introducing blink fitness

New fitness gym promising 'mood above muscle' pumps into Houston

Blink Fitness promotes "mood over muscle."

Photo courtesy of Blink Fitness

The holiday season means many locals have a proclivity to make new year’s health changes — especially new or renewed exercise regimens. Fitting, then, that a national fitness brand is opening its 100th gym in Houston — just in time for all those January 1 resolutions.

Blink Fitness has announced four new workout gyms in the Houston market, with the opening of its Spring Branch location marking 100 gyms nationwide.

Blink Fitness Spring Branch will be located at 7840 Long Point Rd. in the Spring Valley Shopping Center. Blink Fitness Westchase will be located at 11145 Westheimer Rd. in the plaza at the intersection of Westheimer Road and Wilcrest Drive. In addition to the Spring Branch and Westchase gyms, Blink Fitness is opening in the Glenbrook Valley and Northline neighborhoods in early 2020.

To toast the 100th Blink Fitness center opening, the Spring Branch location will be hosting a preview party from 1 pm to 4 pm on Saturday, December 7. The first 100 eligible guests will receive a free membership, and Blink will be giving away prizes every hour. Houston’s own Kealia Ohai, captain of Houston’s pro women’s soccer team the Houston Dash (and future Mrs. J.J. Watt) will host a fan meet-and-greet and sharing tips about her fitness routine and why she shares the Blink philosophy that exercise contributes to both physical and emotional health.

“I am incredibly passionate about empowering people of all fitness levels to prioritize their health and wellness through exercise,” said Ohai, in a statement. “Blink Fitness’ mantra of 'Mood Over Muscle' shakes the stigma that gyms are only for the elite athlete.”

Indeed, mood is key here: Gym-goers are greeted and encouraged by specially trained employees called “Mood Lifters,” who are meant to provide a positive, uplifting experience. Blink Fitness fitness centers in Houston will feature cardio machines, strength equipment, dumbbells, and designated areas for stretching, HIIT, bodyweight training, and more, according to a release.

Certified personal trainers will be available for members looking for one-on-one fitness coaching, and every membership comes with a free personal training start-up session. On an ongoing basis, personal training sessions start at $30.

The gym recently launched its Blink Fitness mobile app, which boasts hundreds of workout videos, including HIIT, strength, yoga, stretching, Pilates, spinning and treadmill classes, as well as guided meditations.

fitness

moms deserve better

New report ranks Texas as 9th worst state for working moms

Working mother, best and worst states for working moms in 2026

Photo by Filipp Romanovski on Unsplash

Texas is far from the best state for working mothers, the study determined.

A new national study comparing the best and worst states for working mothers has painted a bleak picture for Texas. The Lone Star State earned a disappointing rank as the ninth worst state for working moms in America.

WalletHub's 2026 report compared the work-life balance, childcare, and professional opportunities for working mothers across all 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine the rankings. Metrics analyzed include the quality of daycares, childcare costs, school system quality, gender pay gaps, the share of families in poverty, female unemployment rates, a parental leave policy score, the average length of a woman's work week (in hours), and much more.

The top five best states for working mothers in America are all located in the Northeast, according to the study. Connecticut claimed the top spot nationally, and Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Vermont respectfully rounded out the top five.

Texas ranked as the 43rd "best" state overall. The bottom three worst states for working moms are Louisiana (No. 51), Alabama (No. 50), and New Mexico (No. 49).

Texas' best ranking was in the national comparison of states with the best median salaries for women, adjusted for the local cost of living. The state ranked No. 22 overall, but it earned middling and poor ranks across numerous additional categories.

The average length of a woman's work week in Texas is the fifth-worst in the country, and the state's female unemployment rate is the 11th worst nationally. The ratio of female executives to male executives in Texas is also the sixth-worst in the U.S.

Here's how WalletHub ranked life as a working mom in Texas in other categories, where a No. 1 rank is considered the best and No. 25 is considered average:

No. 26 – Childcare costs (adjusted for the median women’s salary)
No. 26 – Pediatricians per capita
No. 27 – Parental leave policy score
No. 33 – Daycare quality
No. 35 – Gender pay gap (women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s)
No. 38 – Percentage of single-mother families living in poverty

Unfortunately, Texas' poor livability for working mothers may not surprise some. Earlier this year, Texas was dubbed the No. 4 worst state for women in a separate study by WalletHub. It shouldn't be a stretch to expect better for women — who make up nearly half of the workforce — yet still get paid 82 percent of what men make per hour.

"The U.S. still has a lot of work to do when it comes to improving conditions for working moms, given the wage gap and the lack of representation women have in certain leadership positions," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.

He said the best states for working mothers offer equitable pay, strong career advancement, strong parental leave policies, top notch school systems, and high quality childcare and healthcare.

wallethub texas reports women's equality

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moms deserve better

New report ranks Texas as 9th worst state for working moms