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Staying active and healthy is one of my goals. Over the years, I went to a number of gyms around the South County part of San Luis Obispo County. Here is a list of gyms/fitness centers that I've visited and my thoughts about them in chronological order:

• Fitness 19 (As of August 2024, Fitness 19 in Arroyo Grande has gone out of business!)

  (Update: This is an old review as Fitness 19 went out business and closed down.) Located in Arroyo Grande and in the same shopping area as Marshalls, Wal Mart, Food 4 Less, a movie theater, and a great number of restaurants, I thought this gym had the best location. Years ago when I was a member there, Fitness 19 had a nursery for kids. At the time, I had a 5 year old and 3 year old. All I wanted to do was find a place where I could jog regularly with childcare to keep my heart healthy. They had a lot of treadmills lined up at the front. After my first visit, I joined. The kids behaved fine during their first time at the nursery. However, after their first time, they didn't like to be there anymore. They would cry while I was on the treadmill so the staff had to stop my work out and get me. My ideal work out timeframe was 35 minutes on the treadmill but unfortunately, the nursery personnel was not able to console my kids for even that amount of time so after a few months, I just cancelled my membership. After the pandemic, they didn't have a nursery anymore. Address of Fitness 19: 908 Rancho Pkwy, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

• Pismo Beach Athletic Club

  After making sure Tantrum Fitness stopped pulling automatic payments as they were permanently closing, I stopped working out for awhile during the pandemic. As things were starting to open up and the kids were transitioning to a couple of hours of lessons a day in school, I was able to try out Pismo Beach Athletic Club for a morning. They didn't offer a free trial but allowed non-members to purchase a day pass so that was what I did for one morning. I really wanted to try one of their fitness classes but all of their classes required pre-registration and all of their morning classes were already full by a whole week! So, I just came in and jogged on the treadmill. It sufficed for what I needed for cardio. I felt that the membership fees were too high for me and was not able to easily join a class so I didn't join as a member. However, they have an indoor lap pool so if swimming is your main focus for fitness, Pismo Beach Athletic Club is a good option. They are also located just a block from the ocean so it's such a wonderful location. The staff there are all professional and nice so there is a family feel to it. From my understanding on their website and my single day visit, they do not offer childcare but I suggest double checking with the business in case that has changed recently. Pismo Beach Athletic Club Address: 1751 Price Street, Pismo Beach CA 93449

• Planet Fitness

  
  

  Located in Arroyo Grande and in the same shopping center as a Starbucks, Grocery Outlets and off the 101 highway, Planet Fitness could be a great hub for many needs. They also have an electric car charging station right in front of Planet Fitness as well! I feel like because of their highway proximity, electric charging station and with the Starbucks right there, this Planet Fitness is full of yuppies, travelers, students and a bunch of smart and efficient people! The cost is such a good deal as well! They don't offer classes though so that is the major con. However, if you don't care for fitness classes, Planet Fitness in AG is a great gym spot. They have a lot of cardio equipment, weight machines and free weights. I like their big locker room with a few showers for women. I'm assuming the men's locker room would be the same size? Furthermore, Planet Fitness is a chain so if you have the black card (a higher membership level), you can work out at any Planet Fitness around the U.S. and bring a guest every day for free! They do not have any childcare services. I've also worked out at the Planet Fitness location in San Luis Obispo. Ready comparison and thoughts between the Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande and the Planet Fitness in San Luis Obispo. Planet Fitness Address: 1576 W Branch St, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

• CYB Studios

  Located in Arroyo Grande off of Grand Ave., CYB Studios is strictly classes only and they focus on cycling, yoga, and barre (hence the acronym for their name)! They were having their anniversary sale so I bought some passes to try it out. Thus far, I've tried their cycling, Barre, YFlow, Y26, and YSculpt classes. All of their yoga classes are heated yoga classes so I'm usually sweating like a pig by the time I finish the class.The staff members there are all very helpful with customer service as their forefront #1 asset. Within their shopping center, you'll find a Starbucks, Rite Aid, CHC Urgent Care, a few restaurants, and an Aldi so you can get almost all of your errands done in this shopping center before or after working out, if you really wanted to! Their classes and instructors are amazing! I usually feel sore for a couple of days after taking a class there so make sure to give yourself a break for a couple of days between classes if you're not used to it. You will definitely get a really good work out! The big con is if you're not into working out in classes with other people and only want to work with machines or equipment on your own, CYB Studios is not for you. They do not have any treadmills or any other cardio machines. Every once in awhile, they offer free classes to the public so that you can try them out or you can always just pay a fee for every visit without a membership or pay a package deal. One fun thing is they often plan really neat social events with fitness. They also have a very nice restroom area with showers. They are also very proactive on their social media. Other things that stood out to me is they do not offer childcare services, but do offer complimentary towel usage for your work outs.  CYB Studios Address: 1231 E Grand Avenue, Suite 105, Arroyo Grande, Ca 93420

• Avila Bay Athletic Club

  As we've lived here over the years in San Luis Obispo County, I've gone from going to the least expensive fitness center in Five Cities to the most expensive place! Last on this list is Avila Bay Athletic Club because I had to work myself for 5 years to be able to figure out that this is the right fitness option for my entire family as my kids have been getting older and like hanging out at pools. For over $300 a month, my entire family comes here to enjoy pickle ball, the family pool, fitness classes, lifting weights and a nice resort-like area. I'm even blogging about this piece while sitting at their patio area at this very minute! Except for a few group classes, most of the fitness classes do not require a reservation, which is nice to be able to drop in when I can. Avila Bay Athletic Club Address: 6699 Bay Laurel Place, Avila Beach, CA 93424

Reading Suggestions:

• Find some Mommy and Me fitness options where you can bring your little kids in tow.


• SLO Swim Center is another pool in San Luis Obispo County located in San Luis Obispo City where families can go to swim during their recreational hours. The hours for family or recreational swim changes from season to season. I like to bring my kids here in the past during the spring and summer breaks. Read my review about SLO Swim Center under the Spring Break blog entry.


• Read my comparison between Planet Fitness Arroyo Grande and Planet Fitness San Luis Obispo. 


• Read a list of reviews of coffee shops that I've visited and remotely worked from in South County of San Luis Obispo County (Five Cities).


• Read my thoughts on restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County.

Your ideal work out session is very personal. Some people like to be outdoors to exercise, while others like to be alone. For working out at home, you can get a yoga mat, some dumb bells and just select a free exercise video from Prime Video from your TV. Working out options is aplenty. Try to find that motivation and the right exercise equipment that works for you.