Fragile = sales
I was given a free pass to a gym recently and I have been going regularly, as in almost every day - I think I've missed 2 days in two weeks so that's pretty good (if I can keep it up).
With this free pass came an option that within your first 3 visits, if you decide to join you didn't have to pay the $99 membership fee just the monthly fee. After 2 sessions I had decided that if I were to join a gym it would be this one since it's on my route to/from work. I didn't realize that with it came this 'free' body sumthin sumthin assessment that tells you "exactly" (notice the quotation marks) how fit you are or are not. I was happy that the trainer I got wasn't one of the perky little girls at the desk but someone who was mature and seemed fairly with it.
The perky girl at the desk greeted me with her usual "HI! How are you!" then quickly followed with "Are you excited for your assessment today!?" To which I retorted, "I'm not sure if excited would be the word." "Well you SHOULD BE! It's a great tool! blah blah blah...." I had tuned her out after that.
The assessment was a series of questions about how I eat, what I eat, when I eat, how many times I eat. Then they weight you (I was a shocking 3 pounds heavier than expected - ha!) and test your flexibility but sitting you on a mat and getting you to reach past your toes. Then the spiffy computer spits out it's evaluation of you stating your body age vs. your chronological age (a word which trainer lady couldn't say) and how you could change your body age. It also makes a darling little coloured graph - all of which did not impress me in the least. I'm apparently 30 years old but could be 21 years old if I exercised and weight trained. I'm 28 now. That's really not that bad. I was expecting to be 60 or something.
So that's all fine and good I figure.. then the flow charts came out. On these flow charts were fitness packages with $$$$$ attached and she tried - valiantly I might add - for about 20 minutes to sell me things. She wasn't successful in the selling department but she was successful in the 'making me feel like an ass and wasting my time being there minus a trainer' department. She said I'm to do cardio only after I do weights, and that's only if I have to do them on the same day. That's backwards from what I normally do so I thought - maybe she's right... maybe I do need a trainer, but only if I win a lotto!
I went to work out after and it was the worst workout yet because I was doubting everything I was doing! I did weights first and then cardio. The cardio was the longest 30 minutes ever! Last time I did 50 and it was a breeze but due to the low confidence it was brutal!
I suppose that that is how they make their money and she stated that that is how gyms do it. They push the personal trainer thing and by 'assessing' you and have a computer say that you are _________then it MUST be true! You MUST need a trainer. I think I'll stick to my magazines and try some new machines once in a while but I'll save my money for a new work out outfit thanks.
With this free pass came an option that within your first 3 visits, if you decide to join you didn't have to pay the $99 membership fee just the monthly fee. After 2 sessions I had decided that if I were to join a gym it would be this one since it's on my route to/from work. I didn't realize that with it came this 'free' body sumthin sumthin assessment that tells you "exactly" (notice the quotation marks) how fit you are or are not. I was happy that the trainer I got wasn't one of the perky little girls at the desk but someone who was mature and seemed fairly with it.
The perky girl at the desk greeted me with her usual "HI! How are you!" then quickly followed with "Are you excited for your assessment today!?" To which I retorted, "I'm not sure if excited would be the word." "Well you SHOULD BE! It's a great tool! blah blah blah...." I had tuned her out after that.
The assessment was a series of questions about how I eat, what I eat, when I eat, how many times I eat. Then they weight you (I was a shocking 3 pounds heavier than expected - ha!) and test your flexibility but sitting you on a mat and getting you to reach past your toes. Then the spiffy computer spits out it's evaluation of you stating your body age vs. your chronological age (a word which trainer lady couldn't say) and how you could change your body age. It also makes a darling little coloured graph - all of which did not impress me in the least. I'm apparently 30 years old but could be 21 years old if I exercised and weight trained. I'm 28 now. That's really not that bad. I was expecting to be 60 or something.
So that's all fine and good I figure.. then the flow charts came out. On these flow charts were fitness packages with $$$$$ attached and she tried - valiantly I might add - for about 20 minutes to sell me things. She wasn't successful in the selling department but she was successful in the 'making me feel like an ass and wasting my time being there minus a trainer' department. She said I'm to do cardio only after I do weights, and that's only if I have to do them on the same day. That's backwards from what I normally do so I thought - maybe she's right... maybe I do need a trainer, but only if I win a lotto!
I went to work out after and it was the worst workout yet because I was doubting everything I was doing! I did weights first and then cardio. The cardio was the longest 30 minutes ever! Last time I did 50 and it was a breeze but due to the low confidence it was brutal!
I suppose that that is how they make their money and she stated that that is how gyms do it. They push the personal trainer thing and by 'assessing' you and have a computer say that you are _________then it MUST be true! You MUST need a trainer. I think I'll stick to my magazines and try some new machines once in a while but I'll save my money for a new work out outfit thanks.
Labels: fitness adventures
posted by Maggie at
16.12.07
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