Gym use: Periodically I contemplate joining a gym. An off-hours membership here in Portland is around $50/month (meaning not available during peak hours). However, our local community center has a very nice pool and the fee for use is $4.25 per drop-in or I can buy a 20-visit card for $77. A monthly membership would be $30/month. They have an area with very basic machines that are included in the drop-in fee. Since I only swim once or twice a week, I buy the visit cards. I enjoy taking advantage of my own tax dollars!
Wow you guys are so lucky to have a pool with your gym! When I belonged to one, it was $79/month which included all classes (yoga, Zumba, step). But no pool.
My gym is a perk of where I work - a medical school/hospital, so no cost. Classes are free too but limited. No pool except for the pool in a hotel on campus that we can use if we desire - it’s TINY. I’m thankful. It’s enough for me as I prefer to alternatives to the gym for fitness if possible.
The gym my husband uses (and I used to) is $530 a year for him as a senior. It is really nice. It’s a small chain called Prairie Life. It has a nice gym, lots of classes and 2 pools (indoor and outdoor). We also have a very small gym at our housing development’s clubhouse. I used to use the treadmill there sometimes before I had my own. When we built our new corporate HQ 2 1/2 years ago we got a nice gym and outdoor paths for running/walking. We have a spin room, yoga room and equipment and treadmills. It’s great to have and the locker rooms are really nice. They even supply the towels.
A brand new gym is under construction about 2 miles from our house called Lifetime Fitness. It looked huge. We’ll check it out when it opens.
Lifetime Fitness is a high end chain, with gorgeous and huge facilities, that is undergoing quite a growth spurt. New facilities are being built around the country in targeted market areas.
30 minute run this morning + pup walk. Busy day ahead so thought it best to bite the bullet and get it done early. 
My girls are coming home tonight and Easter planning and much eating will likely pursue over the next few days.
H and I have an old family membership at Lifetime fitness. We are founding members so our cost is about $40 a month as a family! Back in the day when they first opened you could sell your membership to other people if you wanted an out. You can’t do it anymore. We can go to any Lifetime anywhere. We also get $20 off a month through our insurance if we go 12 times a month. The facilities are very nice.
Thanks. I’m interested to check it out. I wouldn’t join, but my husband might switch if it isn’t too expensive since it is so close to home. Prairie life is only about 4 miles away, though. He only goes in the winter for spin class and weights. Once his outdoor cycling season starts he tends to abandon the gym. I mainly use my TRX (Jungle Gym) system I have in the basement near my treadmill, my dumbbells and my ValSlides.
3.1 this morning. 50 degrees. I’m taking a lower mileage week due to the 15K on Saturday. I have a 5 member team (if everyone shows up), and I want to do well.
Today is a rest day for me, planning on 11 or 12 tomorrow followed by mat class. We are headed up to visit D on Saturday for the Easter weekend which will be a nice change.
Can’t believe no one has posted this - for some reason I thought of Ohio.
Lol, sabaray! Did he finish on all four?
Oh God. I can’t even imagine! I took a tiny cup of beer in a half marathon once at about 11 miles. It tasted pretty good!
My son had a Lifetime Fitness membership (student) at a brand new facility in these well populated suburbs. The business folded suddenly after a few years and the center was purchased by LA Fitness. I recall problems with membership transfers when this happened. The new equipment was nice enough, although it quickly showed its use. The floors were huge, giving the feel of a gymnasium/field house. I wasn’t crazy about the location of the cardio equipment-- a second floor balcony that always seemed too warm, but that’s a typical problem in the South. Lifetime Fitness was very generous with trial passes and/or memberships. I hope you can try something temporary before making a big commitment!
Gym work out. I am feeling kind of crooked today and am not sure whether I ought to do more or less. Sometimes movement will straighten me out.
Our Lifetimes are beautiful. Lots of good looking young people there, too. They aren’t near my house, though, so this not so young or good looking person will stay where she is.
I suspect my husband will stick with Prairie Life, since it meets his limited needs for an indoor exercise option, but it will be fun to check out the new, shiny place!
@Lizardly, thanks for making me laugh! One of the reasons I like my gym is that I am one of the youngest and best looking there (if I do say so myself)! Of course, most of the other patrons are even more mature than I am! Of course at the Pilates studio I am very much a senior citizen. We just don’t have any of the big chains - closest thing was a Gold’s that has since turned into a local gym with no brand affiliation.
I’d love to know what people do to deal with spring allergies. I’ve tried about everything - medication, raw local honey, herbal tea that’s supposed to build resistance to allergens…and I’m still miserable.
@-)
They just built a new Lifetime Fitness a couple miles from my house. The place looks like a palace!
https://www.lifetimefitness.com/life-time-locations/ma-framingham-metrowest-boston.html
I almost feel like it’s one of those things where, if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it. 
They don’t publish prices on the internet, which I think is kind of shady. They keep sending me 24 page glossy full-color brochures in the mail to entice me to join. From what I can gather you are looking at a minimum of $150/month for one person. $40/month for a family is the deal of the century if it’s anything like the one near me.
The one near me is Diamond level. Where do you go to go up from Diamond?
Diamond Premiere, of course:
https://www.lifetimefitness.com/life-time-locations/ma-newton-chestnut-hill.html
Can’t imagine what that place will cost.
ETA: Hmm, those pictures aren’t of the actual clubs. That’s dumb. Here’s the actual club near me:
It’s going to be interesting to see how it does once the initial promotions end. We have a really, really good YMCA system in our area. I don’t care for the Ys for a few reasons, but they are really nice, affordable and great for families. The private clubs have to struggle to compete. We also have decent community rec centers with pools.
The area where the Lifetime is opening is pretty affluent, but there are also other options close by.
Our gym in Dallas was, in my opinion, the best in the country and we paid pretty much for it. It was Kenneth Cooper’s Aerobics Center and we absolutely loved it. It was a community, had state of the art everything and used the members for research on various health and fitness projects for the Cooper Clinic, which was on property. It had a mile outdoor running path through trees and also a Guest Lodge. It was one of the things I knew I would really miss when I moved to Tennessee 10 years ago. It was also 1/2 mile from my house and on my running courses. Hard to duplicate that situation.
I would happily pay for Lifetime and given the amenities, Mr. Sabaray would go too. To me it would be worth it - I know I spend a lot on workout clothes and classes but I think it’s better than cigarettes and booze. We don’t have a Y; we have a lot of cross-fit and yoga; a lot of places that cater to a younger, student demographic.
Here, we have a bunch of private clubs and David Barton which apparently is no longer in business. I have been to the Pro Club a few times to watch my kid practice and compete… Nice place. Posh. But $$$$. Microsoft subsidies its employees’ memberships heavily.
Our Ys get really crowded and have a lot of kids running around. That’s fine if that’s where you are in life, but I prefer a different demographic at this point. I can’t wait to see the Lifetime when it gets finished.