Young Man.…There’s a place you can go

Con­ven­tional gyms are a total turnoff. The pro­mo­tions make you feel ripped off; the staff make you feel duped; the space makes you feel like a total loser. Not very moti­vat­ing. If work­ing out makes you feel good, you do it. These places don’t make me feel like work­ing out.

In total oppo­si­tion is the YMCA. Now this is a brand that lives its mis­sion across every touch­point. It’s not about ads or pro­mo­tions. It’s about doing the right thing for mem­bers and the com­mu­nity time and again. It’s a feel-good place and expe­ri­ence. It makes me want to work out. 

Why am I hav­ing a love affair with the Y? 

1. One flat fee for mem­ber­ship makes me feel like I’ve been treated fairly. It’s not cheap, but I don’t mind.
2. The space is open, low-key with­out all the mir­rors and bells and whis­tles. I feel relieved by the lack of pretension.
3. I twice hear staff explain how lower income mem­bers could have their mem­ber­ship fees adjusted. I believe I am part of a community-based organization.
4. There’s child­care and an amaz­ing kids’ club and play struc­ture where my kids can hang out while mommy gets a lit­tle bit of a work­out. They under­stand and care about my realities. 
5. The staff are help­ful. Twice, two dif­fer­ent staff peo­ple didn’t just point me in the right direction…they walked me there. I feel like these peo­ple actu­ally give a crap.

The lessons here are pretty simple: