Really liking Exodus Gym
I blogged a few weeks ago about having joined a gym in wellington, and Ive been going regularly since then. (None of this paying a gym membership every week and then not going for me!).
And I have to say – I’m really impressed.
Not just with the gym itself, which is a pleasure to work out in (well, as pleasurable as sweating and killing yourself with dumbbells could be anyway). But the staff are top notch as well. Maybe it’s just that we do actually turn up every weekday, but by the end of the first week as members, the staff were commenting that we “were late” cos we didn’t get in till 7am that morning. (I had a lie in and a coffee before I went!)
And I guess at the end of the day, that what what I was looking for – although it’s a big gym, with lots of staff, it still has the feel of a friendly local gym.
It was a bit intimidating that first week – but that was mostly because there are are an awful lot of slim, fit and healthy people that go there, so I am one of the few people in there that’s decidedly overweight. I can’t work out whether those people really ought to find something else to do with their time, or they are a re a great advert for the gym, and are slim fit and healthy because they are there!
I’m also really rather impressed with the on-site Physios. I buggered up my knee (too much sitting down for long periods playing Evony), and was having a lot of problems getting through my workouts. The physio has got me straightened out remarkably quickly – but better than that, actually did so in a way that allowed me to carry on with the workouts I wanted to do – rather than just telling me to avoid exercising on it.
(I’m lazy – if someone gives me an excuse to skip part of my workout – damn right I’ll take it!)
So, we are now on week 8 of our Body-For-Life challenge, and a few weeks ago they advertised an IronMan challenge. Hubby suggested that would be a fine idea.
After I pummeled him into a bloody mess for a few days (and got the go-ahead form the physio – who said that if I wanted to do it – he would make sure I COULD get through it, I came round – and this week, we are stepping up the challenge by entering the contest. We have 28 days to bike 180k, run 42k and row 14k. And we still have to do our 2 weightlifting sessions a week. (BFL actually says 3 weights sessions a week – we have altered that a bit to fit being in the Wairarapa at the weekends.)
It’s tough to get it all done – but it is getting done.
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Exodus Gym – it’s a bit big.
Filed under: Cost of living, General Budgeting, Life in New Zealand, Things to do
One of the big problems I faced when we first arrived in Wellington as new ex-pats was trying to find a gym I felt comfortable in. We had both been members of a lovely health club at Fownhope in the UK – Wye Leisure, which a great gym, 2 pools, 2 saunas and 2 steam rooms. Just as we were leaving, they were renovating and expanding – and on a trip back to the UK – I was left drooling at the additions of another pool, sauna and steam room. One of the things we really loved about the place, was that you could do your workout and then you could have a nice relaxing swim, soothe your muscles in the sauna, and then collapse on the loungers around the pool and order some coffee. It was a good life.
Ideally, we were looking for something similar, because I really did become something of a gym-rat, but what kept me going was that relaxing bit at the end.
The problem was that in Wellington we couldn’t find the kind of Health Club style gym we wanted. We only found 2 gyms with a pool: Habit on Willis Street (but the pool as bit grotty and you sure as hell ain’t gonna relax next to it), and the Freyberg Pool owned by the council – but really didn’t want a huge families pool.
And the gym situation wasn’t that great for us either – the main ones were a chain called Les Mills – of which there are 2 in wellington and more around the country. They were TOO big and noisy. There was a Women Only Gym – but that doesn’t work as we both work out, and none of the smaller gyms grabbed me. Most of all – I was put off by the cost! We were paying £75 a month for a joint membership at Fownhope – New Zealand gyms were wanting about $35 a week. Each. (£120 using 2.5$:£1). And we weren’t getting as much for our money. I kinda objected to that.
So over the years we have collected some extra gym equipment (I already had some) was tried to work out at home – with very limited success.
Now we are living in the city, and the plan was to work out in the apartment’s onsite gym. But as that’s not being maintained – that didn’t really work out. The equipment is old, broken and filthy, and the pool is out of action.
But just up the road – about 5 mins slow walk – is the Exodus Gym. They were building it when we first moved here, but we were moving out to the country. And besides – still no pool. (They did tell me at the time that the problem they had with this was the council wont give planning consent for gyms to have pools cos they want to force you to use theirs!) But needs must when the pounds just keep clobbering you and you need to either deal with it or buy a whole new set of clothes (having got rid of all the “fat clothes” – I refuse to buy another set!) So off we went for a look round.
Which brings me to the headline – it’s a bit big! To be fair – the Les Mill’s Gym on Taranaki street is bigger, but exodus is not bad in terms of size. Theres 2 floors – the lower one being mainly Cardio equipment with a set of weights machines, and the upper floor being mainly the body building floor with a few Cardio machines.
While they do have a Sauna and steam room, they are in the changing rooms, so again, not somewhere I can relax with hubby after a killer workout (and our workouts are deadly!), but then with no pool anyway, we just go in, do the workout, then go home to shower and have a slap up breakfast.
You are still looking at about $35 a week each – there doesn’t seem to be any such thing here as a Joint Membership, but they do have corporate deals – so you may be able to get a cheaper deal depending on who you work for. Telecom for example!
By the way – if anyone is in Wellington and wants to try it out – I have some One-Day free passes which I’m happy to send you. Email me at avalon@avalonsguide.com with your address and I’ll send you one.
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