Curves - Page 2

[vipassanagal]

I got so inspired by this thread that I searched for a Curves in my hood. Found one that is a 10 minute walk from my house. And, I signed up!

Unfortunately, they had a flood so I haven't done the workout yet.

I can't wait to get started.

Thanks for the inspiration!

[Kelly71]

Good luck vipassanagal! We can all support each other on our journey!


Kelly

[CindiC]

Curves - where does the money go?

I am also interested in Curves and had a nice first visit. I have been looking for a club or workout routine that would fit my life. I liked one local business but the owner consistently gives lots of money to conservative causes I do not support. I feel it is important to know where my money goes in the local community...so on I went in my search. Our local Curves is a franchise, like most Curves, and strangely none are open on Sunday. I asked about this and was told the founders ask franchisees to commit to not opening on Sundays for religious reasons. I explored the web site and found that the founders, "Gary and Diane attribute Curves' success to the biblical principles on which their business is based. "The biblical laws of integrity, service, unity, use, reciprocity and responsibility have guided us as we've made those decisions on which this company was built."

This makes me really uncomfortable when people invoke biblical principles and are based in Waco TX. These principles sound fine to me but what else do they support. What do others know about this company and anyone know where I can get more information. They are asking me to make a significant financial commitment as a member and I want to know where my money goes. Thanks!

[ShannonCC]

The Curves the next town over from me is open Sunday mornings. I think the Curves limited hours has to do more with operating expenses than religion. They try to keep the expenses very low so they close for a few hours during the slow time of the day (ours does at least) and are only open limited hours on weekends. Don't they have to pay overtime on Sundays?

[BrooklynDoula]

Lots of Curves in the City are open on Sunday and even in my mom's tiny town in Wisc. the curves is open at 5:20am on Sunday!

[grumo]

Overtime laws vary from state to state. In Oregon, employers do not pay overtime for working Sunday.

[gossamer]

Ok, I scheduled an initial complimentary session for this friday. They said it would be a $75 sign up fee and $39 a month. Does that sound like it's in the ballpark for everyone else? I am actually pretty excited. All of the ones I called were closed during my lunch hour (1-2) so I am oging to try to go between work and school. I get off work at 4:00 and start school at 5:30. It's a 30 minute circuit right? Wish me luck everyone.
Gossamer

[Peppamint]

Originally posted by gossamer
Ok, I scheduled an initial complimentary session for this friday. They said it would be a $75 sign up fee and $39 a month. Does that sound like it's in the ballpark for everyone else? I am actually pretty excited. All of the ones I called were closed during my lunch hour (1-2) so I am oging to try to go between work and school. I get off work at 4:00 and start school at 5:30. It's a 30 minute circuit right? Wish me luck everyone.
Gossamer

Good luck! Mine had a sign-up fee that was somewhere around $75 (which I believe is a one time fee). I actually bought a one year plan because my local humane society puts out a coupon book that gives you a month free when you buy a year (so you get 13 months!). I believe my Curves charges $29/mo if you let them do an automatic withdrawal from your checking and $39 if you just pay each month in person.

[Kelly71]

Good luck! I love it! My bloating issue has resolved and I am up to 12 pounds and 9.5 inches at 1st weigh in. I love it!

[Peppamint]

WTG!

I'm finally back to what I weighed when I was a couple months preggo (I lost weight and then didn't gain any until after 20 weeks) but I still want to lose another 15lbs or so.

I love seeing the scale go down!

[diamond lil]

I cancelled my YMCA membership and joined Curves. I'm glad I did. For over a year, I complained to the managers at my local YMCA about young children in the Cardio room, despite the fact that there are signs posted EVERYWHERE that children under 16 are not allowed in the Cardio room - period. I was getting sick of waiting to use a machine while some kid goofed off on it.

The final straw came when a man on a machine next to me asked me to "watch his son for a second" while he went to the locker room to change. Keep in mind that I had never before seen or spoken to this man before. He asked me (a complete stranger) to watch his young son (who was not supposed to be in the cario room anyway). I told him no. I was busy working out! I didn't come to the Y to watch other people's children for free!

After that happened, I turned my membership card in at the front desk and cancelled my membership. I started going to Curves and haven't looked back!

[Mizelenius]

Hmm. . . I keep seeing ads/signs for Curves, and was intrigued. My issue with exercise has ALWAYS been that I don't want to see people. So, unless I'm just walking outside, I don't like public exercise. It wouldn't bother me a bit to be with other women of all shapes/ages, though . . . and I notice that you can never see into a Curves building, which is cool! I tried going to other clubs, but I was never very motivated and never knew quite what to do/for how long, etc.

Can you go whenever you want? Once DH gets a job, this might be something I'll try. I would love to get some regular exercise!

[Achelois72]

Weight Watchers...or CURVES??

Though money is tight, I've been going to WW for a month now. I have consistently lost...and have lost 6 pounds. But I don't feel that I'm getting much out of my $12 a week. Accountability, yes. But after the $75 fee, wouldn't Curves be cheaper?? Even if I spend $39 a month, that's a little bit less than WW for a month.

We'd just have to work out when I could do this with DH working so much. Maybe I'll have to get up early and go. Hmm.

You've got me thinking. I just think Curves may be a better way to go...


