To sign up to this gym

[lilacpetals]

Single mum to DS12, turning 13 in november. I want to start going to the gym and getting my fitness back on track and doing something for myself. I dont have childcare or anyone to ask to babysit and feel confident DS would know what to do in emergency (i have trained him, and he's been walking home from school and waiting alone for 20 mins till I get home since beginning of yr7..). So would probably be going 5/6am before work.

We have a gym in our village, just a small one but it's quite popular. It's also 24 hour unmanned at night. It's only a 10 min walk but I'd probably drive due to it being dark out. Only issue is I've been following the gym on facebook for a few years since they opened and they're constantly shaming their customers! If someone leaves a weight out they'll post a picture and publically shame them. Someone accidentally left a shampoo bottle in the shower and they posted a photo of them shaming them. It's at least once a month this happens! To me this isnt a good way to do business. Their customers are being recorded constantly and it's clear they are watching all the time, i'd feel like I have no privacy.

The other option is there's a gym a 15 min drive away, much bigger chain gym, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable being that far from DS in case of an emergency. Which one should I choose?

24 hour unmanned gym then it being watched on cameras is surely much safer? I train in a small gym and I’m often on my own so knowing it’s all covered by cameras is a good thing.

you need to pick the place you will feel comfier training though.

both of them 24 hour unmanned

I don't see what difference 15 minutes is going to make.

There could be all sorts of reasons you might get back quicker in an emergency than from the nearer one.

I use an unmanned gym (someone there Mon -fri working hours) & have cameras, not watched 24/7 though.

This I don’t mind- the shamming I could do without though.

Go to the closer gym and make sure you clear after yourself. I think we secretly all wish that people who leave the weights out were publicly shamed...

I use pure gym which is often unmanned.

Go to the nearer one and make sure DS knows you have your phone on you. I regretted going to a gym 15 min drive away, it gives you fewer options to mix up your time. Personally I would walk, you can always jog back in an emergency and less likelihood of something going wrong with your legs than with your car/traffic. But whatever gets you there.