New to exercising and looking for a gym to join in NoVA

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to lose the baby weight, new to exercising (honestly I haven't exercised in about 20 years because I was always naturally slim), and looking for a gym to join. I am new to the area and don't really know much about gyms or what I should be looking for. We live in Vienna. Any recommendations for gyms in the area--Tysons, Reston, Fairfax, etc.?

[Anonymous]

If you have the $, I loved Equinox in Tysons before we moved away. Amazing yoga classes, beautiful space, on-site sitters, indoor pool, you name it. Look into specials.

[Anonymous]

Must be convenient or you won't go.

[Anonymous]

Hi, OP here. Thanks for the rec, I will look into that.

I'm not really sure what I should be looking for in terms of gyms. I am brand new to exercising. I walk around my neighborhood but that's it. Haven't lifted weights in 20 years or done an exercise class. I have 15-20 pounds to lose from baby weight. I find exercise boring in general. I'm not really sure where to start or what I should be looking for. It would be nice to have a gym buddy but we really don't know many people in the area yet.

[Anonymous]

OP here. In general, how much is it monthly to join a gym? How often would I need to go to make it worth it? I am not a person who enjoys exercise--I find it boring, but on the other hand, I am very upset by how long it's taking to lose the baby weight and I feel fat and dumpy. Walking around the neighborhood and dieting isn't working. I need to add in exercise and am willing to get a trainer too.

[Anonymous]

I love 24 Hour Fitness. It's
Around $54/month with no contract.

[Anonymous]

How close are you to Golds in Merrifield? I went there for years until I moved to Arlington, and was happy there. They have child care with good caregivers, plenty of cardio machines and weight stations and a decent variety of classes.

[Anonymous]

Equinox is very expensive. 24 Hour seems nice if the traffic doesn't deter you. Sport and Health Tysons gets a lot of Vienna families. Golds and Crunch are more bare-bones and inexpensive places.

[Anonymous]

XSport in Merrifield is good. There are trainers, and you get a fitness evaluation once you start so you can know what type of shape you are really in. The people there are nice, the locker room (I've only seen the women's) is clean. They have tons of classes, pool and tanning, hair salon, etc. there. Oh and sitters on site.


No, I don't work, there, but I've also been a member at Golds and Xsport (in my opinion) is better. My fee is $42 a month, with no contract limit, I can cancel anytime I want.

[Anonymous]

For Tyson's area I'd look at 24hr Fitness (same shopping center as the new Walmart) or Sport and Health.
Here's what I look at in a gym:
1. Location - this is key for me. If it's not convenient to home or work I flat out don't use it. This includes things like ease of finding a parking spot too - I have been known to use a full parking lot as an excuse to turn around and go home

2. Cleanliness and professionalism of staff

3. Availability of machines/classes during the times I want to work out - def recommend getting a trial pass and visiting for a week before committing to membership

4. Cost/cancellation policy - figure out what you're committing to. I was once seduced by the "cheaper" annual price ($70/mth for a one year commitment v $80/mth for a cancel-anytime policy). I stopped going after two months because the location was not at all convenient but my contract had me locked in for another 10 months.