LA Fitness: Review

Something you forget about in all the excitement of College Graduation is the fact that you will no longer have access to a gym covered by your tuition. This was a huge shock for me, especially considering that UCF is one of the best university gyms that exists. So, when I began having withdrawals from the fabulous abs classes and wonderful cardio machines, I decided it was time to look for another gym. For me, there were several qualities driving my decision but the most important were price, classes, and customer service. I looked into gyms online and practically eliminated every single gym except for LA Fitness just because they didn't offer the amount of group exercise classes I was looking for. So, with my research complete, I used a friend's guest pass and attended for the first time last Tuesday. After getting a membership and being there for a week now, this is my review.


PRICE


As I mentioned before, price was a huge deciding factor for me. Although LA Fitness is not the cheapest, I believed it was the best bang for my buck. Here's why:

This is my main LA Fitness club in Oviedo, FL

- Clubs Everywhere You Go. There are tons and tons of LA Fitnesses everywhere, and they just bought out Family Lifestyle Fitness and Bally Fitness, adding even more clubs to their already impressive database. When you sign up, you have the option to opt in for the "multi-club" option which means you can go to ANY LA Fitness anywhere. This is so great for vacation, working out right after work, unexpected moves, and so much more.

- Enrollment Fees. At first, the enrollment fees made my heart stop, but they will work with you. When they saw my reaction, they pulled out all these specials that they had going on and we found one that worked perfectly for me. They have many different options, but the one I was able to get was a $25 enrollment fee, plus I had to pay first and last month up front (which was $29.99 per month.) So after $90 up front I was set to go.

- No Cancellation Fees or Contracts. I hate when I have to committ to something for long periods of time, and I hate it even more if it costs money to cancel. Luckily, LA Fitness avoids both of these. I can cancel anytime I want and I've already paid for the last month so once I decide to cancel I'll have absolutely no fees.

- Overall Low Montly Price. Depending on what enrollment fee you decide to pay, you can get your monthly cost as low as $19.99 per month. You can even get it cheaper if you sign up during one of their crazy specials (like $10 to join and $10 per month.) You have to really watch for that, but overall you can get a great low monthly price any day you walk in there. I was used to not budgeting for a gym membership at all with access to the UCF gym so price was huge for me. At $29.99 per month, that's only $1 a day. I can handle that!


EQUIPMENT/GROUP EXERCISE/FACILITY

I didn't find any other gyms that compared to LA Fitness when it came to group exercise, but in my opinion some of their equipment needs improvement. Here's why:

- Variety of Classes. LA Fitness offers many different classes, and it's different at every club. They offer everything from Zumba and Kickboxing to Cycling and Yoga. At my club they even have Aqua Arobics in the pool. This was really what hooked me to LA Fitness. I'm big on group exercise, and not only do they offer a lot of different classes, but they're great classes to attend. So far I have attended both Cycling and Zumba and this week I'm attending Body Works Plus Abs and Zumba again. Both times I went I was dripping by the end, which is my favorite part about group exercise - no room for the weak in there! :)

- Good Equipment. I rate their cardio and strength training equipment as "good" rather than "excellent" because in my opinion they could be better. This could be just because I was used to the UCF gym that was just upgraded with brand new amazing machines, but hey, call me spoiled, that's what I expected. Anyway, the equipment works, it's in good shape, it just isn't the newest on the market. However, I did overhear a few employees talking about an upcoming shipment of new machines when I was on the ellyptical the other day, so maybe it will change! Of course, every club differs - there are plenty of LA Fitnesses that have better equipment. However, my overall assessment is still just "good," although the variety of classes makes up what little the equipment lacks in my eyes.

- Great Facility. Overall, the entire facility is great. They have a pool, hot tub, sauna, full locker room with showers and bathrooms, racketball courts, and a basketball/volleyball court. These are just extra amenities that make this gym even more appealing for me.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

I work for Publix and Cox Media Group, so I know the importance of customer service. Because I know how to provide excellent customer service, I expect it from places where I spend my money. LA Fitness has good customer service, but it could be better. Here's why:

- Eager and Helpful. Every employee I've encountered there has been eager to help me. Whether I needed to find where the scale was or needed help with a machine, they are readily available and easily accessible. This was a big plus for me.

