Once upon a time (aka in high school), I was an extremely athletic person. I was exercising at least six times/week, for several hours at a time with a mix of lacrosse, tennis, softball, hip hop dance class, kickboxing, and probably something else that I’m forgetting as part of my schedule. Nowadays, as an adult with a full work load and a host of other responsibilities, I don’t have the time, or quite frankly, the energy to invest in such rigorous workouts, however, I am motivated to get closer to that 17 year-old than I have in the past.
Fitness is such a great physical and mental challenge and release that as I incrementally add more of it into my schedule, I miss it when “life” gets in the way and I have to skip a Pilates class due to a work commitment. Still, I persevere, and the best way, in my opinion, to keep motivated and dedicated is not with repetition, but rather with freshness to the routine. I’ve adopted the use of a FitBit to keep me moving outside of the gym, and have been trying out some options to keep my excitement up while in the studio. I recently wrapped a 30-day trial of ClassPass, a monthly membership that grants access to an unlimited number of classes across its partner studios. Options range from the avant-garde (boot camp variations, surf board Pilates, cycling while partially submersed in a pool, trampoline dance classes), to the more traditional (ZUMBA, Vinyasa yoga, or even just a gym workout).
I had a lofty goal of trying out three new studios per week, but as time went on, I wanted to revisit the ones that I truly loved over and over again. I managed to take nine classes in across seven studios that were completely new to me; not too bad, right?
Here’s a few of the important details that you need to know about ClassPass:
- $79-$99 per month, depending on your city
- At the $99 per month rate (ClassPass flex membership), you can take classes in any of the 40+ cities where it’s found, making it a great travel + fitness option
- You have unlimited classes, however you can only take up to three at the same studio per month
- Put your membership on hold at any time, which will cost you $19/month, and you can still take one class during that time
- If you cancel and then restart your membership, there will be a fee of $79 for re-initiation
- Cancel your class at any time, but ideally more than 12 hours before the class starts; if it’s under 12 hours from class time, you’ll be charged a $20 no-show fee.
- After each class, you’re prompted to rate the studio and your experience before continuing onto your next booking.
I had quite a seamless experience, with booking being super easy, and leaving it up to me as to how I wanted to find a class- by a map, by each studio’s schedule, or by a time slot that I have available. It’s only been a few weeks since its ended, and…I already miss it. I can’t wait for it to come to Pittsburgh so that I can work out while I’m home, and in the meanwhile, I look forward to the new studios added and improvements to the web and in-person studio experience.
