In my 4 years in this fitness journey, I've been to many types of gyms and I know what works for me.
First off, it must be no more than 10 minutes away because if it's far, I won't go. It can have the best facilities, the most amazing classes - heck, it can even have a desert bar - I simply won't go. It's hard enough to motivate myself to work out some days, why add the stress of commuting to it too?
Secondly, price. In this case, I blame Priority Fitness in Bayan Baru, Penang. That was my first (gym) love. 2 storeys of weight lifting space, a dedicated Les Mill spinning area, and a separate studio for classes. People at the counter can prepare you a post workout shake should you need one, they have bananas for instant energy (not free of course, it's not a charity house), and Pak Abu, who trained some very well known body builders in Malaysia. The sense of community is strong, even an introvert like me made friends there. All this, for RM 50 a month! Alas, I moved to KL and have yet to find a gym I love as much as I do Priority Fitness.
Thirdly, workout equipment. My previous gym was 2 minutes away from home but it's very poorly maintained. Nobody wipes after themselves, and don't let me get started on the music. It's like you let your 80 year old grandpa have a go at the turntables. At first I was like whatever, it's 2 minutes away. But last week I almost died, "Death by Treadmill". I was running when the treadmill stopped abruptly. I'm lucky to be alive, pheww. Dramatization aside, I decided that that's it. Time to shop for a new gym.
3 days ago I found one 3 minutes away from home. It's one of those very modern, very new franchise gym with a worldwide network. It's open 24 hours (that's their USP actually) and after signing up, you get an electronic key that can be used in all their gyms all over the world. The space is CCTV monitored and should something happen to you while you are working out or in the shower, you can press the panic button and they will immediately call for help. Fancy much? Oh yeah, it costs a bomb too. I was so happy that they are so close that I forgot to be rational and immediately filled in the application form. It was a lucky thing I didn't pay on the spot, because today I sort of came to my senses.
I don't want to work out in an uppity gym. (I have a theory that the more you pay for a gym membership, the "colder" the place is. I want to go to a gym that is warm and welcoming. I joined another uppity gym 2 years ago, everybody was so busy admiring themselves in the mirror and no one talked to anyone.) I want to make friends at the gym, compare notes, have a workout buddy. So today, instead of going to the 24 hours gym to pay the enrollment fees, I turned to Google and did another search. There is another one also 3 minutes away, whattt? And just like that, I found my second love.
My first workout experience there tonight was great. It's very clean, not too busy and all the equipment works, yay! The girl at the front desk was nice and chatty, the owner personally welcomed me and gave me a tour, everyone I smiled to smiled back at me :-) All for just RM 60 per month. I'm a lucky girl.
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