Gym Membership

[jeanmarie]

After years on the road, we are slowing down. We are getting fat. Just found out our insurance pays for a gum membership. We travel and are pretty much everywhere during much of the year, and around Arizona, Texas, or Florida in the winter. Which national chains do you find have the best availability?

Oh, and why is there no main Health category here? I would think that would be a major concern for people living an alternative lifestyle.

 

[highdesertranger]

the reason for no health category is the subject turns into a bunch of infighting between internet experts many of who give bad advice and have no idea what they are talking about. however we give a lot more leeway with health subjects so it can be discussed, to a point. highdesertranger

 

[jeanmarie]

Oh. OK. All I want to know which gym memberships people are finding most convenient to have when traveling. Hopefully, that does devolve into crackpottery.

 

[highdesertranger]

and that type of question is perfectly fine. highdesertranger

 

[travelaround]

Anytime Fitness seems to have a lot of locations - more than 4000 worldwide. That's the one I'll join.

https://www.anytimefitness.com/faqs/

From their FAQ: "After 30 days of membership, you are eligible to access any of our thousands of gyms worldwide. We recommend that you verify with your home gym that your anywhere access has been activated before visiting another gym."

 

[Headache]

That's the hardest part about deciding which gym to go with; locations! Not every gym is everywhere and even the prices are different depending one where your "domicile" is.

I wanted to go with Anytime but its too expensive where my "home" is. If I had gotten it in Pahrump, NV the price was less than half of home. However, every time you use your "key" to get in they would know where I used it most and jack up the price.

I spend the bulk of my time in Quartzsite. No gyms anywhere near it. /shrug

 

[Pleasant Travels]

I really like the option of taking a dip in a pool. Which gym networks most tend to have that amenity?

 

[travelaround]

Here's one with a pool class - but they don't have nearly as many locations as Anytime Fitness.
https://www.24hourfitness.com/classes/pool/

I'd rather swim in swimming holes, so a pool is not that important to me.

 

[jeanmarie]

That's the hardest part about deciding which gym to go with; locations!  Not every gym is everywhere and even the prices are different depending one where your "domicile" is.

I wanted to go with Anytime but its too expensive where my "home" is.  If I had gotten it in Pahrump, NV the price was less than half of home.  However, every time you use your "key" to get in they would know where I used it most and jack up the price.

I spend the bulk of my time in Quartzsite.  No gyms anywhere near it.  /shrug

Thanks. We use our son's address, so no choice about domicile.  But our insurance pays for the membership. Great, huh? I could have signed up years ago but did not know that this benefit was available. Found out when they sent someone out to do one of those wellness reviews they do for us old people.

 

[bullfrog]

Many older people who have health coverage qualify for "Silver Sneakers" program that makes many different gym benefits available with no charge. I have it and have never used it as I tend to avoid urban areas. Looking at the different gym memberships I found so many that had free offers for limited times it wasn't really necessary to sign up.

 

[Dingfelder]

There is a pretty huge thread here on gyms. I think it may have Planet Fitness in the title. That or Anytime. Some solid information there; I highly recommend searching it.

Couple main things are that Anytime is about 3x the price of Planet Fitness, but has private instead of public showers and you can pay the normal way(s). Planet Fitness insists you give them your checking account number ... which personally I don't feel remotely comfortable with, but that's an individual thing.

Overall both have something to offer, and one may be way better for you depending on what you find important.

Check out that old thread though.

Edit: Here it is:

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=6224

 

[RVTravel]

Planet fitness is private shower in my opinion...not an open shower with multiple people in one shower room.

 

[Headache]

Couple main things are that Anytime is about 3x the price of Planet Fitness, but has private instead of public showers

That depends on what your definition of "private" is.  The Anytime and a couple of gyms closest to my domicile has showers in the locker room where there is only the shower curtain between myself and everyone else.  That's not private to me as anyone can(and has) pulled the curtain aside on me.  Another gym has doors /walls I can close with distorted glass or a curtain to pull.  The Anytime in Pahrump has the showers in the bathrooms where you can close and lock the door.  Those are private to me.

 

[highdesertranger]

I could care less who sees my ugly ass. I am more concerned about what nasty's are crawling around the floors of public showers. highdesertranger

 

[Headache]

I could care less who sees my ugly ass.  I am more concerned about what nasty's are  crawling around the floors of public showers.

The same "nasty's" pulling aside the shower curtains!  lol

 

[Dingfelder]

I could care less who sees my ugly ass.  I am more concerned about what nasty's are  crawling around the floors of public showers.  highdesertranger

Just gotta hope slippers will help there.  In school we had athletes foot and other things going around like crazy because we were all barefoot back then.

 

[travelaround]

Wear rubber/plastic sandals in showers at the gym or truck stops to avoid getting fungus or whatever else might be there. This summer while I'm in the Klamath forest I'll just jump into swimming holes and call it a shower. That's plenty for me. The only public shower in town had to be shut down due to misuse and the owners not being willing to put up with it.

 

[Dingfelder]

Wish it were otherwise. Our local Rite-Aid drugstore got tired of calling the cops to clear the drug-blasted heroin shooters out of the bathrooms that the stoners would lock up for hours at a time ... leaving ... stuff ... on the walls ... and stuff ... let's not get into it further. I feel bad for people who can't use a store's bathroom ... a LOT!!! ... and I also feel bad for store folks who find themselves social workers and cops/riot control for addicts and general shi*birds.

 

[jeanmarie]

Wish it were otherwise.  Our local Rite-Aid drugstore got tired of calling the cops to clear the drug-blasted heroin shooters out of the bathrooms that the stoners would lock up for hours at a time ... leaving ... stuff ... on the walls ... and stuff ... let's not get into it further.  I feel bad for people who can't use a store's bathroom ... a LOT!!! ... and I also feel bad for store folks who find themselves social workers and cops/riot control for addicts and general shi*birds.

Yes, aside from the damage they do to themsrlves and their families, addicts can be a darned public nuisance and a menace. Trying to get rid of them is often what causes parks and other facilities to be closed to everyone. Fulltimers end up as collateral damage. I an gobsmacked that a country as tech savvy and powerful as ours, with cameras everywhere, cannot seem to control the flow of illegal drugs.