I Joined a Gym This Year. I’ll Never Make That Mistake Again.

As we approach 2025, it’s crazy to think the pandemic started almost five years ago. Obviously it was a terrible time, but spending all those hours indoors improved my life in two significant ways: I cooked a lot more than I used to, and I also made exercise a daily activity. I still cook as much as I can, but being back in the office three days a week has unfortunately decreased that significantly (commuting, after all, takes a huge chunk out of your day, cutting into precious prep time). My minutes exercising have decreased too, from somewhere around 210 minutes a week to 150.

Besides using a slow cooker, there’s not too much I can do about the cooking bit, save for getting the shopping done in advance. As for exercising, I know that 210 minutes really isn’t a feasible number unless working out is your job. But 150 minutes is easy enough to spread out across the four days I’m not in the office. Years ago, I had ClassPass and belonged to a budget gym in my neighborhood. Like many during the pandemic, I turned to online classes, and my husband bought a Peloton bike. Now I use Peloton’s platform for everything from dance cardio to Pilates, and I subscribe to Alo Moves for yoga classes.

But when the announcement was first made that we’d be going back to the office three days a week, joining a gym seemed like a good idea. And lo and behold, the one that caught my eye is situated directly beneath my office building, which made it easy to pop in before or after work. It also checked two other key boxes for me: it doesn’t have the hype-y, “look at me” energy of a place like, say, Equinox, and it has a pool, and I’ve been wanting to become a better swimmer the last few years.

Beyond that, it’s just a nice all-round gym, too. Although a little dated in looks, there are plenty of machines available and the studio classes are solid. But I came here for the pool and the grand amenities that are attached to it: a jacuzzi, sauna and steam room in the women’s locker room. At $164 with my company discount, I figured that if I made it there at least once a week, it would be worth the expense, as most workout classes cost around $40 anyway.

A week after joining, I booked a lane in the pool. Now, I tend to swim at empty hotel pools first thing in the morning, hours before throngs of children take it over and make it impossible to swim a lap without stopping, so jumping into the gym pool was a rude awakening. I was the most novice swimmer by decades, and two people were stuffed into each lane, making it pretty impossible for a beginner like me to feel any semblance of confidence. Although I did go back to the gym every week following that swim, it took me months to work up the nerve to get back in the pool.

A friend who is a lifelong swimmer told me that putting two to three people in a lane is common, as pool space is rare. But at the end of the day, it’s just not for me. First of all, the pool was freezing — it took almost 10 minutes of my 30-minute swim time to get warmed up. And look, I get that these other swimmers are just trying to get a good workout, but I did laps in lanes where people were swimming so aggressively that I had to turn my head every time someone went by to avoid a tidal wave of water to the face. I smacked my hand against the pool wall or got it tangled in the buoy divider more than a few times during each swim session to avoid someone who literally wasn’t staying in their lane.

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New York City is amazing in a lot of ways, but the crowds — be it at restaurants, concerts or the public beach — are its biggest downfall. My gym was one of the friendliest workout spaces I’ve ever encountered. The staff is absolutely lovely, and I even made some acquaintances during my time there. But for every polite person, there’s always someone who doesn’t wipe down their mat at the end of the workout. For every friendly face asking how you’ve been, there’s a too-serious bro in the pool giving you dirty looks for not swimming fast enough.

As the year went on, I was finding less and less time to use my membership. It’s way easier to wake up 30 minutes earlier and jump into a Peloton class than pack a bag and fight the subway crowds barely awake. Plus, $164 is expensive, and I was really feeling it cut into my budget. After the eight-month contract was over, I canceled my membership.

A week after I cleaned out my locker, we had a meeting at work to talk about year-end stories. As Tanner Garrity was talking about an idea, he mentioned “Peloton fatigue” and how people are actually getting tired of working out with a screen. In a recent article about how AI is being integrated into fitness machines, he talks about selling his Peloton bike, writing “I wanted no access to Peloton. I wanted it out of my life. My buyer almost certainly sensed this desperation.”

This really got my wheels turning. While many people are desperately seeking communal workouts, all I want is to exercise in solitude in the comfort of my own home. I have no desire to fight for space at the lockers, avoid stares from creepers and subconsciously compare myself to others. That’s not to say that an in-person class has no place in my routine. I love Barry’s Bootcamp, and I recently enjoyed an incredible workout at the newly opened Jetset Pilates in SoHo (the goal, my instructor said, is to move more slowly than anyone, which is exactly my style). I even went to Peloton Studios New York for an in-person ride, which was a remarkable experience. But as gorgeous as their facilities are, I would never choose to be there every week — it’s simply too much of a hassle when time constantly feels more precious than a Fabergé egg.

I’m glad I gave the gym another try, and I’m still going to practice swimming in those empty hotel pools. But I’d rather throw a portion of that monthly fee at something that will really help me improve a skill, like tennis lessons or private yoga instruction. I guarantee those types of experiences will have a greater impact on my fitness goals — and I’ll feel way less awkward getting there.