Today was a rest day for me mostly because my fisherman and I went to Seattle for the day. He wanted to go to the Fisherman’s Expo and I wanted to check out gyms near my new work.
I toured two gyms in the Ballard part of Seattle, Olympic Athletic Club and Ballard Health Club. Olympic is massive! So many different rooms with tons of cardio, weight and other equipment. And they have a pool, albeit only 20 yards long, it is still a pool. Ballard Health Club was considerably smaller, with one main room that housed cardio and weight equipment. I liked the vibe I got when I walked into Ballard Health Club, but they just don’t offer all the things I’m looking for in a gym. What are the things I’m looking for in a gym?
- Nice cardio equipment
- Good selection of group classes, especially spin class
- Extra amenities like sauna, Jacuzzi, nice locker room
- Pool, preferable 25 yards
- Reasonable price
I think I may have found all of these things at Olympic. I have a free trial until the end of the month and then I’ll make a decision. What kinds of things do you look for in a gym?
In other slightly related fitness news… We went to REI while in Seattle, and as we were pulling into the parking garage, we saw a car with a bike on the roof about to pull into the low clearance lot as well. I made eye contact with the driver and pointed at the bike mouthing the words “no, your bike can’t fit” because I didn’t think they remembered that their bike was there. Well, they decided to go for it anyway, and I witnessed a bike being smashed by a horizontal concrete poll. I tried, I tried.
Also, it is puking snow here in Bellingham right now. It wasn’t snowing in Seattle, but we were greeted with it about 5 miles south of Bellingham. There is probably a good 3 inches on the ground and it doesn't look like it is going to stop. I purchased snowshoes today and I think we’re going to go for a walk in the mountains tomorrow! Yahoo! Don’t even want to deal with the craziness that is going to be at Mt. Baker tomorrow for opening day…yikes.
![DSCN3608[1]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_L_vKnS4ax4w/TOdrf8vJjKI/AAAAAAAAA80/w2YbyVQii0w/s1600-h/DSCN3608%5B1%5D%5B4%5D.jpg "DSCN3608[1]")
Atlas Elektra 8 Snowshoes. Not top of the line, but they’ll be fun
![DSCN3611[1]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_L_vKnS4ax4w/TOdrh0Gn2DI/AAAAAAAAA88/e4db03X5-Nk/s1600-h/DSCN3611%5B1%5D%5B3%5D.jpg "DSCN3611[1]")
My backyard
![DSCN3612[1]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_L_vKnS4ax4w/TOdrjiyuf3I/AAAAAAAAA9E/nWbZP9YzBOI/s1600-h/DSCN3612%5B1%5D%5B4%5D.jpg "DSCN3612[1]")
Front yard
![DSCN3614[1]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/_L_vKnS4ax4w/TOdrmACdJvI/AAAAAAAAA9M/siOhA6tU46g/s1600-h/DSCN3614%5B1%5D%5B6%5D.jpg "DSCN3614[1]")
Crazy tree!
Guess I won’t be running outside for a couple days…or will I?
I don't look for a gym, makes things easier for me.
ReplyDeleteOMG you are killing me w/ all the Seattle talk. It really rips my heart out! But that's okay. I'll still read! ha ha :) I wasn't really into the gym thing when I was there.... well, I had a membership to that one in fremont for a while, but never really showed up to do anything. Wish I could be more help. One good thing abotu Seattle is the easy access to safe outdoors workouts and a climate (albeit wet) that allows year round outdoor activity. I would imagine that come summer there are plenty of places to swim in open water!!! (though it's not so warm out that way!)
ReplyDeleteOh, those poor people with the bike. THAT is totally something I would do :-(
ReplyDeleteI've got snowshoes on my Christmas list!
Oh bummer about the bike, but at least you tried! Yeah, I was downing a big mama just watching the snow come down harder and harder and harder! And this wind!!?!? Gross.
ReplyDeletewow looks really cold! stay warm! =)
ReplyDeleteWhen I enroll at the gym I usually look at their classes which I love to attend =)
*Pls read my blog post yesterday. I am shamelessly plugging it coz I don't want YOU to miss it. Kindly read and you'll understand why =) http://www.hotlegsrunner.com/2010/11/to-dearest-my-blog-buddies.html
snow?! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! i don't want to see that!
ReplyDeleteummmmmmm i've never actually enrolled at a gym before but the hours they're open would be the most important to me i think
So jealous of the snow! Sounds like a couple great gym options. I chose one recently that is near my work, but am thinking I should have held out for a gym that has all the features I'm looking for, pool, better cardio equipment, better group classes.
ReplyDeleteOh my - all that snow! I'm praying it doesn't move towards NY anytime soon! In a gym I look for fitness classes at convenient times, a decent variety of classes, treadmill & elliptical brands that I like (yes I'm picky like that)!
ReplyDeleteThat really sucks about the bike!
ReplyDeleteI am like you when it comes to gyms. I like to have all the amenities. Unfortunately, the swimming pool always messes things up. I now go to a great gym near my house but it doesn't have a pool. So now I have two memberships. Luckily, the first one is not that expensive!
Good luck with the gym and enjoy the snow!
Hi! So long time reader, first time commenter. I actually live in Ballard & have had experiences with both places.
ReplyDeleteI've only done the free trial at Olympic - it's SO CRAZY in there during peak times, and from Jan-March. The sales associates & personal trainers are all kind of aggressive, IMO. I just didn't get a good, supportive vibe there.
BHC is rather...basic. The trainers are awesome though, and the classes are small enough where you don't feel lost in the crowd. I'm close enough to walk to both places, but BHC did just double their parking.
BHC was also significantly cheaper, if I'm remembering correctly. That's always #1 in my book...
There is an LA Fitness that just opened down by the Ballard bridge that is really nice & has a pool - but you might not be into the whole chain thing. A few friends moved from Olympic to LA Fitness & are enjoying it so far. PLUS it's next door to a Trader Joe's. NOM.