Finding the perfect fitness centre

What should you look for in a gym? That all depends on your needs and wants.
Jul 16, 2010 | By: The Health Local Staff

You’ve made the decision to get in shape, but when you go to join one, you suddenly realize there are a lot of different types of fitness centres out there. From traditional gyms to intensive boot camps, yoga and Pilates studios, martial arts studios and more, the options are endless. How do you know what to look for in a fitness centre?

There are a number of different factors that go into finding the perfect fitness centre. Start by answering a few of these questions to determine your areas of interest:

• When do I want to exercise?
• Do I want gentle exercises or a tough, sweaty workout?
• Do I want to do one activity only, or would I like to be able to try a variety of workouts?
• How much do I want to spend?
• Do I want one-on-one guidance, a class setting or just do it myself?
• Do I want staff to have any kind of special certifications?
• What other amenities do I want? (i.e. a spa? Child care? Showers?)

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can start to get an idea of what type of fitness centre you’d like to join. For example, if you want to be able to exercise at 11 p.m. or 5 a.m., you might want to consider joining a 24-hour gym. If you want a gentle exercise, perhaps a yoga studio is right for you. If you want one-on-one guidance, maybe a personal trainer is the right option, or if you want to be a class setting, perhaps a martial arts class is right for you.

Next, you can do a search on Health Local to find a fitness centre near you. The centre’s listing will have information and website links to help you make the right decision.

Finally, call up a few different centres and make appointments to go in and perhaps even sign up for a trial membership or take a trial class. The only way to make sure you really like something is to try it first – so dive in and go for it!