Happy Wednesday! We’re halfway to Friday 
Yesterday I began looking into local gyms to find the one that would be best for me. The first one went terribly.
I surely wasn’t planning on disclosing the names of the gyms, but this one was so bad that I have no problem with it. It was such a bad experience that I wouldn’t want to ever go in there again… much less work there.
I visited my local L.A. Fitness. Do a quick search on Google for L.A. Fitness and you’ll find a series of stories of how the gym scams its members. My local L.A. Fitness is probably the largest gym in my area and has the most impressive group exercise schedule; I couldn’t cross it off my list without first checking it out for myself.
I went in intending to use their free guest pass they push on their website. The last thing this sales guy- who was also the general manager- wanted to do was let me test the gym out for a few days. When he first met me he actually said, “Let’s not waste my time here. What are you looking for? Are you going to join?” He was pushy, confrontational and got very angry when I insisted for the 6th time that I was not ready to buy an overpriced membership right then and there and that I wanted to actually try the gym (with my free guest pass!) before putting any money down. Ugh.
I shared with the salesperson/ general manager that I was going to be certified next month and might be interested in working with L.A. Fitness. He then introduced me to the Personal Training Manager- a.k.a. a casually overweight guy who was too good to talk to a potential customer/employee. He told me he has several personal trainers already but needs to “clean out some bad ones” and I could apply but if they want me the process could take two months. Then he ran off without saying bye.. instead just “I have to pee!”
They did talk a bit about training their members. They had the most lackluster comments about it.
After I narrowly escaped the sales office an hour later I was finally permitted to try out the facilities. I did 5 minutes on the treadmill and had to get out of there.
The facilities were beautiful (full lap pool, indoor basketball court, indoor racquetball courts, weights, cardio equipment, free space), but the focus on selling memberships was so extreme that I wanted to run out of there the moment I stepped in. The whole process was really disheartening. I want to train people to radically better their lives. I want to impart knowledge, help people get healthier, help them surpass their goals… not merely have a place to work and sell packages.
I really hope the other gyms go over better.
On to today! Me food blogging is back!
I started the day with some Rapberry Kombucha (strawberry is still the “best”) and some naner-flax-oats. Hearty 
Today is suddenly gorgeous in central Florida. The temperature is cool and the sun is shining. TO take advantage of this perfect day I turned off the AC, opened all windows and put on Pandora to play throughout the house. I thought some fresh melon (and 1 granola bar) was a perfect complement to the breezy morning.
I also enjoyed the last of my iced green tea.
I’m so lucky to have this beautiful baby keeping me company. Seriously, that face is the cutest. So kissable!
I think it’s about time I introduce you to Dixie’s favorite toy, Roadkill. Roadkill was a gift from David’s mom (Dixie’s grandma) and is.. well, roadkill.
The poor thing.
I really wanted soup for lunch, but it’s not that cool outside yet, so I settled on another comfort meal: quinoa. I made mine with everything leftover in the fridge: asparagus, corn, peas, garlic, tomato sauce and spices. Yummy I also made three extra servings to hang out in the freezer for a while!
Post-lunch I enjoyed a yummy fruit bar!
Now back to studying. I’m heading out for a run later this afternoon. I actually haven’t run since the race Saturday because my shins haven’t felt 100%… wish me luck today!
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
our 24hr fitness was like, super sales-y. all i wanted to do was work out, not hear hour long pitches on personal training and every single product they pitch!
Oh man….. I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience. The gym I work at is big but it's not a chain. I think that has a lot to do with things. Ours is a more personal atmosphere. I hope the other gyms you check out are better. Please keep us posted and let us know!!
-A
have you ever tried Trilogy Kombucha? i think that flavor is my favorite. they make me feel so weird and tingly. lightheaded, too. but if they are good for me… i totally believe in them.
i can't believe that about LA Fitness- and they are ALL like that?! gosh, that's just terrible. i wish i had a gym with a basketball court and classes, but i like hassle free friendly environment gyms (and cheap, lol).
two of my ABSOLUTE favorite things: pandora and open windows. it is just a day-maker. way to enjoy it
Your quinoa salad looks delish! By far my favorite gran! Note to self: stear clear of LA fitness!
My husband is a personal trainer and runs his own business in order to avoid having to deal with the exact scenario you described. He actually just did a guest post on my blog called Personal Training 101 that would probably help you out quite a bit as you make your transition to training full time. Check it out and good luck!
you dog is so cute!
Boo to LA Fitness, though I'm not surprised. Like most other large corporate gyms, they're a publicly-traded money-maker — fitness is just what they sell, not what they actually believe in. I worked for Crunch and Equinox in NYC, and they treated both their clients and employees terribly, in order to make a few more bucks. Like someone else said, the YMCA is usually a pleasant surprise, or even a smaller, mom-and-pop-owned gym would treat you much better.
I don't know if y'all have International Sports Club out there, but I used to have a gym membership with them and learned they are evil. I mean, check it out for yourself, but I'm pretty sure the devil is in that place!
Honestly, you are so right about LA Fitness. Although I belong there, when I went for my free personal training session after signing up, the guy seriously bugged me about getting a package the ENTIRE time. He kept saying, we can work with you, what do you want? And I kept telling him that I don't have the extra income right now to spend $140 a month on the smallest training package! Plus I didn't feel like I needed one!! Now I just get in and out, and avoid the front desk
It's not a perfect situation, but the price is right and it works for me right now!
awwww…what a cute doggie and a cute dog toy! I'd love to find that one for my dog!
LOL about Roadkill. Too funny!!!
I had the EXACT same experience with the LA Fitness by me. The facility is new and gorgeous, but I couldn't believe how rude the staff was and how pushy they were!
And another thing I didn't like about LA Fitness is that they had a million different "price plans" and I felt like they were trying to start out at a super high price, so that they could negotiate down. And they kept telling me a million different prices. They even called me in the following week, telling me there was an even lower sale ONLY good through the weekend. I would have prefered ONE price with no negotiation factor- I walked away thinking that they were trying to take advantage of me. Uggggg.
LOL about Roadkill. Too funny!!!
I had the EXACT same experience with the LA Fitness by me. The facility is new and gorgeous, but I couldn't believe how rude the staff was and how pushy they were!
And another thing I didn't like about LA Fitness is that they had a million different "price plans" and I felt like they were trying to start out at a super high price, so that they could negotiate down. And they kept telling me a million different prices. They even called me in the following week, telling me there was an even lower sale ONLY good through the weekend. I would have prefered ONE price with no negotiation factor- I walked away thinking that they were trying to take advantage of me. Uggggg.
← Previous Comments