Emily Gaffney(Not All Gyms Are Created Equal)
Why go to a gym? To get fit of course, but finding love is also a possibility… a chance phenomenon where two people lock eyes, lock lips, and luck into everlasting love… unanticipated encounters where two (hopefully) single people feel instant-attraction and carve out a fantasy future together. But not all gyms are created equal when it comes to being fertile grounds for love. The right gym will yield the best opportunity for value-surfing your way to amore. (Click here for Part 1)
Over the last 38 years, I’ve been a member of ten facilities in four major cities – one of which was my own. Not all were “gyms” in the sense of abs and asses; also included were small studios, fitness centers, and full-service health clubs, with and without pools. My unwitting research shows that some gyms are more productive than others for finding Mr. Wonderful.
That being said… burning desire and unbridled passion are not enough. Unearthing true love at the gym without intent is possible, but not probable. The optimal gym will encompass the purpose, personality, and culture that would attract the kind of individual you’d like to end up with.
Gyms can be communities of commonality or dens of diversity. The purpose of a particular facility dictates the clientele; Title One Boxing attracts boxers… Soul Cycle attracts cyclists… Golds Gyms attracts weightlifters… The obvious advantage of joining a focused gym is that you have a mutual interest right out of the gate… a shared value which can be a brilliant base for future conversation about other common concerns.
For the dispassionate gym-goer, bigger is always better. Large full-service clubs offer the greatest number of fitness options yielding a more diverse clientele (aka prospects). The membership at a big gym often includes athletes and basic fitness buffs of all colors, shapes, ages, ethnicities, and orientations… Bigger is always better when it comes to forging fitness and finding love.
If you’re dragging your ass to the gym against your own will, then another advantage of a full-service club is that there’s bound to be something in which you can painlessly partake. Large health clubs are likely to offer:
Cardio classes
TRX
Yoga
Weights
Cardio machines
Precor equipment
Squash/Tennis
Zumba
Spin classes
Aside from local and national chains (Planet Fitness, Golds Gym), each gym also has a unique culture – often dictated by its location in urban, suburban or rural areas.
City gyms tend to be younger, louder, more fashionable (if that matters…) and on trend with the reigning fitness craze; they vibrate at a high frequency. Suburban gyms are often more family-centered and subdued… Yummy Mummy meccas where the babysitting room is as crowded as the aerobics studio (more about categorizing gym-goers in the next installment!). Rural gyms are… well… rural. Truth be told, I haven’t been to a lot of these and am totally open to reader-education. Maybe “rural gym” is an oxymoron and true ruralists get their workouts every day… literally working out.
I know, I know… Not everyone has geographic access to a big selection of gyms, but don’t rule out traveling 15-20 minutes each way to get to the right one… It might be worth your effort and is likely more effective than trolling Match.com or Tinder.
If options are an option, and as noted at the outset here, joining the same kind of gym your dream date would join, will increase your odds of finding love. So, whether you share a passion for one activity, or you’re open to them all, plant your flag and stay your course. Joining the right gym is only the first step in value-surfing your way to love. Next comes an honest self-assessment and learning how to read a gym-goers outsides to understand their insides.