In Praise of the “Fancy Gym” | Blog

These statements are true, to a certain degree. No one needs the new iPhone, the NFL Sunday Ticket, the state-of-the-art laptop, or the leather sectional when the wool one was just fine. These upgrades might make your life more fun or more comfortable, but these are wants, not needs (although my husband might beg to differ about the NFL Sunday Ticket).

But where emotional and physical well-being are concerned, I have absolutely no problem with admitting that I am deeply in love with my “fancy gym.”

Here’s why.

I have belonged to and visited other gyms. And while the experiences haven’t been terrible, these other establishments do not hold a candle to the environment, support, and facilities of Midtown. It’s the atmosphere of Midtown that has made it so much easier to attain my fitness goals.

At Midtown, if I have a question about how to work a machine, I can find a fitness attendant or personal trainer within seconds who is willing to drop everything to help me. They are highly visible. They are incredibly knowledgeable. And they have never, ever made me feel like my question was unimportant or silly, even when my question was, “Um, how do you start this Arc Trainer?” and the answer was, “See this large, green QuickStart button? Press it.”

At Midtown, I can work out, have lunch, take a tennis lesson, attend a yoga class, and get a massage, all without ever leaving the grounds. And on my way out, I can skip the Starbucks run by grabbing an iced coffee in the cafe. Considering my schedule is anything but flexible, having everything under one roof is very convenient.

At Midtown, my children are able to enjoy 4,000 square feet of Pure Kiddie Heaven in Kidtown, where they are enthusiastically greeted by name every time we arrive by the friendly, energetic, warm, and helpful associates who work there. My 21-month-old twins love the people who work in Kidtown so much that they yell the name of their favorite staff member the minute I push them through the door in the stroller. Where once they clung to me and cried, they now practically trip over their own feet to rush into the play area, leaving me in their Cheerio-laden dust. They love being there because the staff members take the time to make each experience a joy for them. And this makes my workouts all the more productive because I do not have to worry about them for one second.

At Midtown, the staff I’ve met ask me about my training. They’ve offered me tips to improve. They are genuinely interested in me and my progress. And the staff members I do not know personally are always supremely friendly and accommodating. Encouragement means everything when you’re training for a solo-sport event, like a marathon or half-marathon.

At Midtown, the facilities are always clean. There are towels on the racks at all times, the rugs and floors are grime-free, and the locker rooms and bathrooms are spotless, even during high-volume times. The club does not have the funky gym smell I immediately noticed in other clubs. Working out in a clean club makes a difference. It helps me enjoy my time there, and it encourages me to stay longer.

At Midtown, I have never had to wait for a treadmill. I’ve only ever had one instance where a machine wasn’t working. The treadmills and ellipticals are replaced every year, even if they’re in perfect working order, to ensure the best experience for the members using them.

At Midtown, the pool is an oasis, especially in the hot summer we’re experiencing in Rochester. I don’t belong to a country club, but I’d imagine the atmosphere is similar to the one in the outdoor pool area, minus the pretension.

I’m always with at least one of my young children, but that doesn’t stop me from looking longingly at the people reading on lounge chairs, or enjoying a glass of wine with friends under the umbrellas, and thinking, “Someday, that will be me. It may be 18 years from now, but one day, that will be me!”

At Midtown, the opportunities to make new friends and business contacts abound. From tennis socials to Sunshine Yoga on the Great Lawn to PowerNet meetings, for me, belonging to Midtown has been about gaining a new community of like-minded individuals. And it’s a community to which I feel lucky to belong.

And this is why you’ll never find me knocking my “fancy gym.”

How does your membership make a difference to your fitness goals?

Comments: (7)

1 COMMENT FROM MacNessa July 29, 2010 at 8:10 am

It would be awesome to have that kind of ‘Fancy Gym’ here. Sadly, we only have the “smelly/noisy/busy/uninteresting” kind here.

2 July 29, 2010 at 8:22 am

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3 COMMENT FROM NessWorld Magazine July 29, 2010 at 10:51 am

I used to belong to a gym, where when you walked in the door, during peak times, it felt so humid, and then it dawned on me. Yes, I was probably walking into other peoples sweat.

Which is why I believe that belonging to a “fancy” as you called it health club can make *all* the difference in the world to how much time you spend working out – and in fact in helping you to make that LIFESTYLE change that you need to make when you embark on a health/weightloss/training journey.

If the gym can provide you with that lifestyle and make it pleasant to do at the same time, it’s a win win on all fronts!

4 COMMENT FROM jesser July 29, 2010 at 11:20 am

I puffy pink heart my fancy gym, though mine is Mountainside not Midtown. Without naming names, I used to belong to one of the OTHER chain gyms and paid about 1/3 the price … even at 3x more for my fancy gym, the upgrades are more than worth what we pay. The equipment is in perfect maintenance. My kids LOVE the daycare. The locker rooms are impeccable. I almost always use the shower facilities before work and it is super important to me to have nice facilities for my grooming. I frequently spend a little time in the cafe or theatre room just relaxing after my shower or on my netbook, making up a grocery list or goofing around on the internet. Simply put, my days are much nicer because my gym is nice.

We all make choices on what to spend our money on. I choose my fancy gym. Just like anything I use a lot, I will opt for quality.

5 COMMENT FROM Kristi August 1, 2010 at 3:52 pm

Ness-I agree! When your gym/health club is a fun and visually pleasing place to be, you don’t want to leave! It becomes one of your spheres: home, work, club, and it makes you WANT to work out, instead of dreading to work out.

Jess-Yes, I enjoy mine for the same reasons. With all the amenities, it’s a place you feel comfortable in, instead of a place you can’t wait to leave. Quality is important where health is concerned.

6 COMMENT FROM Kristina August 12, 2010 at 8:00 am

AGREED! I use my current ‘fancy gym’ membership much more frequently than I did my former gym. It is a pleasant place to be, my children receive great care and have a lot of fun, and, consequently, I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been!

7 COMMENT FROM Jay August 15, 2010 at 7:08 pm

Trust me the pretension is still there – there are alot of str8 jerks at this club.

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