Gym Membership

I joined a gym 2 weeks ago. I got in the poor habit of going home after work, making dinner and settling in for the next 6 hours to either (1) watch t.v. (2) read books and/or magazines or (3) eat some more. I was riding my bike a lot, but since it had gotten so hot, I wasn’t enjoying it. I brought the bike in to ride on the trainer again, but riding stationary and alone can be fun for only so long.

I looked around for about 2 weeks before I finally picked a gym. I was looking for:

1. Somewhere cheap. We all know my issues with money.
2. No time commitment.
3. Little to no joining fee.
4. Classes, i.e. kickboxing, weights, step, pilates, etc.
5. A gym with a locker room and showers.
6. Monthly membership fees that didn’t draft from my account.

I considered Ten Fitness, which is a no contract, 24-hour gym for $10/month. Sounds like a great deal, huh? It is! At least, I think for guys it is. There are no classes, no showers, and a $40 joining fee. Plus, the closest to me would have been on Cantrell Rd. For those interested, there is also one on JFK Blvd.

I decided to look closer to my house. In Bryant there is Premier Fitness. No joining fee, but there was a 3 month contract. They offered classes, but at a price of $49.99/month. No locker room and fees were drafted each month. I tried 2 of their classes before I finally decided they wouldn’t be worth the 50 bones.


Finally, I found the Jim Dailey fitness and aquatic center. It’s on Markham right across from War Memorial Stadium and about 5 minutes from my work. This place is great for me. $37.50/month. No joining fees, no contracts. Locker rooms with showers. AND classes every single day!! Additionally, there is a pool (indoor and outdoor) and flat panel tv’s around that you can plug your earphones into and change which tv you watch while on any cardio machine.

I have a class I can go to every day except Friday and Sunday. Ranging from body conditioning to Hip Hop. I love it! If there is anyone out there that says they hate going to the gym, they obviously haven’t done any sort of group exercising. It makes the time fly by and it’s fun. My workouts have yet to be less than 2 hours long. Plus, if I wanted to go in before work, they open at 5:30 a.m. They don’t close till 9:00 p.m. on weekdays.

RJ always tells me if I want a good workout I should have a partner. After taking these classes I can see the draw.