- Sometimes Pushy. This was the only thing that kind of peeved me. For the past week, I have been stopped about three times on my way in from the guy who signed me up asking if I had any friends that wanted guest passes and insisting that I sign up for my free trainer session. I gave them names no problem and I did get signed up for the session, I just wish they would have let me do it at my own pace. It wasn't annoying, just a little too pushy for my taste.

- Great trainers. I went for my free trainer session, and although it's a little too pricey for me, it was a great session. They really help you evaluate your goals and they put into perspective where you are and how much work it will take to get where you want to be. The actual physical session only lasted twenty minutes and I was DYING by the end. I'm still sore, such a great work out, and I learned a lot of new workouts. Again, they were a little pushy at the end of the session about getting me to sign up for additional sessions THAT DAY, but I insisted it wasn't in my budget at the time and they seemed understanding.

OVERALL

Overall, LA Fitness is a great gym. It definitely has room for improvements, but it's perfect for what I need. They have excellent classes, great customer service, and a nice variety of equipment and amenities. I would definitely recommend this gym to anyone interested in adopting a healthy lifestyle. If you would like a free guest pass to check out the LA Fitness near you, send me an email and I'll get you started!

What do you think? Have you been to LA Fitness or other gyms that were exceptional or the complete opposite? Leave your feedback below! :)



Looking pretty when I leave the gym is not my goal - looking like I worked my butt off is!



Breaking the Pattern: Spicing Up Your Social Life

Trust me, I get it - YOU'RE TIRED. You work, you have classes, you have to wash your hair, whatever. We often get so caught up in our day to day business that we forget to take some time to enjoy life. Probably our biggest offense is opting for a night in with the couch and a good movie instead of heading out with some friends. One problem I've been running into lately is not only am I too tired, but with everything I'm saving for I can't find the extra cash to go out every week. So, I started doing a little research, and here are some unconventional social activities that can break that pattern of becoming a couch potato after work without breaking the bank. So, grab your best friend or your current infatuation and try something new today - trust me, TiVO will fill you in on what you missed, later. :)



 - Go paddleboarding! Have you seen this yet? Maybe I'm just a newb, but standing on a short surfboard type contraption while paddling around on the water during a beautiful sunset sounds a lot more fun to me than getting drinks at Applebees.

- Go for a bike ride.

- Pick one of your favorite crafty pins on Pinterest and actually do it! Think about it, how many things to you pin on Pinterest each month? Now, how many of those things have you actually tried? Pick your favorite craft and go with your friends to Michaels to pick out the supplies. You'll have a night full of activities for relatively cheap - and you have more time to talk and catch up!

- Pick a random Groupon and go. Groupon has great deals every day for fun things around your town that you probably haven't tried yet. So, instead of heading out for Happy Hour on Friday, pick a random Groupon and try something new! The worst thing that could happen is you hate it, and if that's the case - at least you can laugh about it!

- Go for a drive. Yes I know, gas isn't exactly cheap. But if you've already got a few gallons in your tank, grab your significant other, your iPod, and a small cooler of drinks and snacks and head out for a drive. You can talk, share music, and let the wind blow through your hair. It's great for destressing and you can even open your eyes to stuff to do in your town that you never knew about.

So cute, love cooking with my man!

- Make a 4 course meal. Now, I'm not saying you have to gain five pounds and make some crazy italian buffet, but try making a 4 course meal that isn't that bad health wise. Try searching through the recipes on skinnytaste.com. Gina has great recipes for every course, and cooking in a kitchen with your best friend can be just down right hilarious, and if you have your boo with you, you can even make it romantic. ;)

- Clean up your resume. I know, right? How NOT FUN does that sound? But if you have a friend with you to review your resume, you'll be able to see what sound stupid and if it even grabs their attention long enough to get past the first line. If you're a recent college grad or just on the job hunt, this can be a fun activity. Add some wine if you'd like, just be careful - you are sending this to prospective employers, after all ;)

- Shop at a farmer's market. It might not sound like your thing, but there really is something about fresh fruit and vegetables. And that's not all you'll find there, most of the time there is even handmade jewelry, clothing, and crafts at farmer's markets. Grab your best friend and twenty dollars and you'll have a morning or afternoon full of laughter and great deals.

These are just a few ideas - I think my next venture will be paddle boarding (I mean come on, how fun does that sound?!) Which will you try? Leave a comment with your ideas for unconventional social outings below! :)