The last time I tried this....

It's been a while since I've had a gym membership or even stepped foot into a gym.   I canceled my memberhsip at SNAP fitness after my first son was born.  You can't go to the gym and leave the baby in his carseat- that just doesn't work.  It's just not right- i.e. does anyone else remember hearing about the kiddo that died at daycare in MN for that???  My conscious does not allow for that...

The last time I was at a gym at all was after our oldest was born and L.A. Fitness was fairly new in Hopkins.  We had a guest pass.  I enjoyed the step class and my fiance enjoyed the cardio and free weights.  Our son was in the children's area.  When we went to pick him up- it was a mad house.  Kids running everywhere.  The lady working was very nice, and held on to our 4 month old son as if for dear life.  She looked completely freaked.

Then we met with the sales rep- James.  Oh, I will never forget James- the fast talking, let-me-make-this-as-confussing-as-possible salesman, that finished with providing us no clear information regarding membership rates, sign up fees etc.  The meeting finished with him stating "Well now that you have all the prices and information just let me know what you decide".  Then, like a vulture, he plucked away our 3-day visitors pass as if it were vile and poisonous. 

So much for the visitors pass- apparently, you have to forfeit it to the sales rep upon entry and the remaining "free" days- are allowed to you once you have decided you want to become a member.  I clearly remember James stating "Ok, so once you make a decision to join, then you can come back and use the other two days."  That's not a 3-day guest pass.

Today, I have a 7-day guest pass to Bally's in St Louis Park.  I can't help but wonder how this is going to play out.  I've already recieved an email from the club's general manager. And a sales rep with an east coast Long Island accent left me a voicemail within moments of my request for a guest pass was submitted.  His name is Johnny.  Immediately, images of an individual mimicing Jersey Shore's too-tan cast with too-tight tank tops, and too much muscle come to mind. 

This should be interesting.

On a positive note, the child care area at Bally's has a 2 child per family and 2 hour limit. And there can only be 8 kids in the room at a time.  At least they have crowd control.

I looked into their class schedule- it was less than appealing.  They only have 1 studio at this location, and the variety of classes is lacking. 

I did visit Bally's with a guest pass my fiance gave me once before (pre-kiddos).  It was ok.  The hot tub was broken- which I'm told is often the case. They do have a sauna- which I always like to have.

The gym used to be so much apart of my lifestyle.  It was what I would do before and after work or class.  I considered myself a runner, a weight lifter, and athletic.  I still consider myself these things but it's not reflected in my day to day life, nor has it been for the last 3 years.  3 years- wow- where did the time go? 

It'll be interesting to see what happens at my visit this evening.