Coming off of a year of lung issues, getting the go-ahead to exercise meaningfully again is both a blessing and a curse. Because I have done it before, I know how good I feel when I work out ... but I also know how much it hurts to get back in the game. Giving it a lot of thought, I asked around about gyms, and received recommendations for almost all of the local ones from various folks on Facebook.
During our first year in Silicon Valley, I joined the YMCA and greatly enjoyed it. It met my #1 requirement: excellent, affordable childcare in a spacious environment that is adequately staffed with great people, since Dash usually would be with me, as his preschool day was very short. The huge gym and terrific class offerings were a bonus. Plus, I coach Petunia's basketball team there, and Dash took swimming lessons there ... and pretty soon, every time I drove there, it was for something for the kids, and not for me. So much for that. Then came my year off with health issues, and I decided that I didn't want to return a place, no matter how great, that had so much going on for kids. A former employee of the Y told me that their goal is to make the kids happy, because that makes the moms happy, and then the moms bring the dads. The Y does a great job at that. But this time, my return to exercise is all about me and my return to strength; the kids' care while I exercise, in case they're with me, is still important, but I'm not signing up for a family experience.
So this time, I set out my priorities as follows: 1) the gym needs to have childcare available all day in case I want to take Dash between when his kindergarten day ends and when Petunia's 5th grade day ends (an almost 3-hour gap -- perfect for fitting in together-time AND a work out without losing "real work" time in the morning while he's at school); 2) no extra draws for kids (pools, teams, etc.) -- I wanted a grown-up-only gym (so that ruled out the YMCA and the JCC); and 3) no driving; I wanted to be able to get there on my bike within 10 minutes or so (so that ruled out the YMCA, the JCC and the beautiful, ne plus ultra Equinox).
That left the gyms downtown: Reach (the only gym which no one recommended, so I didn't even look), Form Fitness, and Vivre. (I could've looked at the Four Seasons, too, but I have a downtown bias.)
I have two good friends who teach at Form and know a lot of moms who go there, so I was biased toward it before even going to visit. They have a great array of morning classes, the facility is nice and spacious, and there are cool "extras" -- a space where I could use suspension training, for example. The staff member who showed me around was nice, and I didn't see anything off-putting -- no meatheads on 'roids, for example! So the pros were: a) it came recommended by people I like, b) it was an easy bike ride from home, c) great classes. But there were cons: a) very limited childcare hours (ending at noon) in a super-small, overcrowded space with a TV as a focus, b) classes first thing in the morning, but no mid-late morning (like 10/10:30 options), and c) high initiation fee with no perks (one intro training session, but nothing else).
Then, at Dash's suggestion, we checked out Vivre, "that gym across from Fraiche." From the moment I stepped in, the vibe was totally different. It was warm, welcoming, and just totally different from any gym I'd encountered to date. (I've been a member at Bally's, Gold's Gym, and various others -- never at any boutique gym like this.) The person who offered to lead me on an impromptu tour let me know that the gym was locally-owned by a family whose friends work out here, so their goal is to make sure that everyone has the same great experience that they seek for their family and friends. That ethic, to me, makes a world of difference. It felt a little smaller than Form, but in an intimate, not uncomfortable way. I toured Vivre at the same time of day as I had toured Form, and, at Vivre, saw more fit people around -- could be a coincidence, but Vivre is the local gym where Steve Young and a host of other retired 49'ers an their wives work out. After my tour, the GM met me, and he offered a free personal training session before I even decided to join. (Ummm, what kind of fool would turn that down?!) So, I went, today.
And yes, I hurt everywhere, having forgotten that I even have hip flexors and that the quadricep has various different places where it can feel stabbing pain. Embarrassingly, I'm pretty sure that Steve Young himself saw me fall on my a$$ once, but I didn't care: I remembered good form, and I remembered how much I used to love feeling my body work like a machine -- not like the broken machine it's been for the past-year, but, rather, like a well-tuned, finely-oiled, cared-for one. Dash spent the hour in the TV-free childcare and had an absolute blast.
At the end of the day, the pros of Vivre won out. They are: a) childcare hours that go until 7 pm; b) a free training session (or massage, but I'll pick the training!) each month for the first six months as part of membership; c) the free intro session I had today, plus another one to set up my "program;" d) class times not only at 8:30/9 but also at 10/10:30 -- fewer in number, but greater time options; e) a waived initiation fee; and f) a great vibe -- good karma, all around. The cons? (There are some, let's be honest.) a) more expensive monthly than Form, but, when factoring in the training session per month, it's actually cheaper for six months, b) fewer classes, especially on Flow/barre in which I'm interested, c) no suspension training place, and d) the childcare is teeny-tiny still, but they have an overflow space they can use when necessary, supposedly.
So, I chose Vivre, at least for this year. When Dash is in full-time school next year (not on this wacky kindergarten schedule), I could pick another option -- and, especially when I'm more fit, I could see myself biking to a grand place like Equinox. But for now, I get to look at Steve Young while I work out with this Lithuanian trainer who pushes me harder than I'd like but not past my breaking point. It's all come together quite nicely, and I'm looking forward to returning to fitness in this special place.
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