- I love that they allow all ages and walks of life to join. It makes for a really diverse gym experience. However, I wish that there was some rule about unaccompanied minors in certain parts of the facilities. More than once I have almost been completely taken out by kids who decided to use the running track to race each other. Yes, they ARE running, but they pass at close distances, yell at each other, and generally cause me to lose my focus.
All in all, I have enjoyed my YMCA experience. It had been years since I had stepped foot in one, and it was easy to transition back. It was nice to have a safe place to go and workout. I'm leaving my membership behind because the weather is slowly but surely changing. But I'll definitely be back at the end of the year when once the mercury dips and the icy conditions begin to threaten my ankles.
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