Joining a family lifestyle facility not just a gym

Last updated on August 5th, 2024 at 08:58 am

My husband and I have always been members at various gyms over the years to stay healthy as much as staying fit. Exercise is so much more than just keeping your body toned up for summer. It’s about staying healthy, keeping those organs working at their best and making you feel good both in body and mind. Without sounding like a complete hippy here but it’s true. 

We have teamed up with David Lloyd to see what it has to offer us as a whole family unit and not just my husband and I. In the past, it was always a juggle of passing each other after the kids went to bed or flipping a coin on who’s turn it was to go to the gym and the other stay home. Before kids, we used to really enjoy going to the gym together. I missed that. The beauty of being apart of the David Lloyd family membership is that we can go back to spending more time together while staying healthy and fit and so much more. I have quickly learned that David Lloyd isn’t just a gym it’s a family lifestyle. It offers a variety of kids activities, weekend clubs, after school clubs, holiday clubs, and sports like tennis and gymnastic etc 

For a busy family like ours this is perfect for us. Both of us work from home so the amazing soft play area and kid’s area inside the cafe is a huge bonus for us. We can work side by side on our laptops while being right next to our children playing. They are having fun while we are getting work done and we are all together. We can go swimming all together as a family which is as much fun as it is a necessity to practice their swimming skills. They can take various lessons while we get to go back to working out together in the gym or take a class together. Let’s be honest it rains a lot in the UK we were always tied with what we could do for a whole day of family fun especially on the weekends. Now, we have endless options at our David Lloyd gym whether we go swimming indoors or outdoors together, eating lunch together in the cafe and let the kids play in the soft play area or on the junglegym kids area outside depending on the weather, there is always something to do, together.

I know that when people hear David Lloyd they think, pricey. I will be upfront and open about that as a family it seems like a lot to pay for a gym. But are you really just paying for a gym, well the answer is no! You are paying for a facility that offers a lot more things, you probably already pay for, on top of your own gym membership. Do you take your kids swimming on the weekends? How much does that cost? Are you paying for a soft play area on a rainy day for them to run off some energy? How much does that cost? What about holiday and school clubs? Wouldn’t it be easier if they were all in the same familiar place so you could squeeze in the workout before picking them up knowing they are having a blast with the DL kids team and activities they do? I hate when people refer to it as a pricey gym because it’s not just a gym. 

I was paying for soft play areas, paying for swimming on the weekends, paying for Zumba and yoga classes on top of my normal gym membership that alone is all free under my membership. It also provides this amazing facilities that the whole family can enjoy so many different things at, together. Life is short. Why not spend as much time as possible together as a family unit. The kids will have great memories of our family days at David Lloyd, I know it. 

For example, this half term we got to visit an event at the Nottingham facility of David Lloyd to learn just how much David Lloyd has to offer families. The kids and I arrived and right away I could tell this isn’t your ordinary gym. The kids spotted the soft play area and ipads to play with straight away and off they went while I sipped coffee with some lovely friends at the event. We chatted about what the day had in store for us all and that was kids included. 

I got to have a taste of the synergy class David Lloyd has to offer as well as the yoga class both equally as good. The synergy class is perfect for me because I like to change up my workouts and work various parts of my body at the same time and the yoga was relaxing and a great stretch afterwards. While I was having #MumMeTime, I was confident that my two kiddos were having a blast in the creche with the wonderful DL Kids Team. I am not just saying that. MM is a very shy individual and I was so nervous she wouldn’t feel comfortable going to the creche without me. There was a lovely DL Kids team member that she took a shine to and really helped her feel happy and welcome. 

We all came together to have a lovely lunch. I was impressed with the healthy options of the food and quality of the food when it arrived. Having ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at the cafe in David Lloyd that day I can vouch that there is something on it for everyone and so many really healthy options. The kid’s menu really was the kicker though because it had a variety of foods and they were healthy which is rare on a kid’s menu. My kid’s got to enjoy a grilled chicken breast, broccoli and carrots with mash potato. I was happy they weren’t eating something fried and getting the vegetables they need while we were out and about. Healthy kid’s food is also a rare thing to find when out for family days.

In the afternoon, the kids joining in for some outdoor fun while I got to test out the spa facilities. I enjoyed a massage to end my workout day and came out feeling relaxed, healthy, happy and embraced my two kid’s who also had the best day with the DL Kid’s Team. Together we all went swimming to end a wonderful day out at David Lloyd. We splashed and laughed our way to exhaustion and headed home with memories and excitement to try our own David Lloyd facility out.

It really showed me how we can have family time together, we can have adult time as parents together, and how I can also have me time. Life is about balance and being able to have time in these categories is so important for a healthy and better me and a happy family. 

On our first week of our membership, I honestly can say we have been there everyday doing a variety of things. The first two days were still half term so we made the most of the random hot UK weather and swimming in the outdoor pool together. The kids kept asking were we on holiday which was funny as I kept trying to explain no this is our new gym. The kids first day back at school and nursery gave me the chance to get in two workout classes synergy and body balance (which is a new favorite of mine) and get a few hours of work done in the cafe on the sun terrace before picking them up again. We have been after school for a swim and soft play time even as I write this MM is playing next to me. 

I really look forward to sharing our experience as part of the David Lloyd family over the next few months. It really is a family lifestyle facility not just a gym. All the little family things I used to pay for us to do can now be done with my membership all under the same roof. I couldn’t be more impressed with David Lloyd. 

I am looking forward to sharing my goals and plans with you all soon. I have a few targets and challenges to make before I do. We have a lot more family fun to experience and share with you too. Follow us along as well as a few other families testing out the David Lloyd around the country using the hashtag #MumMeTime. You can see what each one has to offer as they all vary. 

*In exchange for our honest opinion we have teamed up for a six month trial period with David Lloyd near us.