Joining a Gym!

Anyone following me long enough will know that moving to California hasn’t been the most ideal situation for my body. I, very quickly got used to the luxury of having my own car and driving or being driven everywhere. Moreover, the lack of having my mum around meant my meals mainly consisted of takeaways and lots of Trader Jose’s snacks! The truth is, I was never really healthy even when I lived at home. I suffered from anemia but somehow fooled myself to think that being skinny meant being healthy. It was only when my skin started breaking out and I put on a ridiculous amount of weight along with even lower hemoglobin levels that I realized that I needed to make a serious change in my diet and lifestyle and so my hunt to find an ideal gym began.

It was around this time that a new shopping/dining complex opened in our neighborhood and Equinox opened there. I quickly scheduled a visit to the gym and to say I was blown away would be a total understatement! I have never been a gym goer so I didn’t have anything to compare it to, however, going to the gym always conjured up ideas of worn out machines, strong smell of rubber and sweat combined and just dingy overall. But Equinox was beyond impressive!

Facilities at Equinox

The club feels high-end and truly luxurious. It consists of all the facilities you would expect in a gym and so much more- the yoga room, pilates room, group fitness studio and bike studio are so spacious and impressive. Spotless bathrooms fully equipped with Kiehls products, steam rooms and complete towel service are excellent touches that add so much value. Finally, there is no dearth of instructor-led classes. Booking classes is easy on the Equinox app and there is something for everyone! From HIIT, Dance, Cycling to the most relaxing meditation yoga sessions; the classes are what keep me coming back again and again.

Membership

Honestly, the only down downside of this gym is that the fees are insanely high. Despite the new club discount and free spa sessions as part of our membership, it pinches slightly every time I see that amount amount eating away into my monthly paycheck. However, I have never enjoyed going to the gym and leading such an active lifestyle before. Moreover, I calculated joining boutique studio classes separately and they would cost around the same monthly without giving me the variety of classes and gym perks such as the swimming pool, steam room, cold-eucalyptus towels that I enjoy now. Equinox has lured me into waking up at 7 a.m. consistently over the summer and now even as I juggle full time work, evening classes and a hellish study schedule- I find myself craving going to the gym.

Personal Training

Since I was new to this whole gym thing, I figured a few classes with a trainer would help me learn using the equipment the right way and kind of just help me feel confident in using the gym overall. I had the most basic expectations from my personal training sessions but my sessions with my trainer Sabyna Passi blew me away. She was so much fun to work out with, I truly felt like I was being challenged each time and my body amazed me with how quickly it could build muscle and strength. If I had all the money in the world, this is something I would just not let go of because I was seeing real results and the benefits were outstanding!

Favorite Classes

Being a member here for a few months has given me the opportunity to try many of the classes (although I still haven’t managed to try so many of them, seriously they have a tonne of classes!!). I’ve tried a few of the cycling classes- Anthem & Cycle Beats. Both are great calorie burners however, cycling is just not my thing so I’ve stopped attending that entirely.

The treadmill classes are amazing. Elevate is one of my favorite low-high workout class. It essentially mimics world-famous trails/hikes and you emulate their incline, flatness etc. on the treadmill. Although you’re just walking, it can get superrrr tiring. Just like a serious outdoor hike. It’s been so great to increase my stamina and build some serious leg muscle 😉

For HIIT, I really like their Stacked class. It’s become by Wednesday weekly! My entire body is challenged in less than an hour and I leave the gym feeling extremely giddy and sore in a good way. In a nutshell, we start with a 5 minute dynamic warm up and then you jump into 2 circuits of six exercises each. The first circuit usually focuses on lower body and the second circuit on the upper body. After each exercise you take 30 seconds of active recovery and then stack first exercise with second. 30 seconds active recovery then stack first, second and third exercise and so on until you reach the sixth exercise and then you stack all the way from bottom to top without a break. You then get a break with stretches, yoga moves and active recovery and then continue the same way for the second circuit. It is so fast paced, challenging and so great if you want to lose weight or want to deviate from traditional classes.

Finally, I love love love all their Yoga Classes. Gentle yoga is perfect after a long day of work. It is perfectly timed in the evenings at 7pm and is completely relaxing and rejuvenating. I love the studio, the soft music and the soothing stretches that are all part of this class. On other days, when I am feeling more energetic, Vinyasa Yoga is perfect as it is a more athletic approach to yoga.

Overall, I am so impressed with all the classes that Equinox provides. I haven’t even covered half the classes. They have a wide range of Dance, Barre, Pilates and HIIT classes such as Rounders, Kickboxing, Circuit challenge all which I still need to find the time for!

Equinox for Everyone?

In all, I have no qualms about recommending Equinox to anyone wanting a more active and fitter lifestyle. The membership is worth it if you are going to use the facilities and all their classes 3-4 times a week. I am a pretty finicky person and need clean facilities wherever I go, so for me the levels of cleanliness and the wide range of classes are what keep me coming back again and again. I love how active I’ve become, not just in terms of going to the gym but also more open to outdoor activities. Having a regular active routine has drastically improved my overall health as well. I am no longer anemic! It’s been six months of going regularly to the gym and I have never felt better! 🙂