With a new school year well underway and the colder weather rolling in, members of the Dalhousie community are slowly slipping back into their regular routines. Falling back into a regular fitness schedule can be one of the hardest things to do after spending a summer relaxing, vacationing and indulging in your favourite summertime treats.
Thankfully, committing to a fitness plan may be a little easier this year thanks to some changes Dalplex and Sexton Gym have made, covering everything from new payments options to the addition of a new spin studio and new fall fitness programs.
The first major change that was made this fall was to how Dalplex and Sexton Gym offered memberships. Annual membership rates are now payable by pre-authorized monthly payments or payroll deduction and the administration fees on these payments have been eliminated.
“Monthly payments are generally easier for people to work into their budgets,” says Amanda Kirby-Sheppard, marketing and sales manager for the Department of Athletics and Recreational Services. “We hope this helps to make a gym membership a little more affordable and more accessible to a wider range of people.”
In addition to the changes to membership payments, the price for towel service at Dalplex was reduced by nearly 80 per cent on new towel service accounts, to only $5 a month (the lower rate will automatically take effect upon a member’s towel service renewal), and members can now conveniently include locker rentals in their monthly payments plans as well.
New membership options, programs
Another significant change that happened in September was the creation of add-on memberships. “We completely understand that times have changed: families come in all different shapes and sizes now and we wanted to be able to accommodate as many as them as possible," says Kirby-Sheppard.
To that end, Dal students and members can now add-on a spouse/partner or a dependent child (children must be under the age of 20) to an individual Dalplex membership, or they can add-on a spouse/partner to a Sexton Gym membership for a low monthly fee. While there are some conditions for this new option — for example, the additional person has to live in the same home as the primary member — this add-on method is the most economical choice for couples and single parents, though the family membership is still best suited for families of three or more.
To top off the payment methods and membership options, Dalplex launched a lineup of new fitness programs and classes for the fall. “We wanted to give our members the chance to try some of the latest fitness trends," says Kirby-Sheppard. "HIIT Boot Camp, Weight Training for Women Only and early morning yoga class called Rise & Shine Yoga are just a few of the new programs we added this September.”
New studio, activities, events
Dalplex is also really excited to announce the addition of a new spin studio. Renovations were recently completed on the new spin space next to the Studley Dance Studio in Studley Gym and classes began on October 7. (Spin classes are considered Dalplex group fitness classes, which are included in a Dalplex membership.)
Finally, Kirby-Sheppard say that members can look forward to even more activities and events for members and Dal students this year, like membership appreciation weeks with more prize giveaways and contests, and month-long fitness challenges like October’s Walktober Challenge and February’s Move More Month.
“We recognize not everyone necessarily likes going to the gym and that many people struggle to find the motivation to keep at it after they’ve started. This is especially true if they don’t feel they are seeing results quickly enough. By hosting more fun events and activities, we really want to engage our students and members and create more of a community feeling at our on-campus facilities. At the end of the day, we want people to feel a little happier when they walk through our doors.”
For more information about Dalplex and Sexton Gym, please visit www.dalplex.ca.