Why I Broke Up with my Trainer and Went Back to my Old Gym

Here's the letter I wrote my trainer.  Names have been changed to protect the well meaning.

Hi, Trainer If-You-Call-Me-Girl-One-More-Time-I'll-Fist-Bump-You-In-Your-Face,*

I've been doing some thinking and I think that it would be a good idea to cancel the rest of my appointments with you.  I don't feel that this is working out for me and I am not as committed to our sessions right now.  I don't believe that it's fair to you and I need to decide what I am going to do.  If I need to come in and sign anything, let me know.  I appreciate all you've done and thank you for your efforts.

Sincerely,

Me

Now, I thought this was a nice kiss off letter if ever one there was, but I got no response.  An acknowledgment would have been appreciated, but I didn't get one and shortly hereafter, I cancelled my membership.  $65 a month is a lot for a membership I wasn't really using.  Don't worry, I didn't lose any cash in the deal.  I paid for the trainer in club credits.  No harm, no foul. 

So, I went shopping around for gyms.  My old gym, where I'd had a very bad experience, was a place I had been able to go 3-5 times a week consistently until the incident that led me to switch gyms.  Other comparable gyms with reasonable rates either had programs I wouldn't really feel comfortable doing or wouldn't serve my needs, two year contracts (NO THANKS!), or really bad reviews on sites like Yelp.  

What did I do, you ask.  I went back to my old gym and talked with one of their account reps.  He was a really nice guy, cousin of a woman I know for whom I have a lot of respect.  He was genuine, listened to me and was able to connect with me in minutes, treating me like a human being with needs and goals, not a dollar sign to add to his monthly quota.  After talking to him, I knew I could go back to my old gym.  The person with whom I'd had the aforementioned incident was no longer employed there, which I had heard and had now officially been confirmed.  About $20 a month, if I go 10 times a month, I get reimbursed from work, bringing my membership down to $5 a month.  You just can't go wrong, AND I get to work out with my old exercise friends again.  Winner, winner!!!

*This trainer insisted on calling me "Girl" as a form of motivation and gave me a fist bump after every set.  I found this a bit offputting and kind of degrading, since I'm pushing 40.  I have a name and I'm not helping you run for office.  No Girl, no fist bump.  Not now, not ever.