Does that make me pretentious?

I've been in Colorado Springs for a year and a half now and although my life is shaping up quite nicely, there is still one big thing missing...a gym membership. Today I became the newest member of LifeTime Fitness. Although it wasn't nearly as difficult as finding a church, joining a gym was an interesting journey.

So why now? Well, I notice a considerable difference in my overall outlook and mood when I'm working out compared to when I spend my evenings reading, playing on the Internet, or watching Netflix. Also, I was roped into competing in a race this fall and if I'm going to meet my goal of not dyeing then I need to start conditioning.

I am normally pretty thrifty (which is the nice way of saying cheap) and I'm extremely careful about my money. However, there are certain things in life I am willing to break the bank for and a gym membership is one of them. After a few weeks of cost vs. benefit analysis I narrowed my search to two viable options, Villa Sport and LifeTime Fitness.

First up was LifeTime Fitness. They just finished building the new facility about two months ago and when I went for a tour it took almost 40 minutes just to find a parking spot. When I walked in the door, the full spa, cafe and lounge area wowed me right away. A young girl who looked about my age took me to a little office area to talk about my expectations and needs. The preliminary questions led me to explain to her that I am from Florida. When I told her I went to Texas Tech she stared at me like a five year old who just found out there is no Santa Clause. After a few awkward minutes she started to verbalize her confusion:

Gym Consultant: I'm really surprised, you just seem to nice.

Me: Ok, why does that surprise you?

Gym Consultant: Well, you said you went to Tech and I didn't know nice people went to Tech. I have been told that everyone who goes there is mean.

Me: Well, I think there are a lot of nice people who go to Tech. Where did you go to college?

Gym Consultant: I went to A&M and we don't like you very much.

Me: Well, we don't like you much either.

The poor girl stayed in shock for the next 30 minutes as she gave me a tour of the gym. Every five minutes she would stop, shake her head, and mutter something about how nice I was. However, the tour led us to the indoor tennis courts, rock wall, endless list of classes, indoor/outdoor pools and Jacuzzis, water slide, and locker rooms that are more like self-serve spas.

After the tour it was off to Villa. Quite a few families at church rave about Villa and if LifeTime was this great, I couldn't imagine what was in store at the gym a few miles down the road. Villa wasn't nearly as busy, but it was nice and the people seemed friendly enough. A lady took me on a tour and they had all the same impressive amenities as LifeTime. However, it just seemed older and a little more pretentious. They took the opportunity to bash LifeTime at every turn, and to be fair, the sweet girl at LifeTime did her fair share of bashing, but it wasn't nearly as intense. The Villa consultant also spent a considerable amount of time bragging about their full liquor license and swim-up bar. Umm...excuse me? Please don't act like that is normal. When I asked about their options for classes the lady told me the best time to come is in the middle of the day. I told her that would create a problem considering I WORK in the middle of the day. Come on folks, I can't come in the middle of the day. How do you think I can afford your $75/month membership?

I got home and decided to ask my roommate about her gym. She is a loyal member of the YMCA and goes to classes there at least twice a week.

Me: So I'm thinking about joining either LifeTime or Villa, what do you think?

Roommate: Doesn't it bother you that you can get Botox at the same place you are working out?

Me: Umm, not really. Should it?

Roommate: I love the Y and I really believe in their mission.

Me: I guess I've never really considered the mission of my gym. I think I believe in amenities.

I figured that was not the time to tell my roommate about the liquor license and swim-up bar. Little did she know that not only can I get Botox, but I can sit in the pool and have a margarita afterward.

However, I have to admit, the idea that this whole thing was totally pretentious and crazy had crossed my mind about a thousand times so I started the Villa vs. LifeTime debate at work via Yammer, our internal communication tool.

Me: Villa vs. LifeTime....thoughts?

Guy I Work With: I heard the Villa at Lifetime is a great place to have a wedding in Westminister, CA.

The next day our boss told me he heard I was getting married.

Needless to say, after many hours of thought and consideration, a decision was made. The fact that LifeTime is brand new, open 24/7, has the rock wall, and more options in classes were the factors that pushed it over the edge.

Currently, joining LifeTime instead of Villa put me in the same category as Judas with my church family. However, I'm hoping that one day they will see me as more of a Paul, a missionary to LifeTime...