Pros and Cons for a Family Gym Membership
Last June, my hubby decided it would be a good idea for our family to join a Racquet Club.
His goals were fitness and fun for the whole Johnson family (should I take that personally?) So, I put away my TurboFire videos (sorry Chelene, I’m going to be cheating on you for a couple months), and joined the family Racquet Club nearby.
It has actually been great! I love the elliptical machine, and running on the treadmill doesn’t hurt my knees so much! The three free personal training sessions have given me some amazing muscle soreness. Does that mean it’s working? My biceps and back say, “YES!”
Here are my pros and cons for a family gym membership….from personal experience:
Pros
- You can exercise without the extra stop at day care for the munchkins – lifeguards and “summer camp” activities are readily available!
- You can exercise with peace of mind, and no need for extra spy software on your computer, because the teens aren’t left at home to their own devices.
- Your middle schooler can work on his “California Fitness” test Former Mayor Arnold expects him to pass.
Cons
- You get to exercise with your hubby and kids watching.
- You get to hear all the lift-by-lift details of hubby’s amazing lifting session.
- You get to remove your ear buds in the middle of running to “Rumor Has It” by Adele as your middle schooler gives you his exercise update along with dad.
- In the middle of “Sail” by AWOLNATION, your teen then asks, “When will you be done?”
- In the middle of “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons, the teen is back asking, “Can (insert best friend’s name here) come over to kill zombies when we get home?”
- In the middle of your third mile running on the treadmill, hubby comes by panting to tell you proudly he jogged 2 miles.
- After your workout, you get to buy your smaller children, and the one big one a “treat” for working so hard.
- You get to pay $130 each month for all these privileges!
School is starting soon, so most of these “Cons” will go away, and I can go back to visiting Chelene daily. I absolutely LOVE feeling powerful with kickboxing, but the lifting helps me put real power in my punch!
Have you ever joined a gym with your family? What was your experience?
College/University Gyms – Another favorite of mine, these gyms typically get you access to their full facility – pools, racquetball courts, classes, etc included. If you live near the college or university that you attended, you can often get a discount “alumni” membership. Don’t live near where you went to school? Many gyms will offer memberships to family members of alumni or staff, local “senior” memberships, or even just local resident memberships. These are also usually very inexpensive, but have to be paid upfront in full.
That’s why I always go for individual membership. A family membership is kinda tricky.