Picking a health/fitness club pointers

While I have never been very big about joining health or fitness clubs I do know that many people enjoy their memberships and use them very effectively. My advice about fitness and working out is simply do it in the atmosphere that makes you feel good and if a health club is the place for you then do it. In light of that advice I would also offer some advice on how to choose a club.

My first piece of advice would be to chose a location that is a near to your home as possible. With the cost of fuel these days it should be cost efficient to travel to the work out area. Also, the site might be close enough that you could do a short run or bike to the club to do the rest of the work out, i.e. weights, yoga, steam room, massage, etc. Like anything else I would encourage you to visit more than one health club so you could compare what they have to offer, the costs and how each compare to each other. In years past there were not as many to choose from as there are now, so the choice is yours and take the time to seek them out. When shopping for these facilities be sure to go during their prime time so you can see just how busy and crowded they may be. This can tell you if you will have to wait for a long period of time before using the work out area, i.e. weights, treadmills, etc. It will also give you an idea on how the staff treats the customers during prime time. On membership costs always ask if they have a free trial program and then what is the cost after that, plus check to see if they limit the number of members they will take at any given time. Most clubs sell memberships with no limit, then they hope that they will have many no shows. Many clubs now offer the 24 hour open feature, and I would certainly consider that as an option, since it gives a person more flexibility and can fit any work obligations. The contract that is offered must be properly presented and signed by all parties concerned. I have noticed some clubs offering a “no contract, no obligation” deal and I would stay away from those. If you enter into some kind of agreement here with no obligation than how do you do anything about poor service, etc.? In writing agreements spell out the obligations of both parties and are very appropriate, in my opinion. Some clubs will also offer financing plans, and I would say to just check out the interest rates and cancellation policies. Another credibility check for a club would be to see if they are registered with the Secretary of State’s Office in you state. In most states the club will have to have an operator’s certificate of registration and post a $20,000.00 to $50,000.00 security deposit with the SOS, depending on the size of its’ membership. In a nutshell; location, availability of services, cost, and professional registration with the state are the most important things you can look for in a fitness/health club facility.

Happy clubbing,

Mike Greer

Walking, aerobic exercise questions?

Walking is by far one of the best exercises that anyone of any age can do; however, I feel that to get the most out of your walking you should focus on what the purpose of the walk is. For example, if you are just going out in the neighborhood to make chit chat with some neighbors you might not get as much benefit out of this activity as you would imagine. While I do agree that some exercise and movement from the couch is better than none, I would like to see that heart rate go up to 75% of maximum(discussed in previous blogs) for about 20-30 minutes, 3-4 times per week. There have been some questions come to me asking how many steps it takes to make a mile. Of course the answer to this will vary with each individual since everyone does not have the same length of legs so the strides of each individual would be different. Rule of thumb is that 10,000 steps should equal 5 miles, and it is estimated that most people take 5,000 steps in their everyday normal activities. So, to gain additional exercise for the heart one should take the extra 5,000 steps, for a total of 10,000 steps to guarantee a good aerobic workout. Regardless of how many steps you take it is safe to say that 2,000 steps will give you a mile of walking. There are other ways to measure your walking, i.e. you can count your steps with a pedometer, a gadget that you clip to your belt and it counts the steps for you. The other way to measure your walking is by counting city blocks, 12 city blocks will generally equal a mile, or the other way is simply by time. Go out and walk for an hour and you will get the desired distance for sure.

Another question came in concerning a 57 year old woman who participates in aerobic exercise classes three times per week along with lifting weights, Pilates and yoga(WOW this is the same as a balanced diet of food). Her question: Since she had been doing this workout schedule for over 2 years she wondered if she would stay at a plateau without any more improvement. The good news answer here is that this is an excellent exercise routine for heart’s health. Even if she is on a plateau, it’s a good plateau to be on. In regards to the strength question a person does have to make new demands on the muscles with greater challenges if they expect to make progress in strength and muscle growth. My thoughts would be to consider if any of the muscles have begun to deteriorate because of the plateau and if so then add 10% to the weight training and possibly alter the exercises that are being done first to last. In other words if you are doing curls first and then bench presses, change this around in order. Also, you can increase the number of repetitions by 10%. As a safety measure I like the conservative 10% increase and remember, Rome was not built in a day(while I really don’t know how long it took to build Rome) and exercising should become a life style habit in your life.
Off to do a bicycle ride,

Mike Greer