Susan

[Peppamint]

Hi Elena & Susan,

My curves is open from 6:45am- noon and then 2:45-7:00pm. You can go anytime while they're open. The workout takes about 30 minutes and I always stretch afterwards. I'm gone from home about 45 minutes total. I go at 6:45 three days a week. The kids are usually still asleep, so I workout while everyone else sleeps... dh is usually just getting out of the shower when I get home. My dad bought my mom a membership two years ago, so we go together and that does keep me motivated.

I doubt I would workout if I couldn't do it first thing in the morning... it takes a shower (or a workout!) to get me going in the AM!

Speaking of which, I should be going to bed so I get more than five hours sleep!

[Shanghaimum]

I love curves

I live in Canada - it cost me $99 Canadian to join and that included two free months. Now I pay $41 Canadian a month. I love it ... it is a bit hoaky and cheesy compared to more hardcore traditional gyms, but it feels good. I love being in a space full of strong female energy. I am trying to lose baby weight, but I don't believe in dieting ... With ds, 29 months old, the weight was all gone in about two months. With dd, 5 months, it was hanging around. In my first four weeks, I lost 2 lbs, but 9.5 inches!!! I love that the emphasis is on inches rather than pounds. I just go three times a week, and some weeks, if Dh is late coming home form work, only twice.

[CindiC]

Info to use as you please

I know it sounds like a great program (hey, I even started to write the check until I began to ask some questions about Sunday closures), but here is a little more information about Curves and the founder Gary Heavin (and the guy who puts some of your money in his bank account).

I'm a liberal and you can see my political bias here below, but I think the thing that offended me most in the research below is that women's dollars are being used to restrict our choices. I think promoting adoption over abortion is great (it's called choice, right), but don't use my money to outlaw abortion which is what Gary and is Christian associates are doing (no matter how nicely they say it).

Besides living next to Pres Bush in Crawford TX (not a crime, but not my fav thing), he has been jailed for failing to pay child support, failed in two businesses and funds anti-choice pregnancy centers.

Check out these links for more info, then do with the information what you want. For me, I am strongly thinking about just walking around the block a lot more and a little faster.

http://www.operationsaveamerica.org/...central-tx.htm

http://www.christianitytoday.com/cr/2004/001/3.30.html
Mentions Gary's jail sentence for nonpayment of child support.
From this article, "Heavin is upfront with both Christian and non-Christian franchisees about the biblical principles that guide the company. And accordingly, most Curves locations are closed on Sundays."

http://pentecostalevangel.ag.org/pen...659_curves.cfm

http://cbn.org/700club/features/gary_heavin.asp

http://www.afr.net/newafr/abundantliving.asp

[BrooklynDoula]

Yes, I looked these links up after your first post and I agree that this is a bummer. Truth be told, the only money this guy makes is from the intial payment to purchuse a francise rights and then no money is exchanged after that (unless you purchuse a Curves shirt or something of the sort).

While this doesn't make it that much better, it menas that your money is now going to the local people who own yours and you should see how you feel about them. The family that owns my Curves is a really wonderful Islands family who moved to Brooklyn with their young son and are trying to live the American dream. They are very progressive, very pro-child (our Curves allows children in, unlike many), and very supportive. Plus, they have been active in the community and good civil rights activists.

Thanks for the info.

Megan

[CindiC]

Local business

I agree about supporting a local business and plan to contact our local folks to see what they are like. Wow, kids are welcome. That is great! After seeing the machines, I think they probably are safe for kids to be around since there are no easy places to catch fingers or weights to drop on them.

About the money that goes to Heavin: franchises are about $29,000 to start plus equipment you buy from another organization, then each month a franchisee pays about $300-500 to the corporate folks for fees and advertising (this from their web site for franchise buyers), so sorry to say, Heavin still gets a cut each month. It's not a huge cut but money still goes from your pocket to Heavin's conservative causes on a monthly basis.

Wish there was an alternative, with kids welcome and Sunday hours availabile everywhere and the money going to support women's issues - great business idea for someone....

[ShannonCC]

Kids are not welcome in most facilities, but again, that's because of cost. They try to say it's "your time" but really it's because it's expensive to have childcare. Offering childcare raises their insurance, and they'd have to hire an additional employee to be in charge of the kids. And they might even need more space since many Curves are located in single, small rooms. Curves is a very inexpensive biz to run and in part it's because they cut the "frills" like childcare, showers, locker rooms, etc. It's basically the machines and that's it.

Having said that I am envious of Megan and her Curves I would get there more often if they had childcare. Do you mean the Curves you go to has childcare or just children are allowed? I could easily bring my 5 y/o and let her play or color, but if there wasn't actually *childcare* I still couldn't go with my toddler. He needs someone to watch him or he'll climb on the machines, mess with their computer, write on their walls Actually, while technically kids aren't allowed, I did once see older kids (like my dd's age) at my Curves, sitting and coloring while mom worked out.

[BrooklynDoula]

There is not childcare, just kids allowed. My firend goes while her dd naps in the stroller. She just parks her in the back and does her workout - works well. Monstly people just bring older kids and they color or read or such. I have never brought my kid because he is too wild and my dh id home to hang out with him anyhow. If they had childcare at the Curves, it would be overflowing with mamas!