Worried About Fitting In? Relax…
By WLR Staff, by Pat Wilson
Reservations and fears kick in – the bewildering array of
machines and fit individuals
leave you feeling scared. You don’t know what to do or where to
begin and you don’t know a soul in the building! You picture yourself out of breath and red in
the face surrounded by fit and healthy club members all making it
look so easy.
The truth is that this scenario is rare. Most Health and
Fitness Clubs see a broad range of ages, shapes and
sizes walk through their doors everyday. These Centres are
fitted out with the latest gym equipment, classes and trained
professionals who want to help you to be fit and follow an
exercise routine which suits you.
Which Health & Fitness Club? Things to Consider
- Size of Club – Do you want to socialise whilst
exercising? A larger club will have a wider group of people to
meet. Conversely a small club may offer a little more privacy
and quiet areas.
- Attention – Can the staff give enough
individual time to members if needed.
- Hours – Do the opening times suit you and fit in
with convenient times for you to use the facilities.
- Peak times – Does the club become busy during
certain times and how many
members can use the facilities with ease.
- Your Fitness Goals – What are your personal goals? If you want
to concentrate on losing weight you want to see a large
selection of aerobic equipment? If you want to increase muscle
strength you will need fixed weight machines and free weights.
- Club Location– How close is the club to your home
or work? Is there local transport to it? Does it have a
convenient car park?
- Staff – Are the staff qualified through an
accredited organisation? It is important that the club has
trained and knowledgeable staff who can guide you through
the correct use of equipment and motivate and
encourage you. Is it easy to talk to personal trainers and how
often are they available?
- Does the club offer a free induction when you can
visit, see what the club has to offer, get a feel for the
place and weigh up the pros and cons?
Using a Health & Fitness Club
Clubs now offer many different facilities – try as
much as possible to find what is most enjoyable and worthwhile
for you.
Equipment at the club may include:
- Treadmills - Walking or running are familiar
movements which come naturally making the treadmill a fairly
easy exercise to learn. Treadmills provide good aerobic
fitness, burn calories and tone the leg muscles. Most treadmills have side and front rails to help
balance you whilst using and can be programmed for a variety
of intensities.
- Cross Country Ski Machines - These machines provide
excellent aerobic conditioning and some muscle strength. They
use most of the muscles of the body causing high calorie use.
Additionally ski machines are low impact placing little strain
on specific joints. Great for all-round fitness.
- Rowing Machines - Condition the entire body
particularly the abdomen and back. If used correctly there is
little strain on the joints of the body.
- Step/Stepper - Based on the action of climbing
stairs, steps can be hard but worthwhile increasing both
aerobic capacity and strength of the legs and buttocks.
- Exercise Bikes - Cycling is a low-impact exercise
that puts less strain on the joints and back than running or
jogging. The beauty of using a bike in the Gym is that you
beat the weather!
- Cross Trainers - Provide a good low-impact aerobic
workout that target many different muscles. As they work all
the muscles fairly evenly there is no risk of any one muscle
group becoming more developed than another.
- Resistance Exercise - This means working with
Weights - Free Weights, the Weights on a machine or your own
Body Weight. Performing simple, repetitive
movements works on a particular muscle or group of muscles.
This can build muscle size and strength and tone and define
your body.
You could try a class at the Club to vary your routine. There
are often many different classes running which offer something
for everyone – Aerobic, Dance, Spinning, Step, etc. Most clubs
have classes for people starting at different levels of fitness.
Related Article
Read the stories of four people who joined a health and
fitness club in order to lose weight:
Diet and Exercise for Weight Loss