Working Out Can Be Fun (sort of)!
Written: Mar 26 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: More fun than anywhere else I've exercised
Cons: Workout not hard enough
The Bottom Line: Fun to go to, but the workouts are too easy.
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| traveler1959's Full Review: Curves For Women |
I joined Curves for Women about 6 months ago. Reluctant doesn't begin to describe my feeling about getting back into exercising. I am a dedicated couch potato, and would stay one had I not finally gotten disgusted with the fact that firming and toning my body doesn't happen by walking to the fridge once an hour during a commercial. OK - I ran to the fridge, but it still didn't help!
A Curves for Women had opened in my neighborhood a few months before, and I had ignored it. I was actually a member of a gym nearby, but had stopped going long before my membership had run out because I got tired of 1) being the only non-Spandex bunny in the crowd, and 2) working out with serious body-building sweaty guys. Now I like guys as much as the next woman, but preferably after he showers and puts on dry clothes. To be completely honest, however, I was seeing results at the gym, but lacked motivation (see first paragraph regarding couch potato-ness!).
When I first went into Curves, I was pretty underwhelmed. The only things in the place were 10 pieces of equipment and 10 square jogging pads, one between each piece of equipment. I spent some time going through the requisite application, and the dreaded weighing and measuring. Boy, did I hate that part! But the women working there were really nice, with no Spandex in sight.
After the application process was complete, one of the employees showed me how to use each piece of equipment. As you will read in other reviews, you spend 35 seconds on each piece of equipment, and then a recorded voices tells you to change stations. There is snappy exercise music going all the time, and all the ladies in the room talk with each other about one thing or another. You go around the circle of equipment/pads 3 times, and you're done. (Of course, you're supposed to stretch afterwards, but I noticed over time that very few people actually do.)
Every 8 minutes, you take your pulse for 10 seconds to make sure you're not over- or under-exercising. There's a heart rate chart on the wall with rough guides related to your age. After a couple of months, I realized that these charts didn't really work for me, as my heart rate tends to be on the high side already, so working within their range would have been way too easy for me to see results. I'm one of the few people who go to Curves that doesn't do the heart rate thing every 8 minutes - I just continue exercising - but no one has ever given me a hard time about it.
The layout of the place is very very simple. As mentioned, it's basically just the equipment. There are plastic cubbies for your gear, coat hooks and a refrigerator where they sell water for $1 each. At this Curves, you're welcome to bring your own water and leave it in their fridge for use next time. There are also 3 curtained changing rooms and a rest room. Beyond that, the only other area is for stretching. At first, I thought it was a little too basic, but then realized that the equipment there is all the equipment I was using at the other gym. At the other gym, there were literally dozens of other pieces of equipment that I never used, and never would use ever. So at least at Curves, I'm using 100% of what I'm buying every month. This is a real plus to me.
The ladies who work at the Curves in Parkville Missouri, where I go, are delightful. They stand in the middle of the exercise circle and talk with everyone, in addition to providing coaching as needed to individuals. I've seen elderly ladies come into the store to exercise, and the employees hold their hands as they "jog" on the pads so they don't fall. These employees are dedicated to everyone having a good experience exercising, and begrudgingly, I can even say that for exercise, it's fun.
The Curves in Parkville has a points system, and you earn things like shirts and bags for going 3 times a week, meeting certain weight loss/inches lost goals. Some people are really into that, and it motivates them. I have to say that this part works for me, and many weeks has been what's kept me going, even though I know it's good for me.
Another good thing about Curves is the rate. There are no contracts, and at the Curves I go to, you can either pay by bringing in a check each month, or via check draft that automatically comes out of your account. The check draft route is a little cheaper, for obvious reasons, and runs about $32 a month. This is very competitive, as the other gyms in the area are about the same rate monthly, but require at least a one-year contract.
One thing that might be an issue for people is the hours they are open. This particular Curves is open most days from 8-8 on weekdays, and closed between 1 and 3 in the afternoons. Saturdays they're only open till 1, and are closed on Sundays. Since my office is in my home, their hours are not an issue, but for many of my friends who work from 8-5 in an office, this is troublesome, and several women I know have not joined because of this issue.
Now for the bad part. As I mentioned, for a dedicated couch potato like me, this is actually approaching fun. The social aspect is there, I don't feel like I have to put on my make-up to go, and everyone there is really nice and friendly. I don't feel like I'm at the bottom of the fitness ladder at Curves. However, I'm not getting the results I got from the big gym I used to go to. I'm not trying to be a body-builder - just lose some weight and some inches. My friend who joined with me has lost 2 sizes since we started going, but has also plateaued. I think that women who are in larger sizes to begin with will lose quicker, and maybe that's what's happened. I've lost several inches, but am wearing the same size, which is not what I had in mind. Unfortunately, I am now reluctantly thinking of going back to the sweaty guys gym so I can attain my fitness goals. Wish me luck - I'll really miss Curves, as it's the most fun I've ever had exercising.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
traveler1959
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Parkville, MO, USA
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I'm a mom of 3 who owns a business in the KC area.
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