Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Curves

During my lunch break I visited our local branch of Curves. I wanted to see about their operating hours, costs, and a few other things, and since the website wasn't too location specific my only choice was to visit them in person.

I talked to a very nice lady who owned the place and was pleased to see that she was nice and fit, but not too skinny. (I feel more comfortable with people who actually look like they work out owning workout facilities) While I was there I told her that I'd been doing WW and have lost about 40 lbs. She was really excited for me and encouraged the idea of starting an exercise routine. Then she wanted to check my body fat %. Bleah.

Here's how it went down:

Using the Tanita Body Composition Analyzer -

Weight: 190 (a little less than mine this morning - yay!)
BMI: 32.6
Fat %: 40.2%
Fat Mass: 76.4 lb

Desirable Range:
Fat %: 17-24%
Fat Mass: 23.2-35.81lb

Target Body Fat%: 23%
Predicted Weight: 147.6lb
Predicted Fat Mass: 34.01lb
Fat to Lose: 42.4lb

The downside is that the beginning cost is like $147 with a $33 a month charge. They've got a deal going that you can exercise the rest of the summer for free, but you still have to pay the beginning cost. I really think that I'd like it, but Jeremy is always hesitant to shell out money for something that I might not like. We have a coupon from one of those coupon books here at work for a free week of working out at our Curves - but I don't know if they'll let me use it. We'll see.

Have any of you been to Curves or know anyone that has? I obviously need to lose some of this body fat. Nearly 77 pounds of fat is just waaay too much for me to handle.

Let me know what ya'll think & thanks for all of the encouraging comments!!

6 comments:

MMalloy said...

I haven't been to curves myself but my Aunt goes there. She tried the gym for a while but felt intimidated and could never remember how to use the different machines. The one thing I like about curves is they teach you how to use the weight machines and not be afraid to use them. This might not be true for all locations but the one my Aunt goes to gives out the same basic routine for everyone that walks through the door, I don't like this. Everyone is at different stages and needs different things, so make sure the find a routine for you and make usre to change it up every couple of weeks.
I think getting a good work out routine would definetly jump start your weight loss journey again. I definetly get excited about new workouts and the feeling I get after words is awesome too.
I know you can get back on track, just take it one step at a time and know that we are all here for you!!

Amanda said...

I've been to Curves before. I think it's great for a work out. I didn't do so hot while I was there but I wasn't watching my eating all that close either. The one I went to was full of older ladies. That was the only downside. The closest person in age to me was 10+ years older than me. But it was great for a good workout. At mine, you had to sign up for a year and that sucked. Also everyone did the same routine around the circuit 2 times. But pretty much everyone saw results (except me!) b/c they watched their eating too. :)

The Price's Wife said...

My sister did curves and said she felt like it wasn't a very good workout... She said it was better than nothing, but that she wouldn't actually pay to do it. (She got to try it for a month for free...) She also said it was full of older women, not that it matters, but I'm just giving you ALL of the information that I have!!! :)

MtngirlinCali said...

Here's what I've heard about Curves. If you aren't a regular exerciser and are intimidated by a regular gym, it's a great place to start out. You learn the circuit, become familiar with all the basic gym equipment, and most importantly, you get into the basic routine of exercise. The downside? When you get more fit, it starts to get boring and not so challenging. In fact, it's lacking in the cardiovascular department. But that's later on down the road, and it seems like there may be more advantages for you than disadvantages with this particular program. I joined a women's gym in my old hometown called Lady of America and just adored it.....I wish we had them out here in California! Definitely a step up from Curves, but still a non-intimidating, friendly environment.

Candace MacPherson said...

I'm not a gym girl and paid for not going for a while. I prefer 'activity' to exercise and think I stayed thinner in my 20's due to just getting involved. I joined Curves around 5 years ago and paid for a while and went regularly for a little while. If you decide to stop going after a bit, they can suspend your membership. I was told that even though I'm not a currently paying member that I'll never have to pay the start-up fee again, which is cool if I do decide to go back this winter.

Sarah in AZ said...

I joined Curves back in the day when the franchise started. Maybe back in 2000 or something? I never lost any weight from it, and frankly going around twice barely got my heart rate up. I guess it's better than nothing, but you know, walking outside on the trails is free!
Most of the clientele where I went was older too...these ladies would come and workout in their jeans.(yes!)
I say, get a pedometer and hit the trail. I got a good pedometer at Sports Authority for around 25$. Every 2000 steps=1 mile. :)