Make your initial visit a successful one by knowing what to look for in a facility. How do you choose a club that’s right for you? Making the right choice depends on your needs, goals, and personal interests. Ask your friends, family, or acquaintances where they work out. Do they have similar interests or fitness needs?

Getting and staying in shape is a lifetime commitment. It is important to find a facility where you feel comfortable and at ease. Walking into a gym or a club is sometimes the most difficult stage. Once you make the initial step, are you greeted professionally and made to feel welcome by the personnel? Do you see yourself going there most days of the week?

These are important questions to ask yourself. Decide ahead of time what is important to you and what you are looking for in a facility. Centres can range from very simple to very fancy with minimal guidance and service to one-on-one attention from the moment you walk through the door.

Nowadays, fitness clubs offer a variety of activities and services such as fitness classes, mind-body programs such as yoga and Pilates, organized sports, personalized services from lifestyle coaching to personal training, dieticians, multi-therapy clinics, and massotherapists, and most facilities also include a wide variety of equipment such as cardiovascular machines, strength machines, and free weights among a myriad other accessories. Others may specialize in offering special programs that promote social events to enable meeting other people like you.

Joining a fitness club is a good way to get on track. Inquire about services available that interest you:  fitness classes offered, quality of equipment, social events or outings, informational clinics or seminars, guidance and instruction from qualified personnel; are they included in your membership or offered at an additional cost? How about fitness assessments, racquet sports, hours of operation, locker room amenities, and aesthetic services to name a few.

Most clubs offer a variety of membership options from short term to long term and will vary in membership dues depending on the range of services you choose to include. Regardless of the type of membership you select find out about the kind of guidance you will receive from qualified instructors to help you achieve your goals!

Personal trainers will help you develop a program tailored to your needs and will enable you to reach your goals faster than if you worked on your own. This is done through increased motivation, proper instruction on exercise techniques, coaching, and encouragement. If you’re unsure, ask questions. Instructors are there to provide guidance and options to find something that will be fun and beneficial to you. Injuries are avoided when exercises are learned properly the first time; orientation sessions or even one session with a trainer will help you prevent injury.

What are some examples of goals? We all have strengths and weaknesses to consider when embarking on a routine. Set goals within your own limits. Goals will lead you to participate in recreational activities, guide you to work out a little harder with more direction, or even advance you to perform certain exercises enabling you to live with less pain.

Specifically a goal may be to rehabilitate from surgery or an injury. Or, your family doctor may have told you to lose weight and advised you to start exercising; but you don’t know how or what to do first. Perhaps you would you like to be able to play with your children or grandchildren without feeling out of breath or tired. Or maybe you would like to learn to run or walk 5 km or simply get rid of back pain. Whatever your aspiration, set measurable and achievable goals with the help of a professional. Above all, listen to your body and choose activities that work for you. The best activity is the one you will do!

Once you’ve decided what you’d like to do, decide how often. A regular routine doesn’t have to mean going to the club six days per week for two hours at a time. General health and fitness benefits are achieved by 20 to 30 minutes, three to five days per week to get you started. Most recently, it is recommended to perform moderate daily activity for at least 30 minutes for optimal health benefits.

Moderate exercise and a specific exercise program tailored to your needs will help strengthen bones as well as protecting them from osteoporosis, can increase muscle strength and endurance, joint mobility and flexibility, reduce the risk of several types of chronic illness and increase your metabolism. Besides improving your overall health and quality of life, moderate exercise is known to help delay the mental and physical effects of aging.

Age should not be a factor holding you back from implementing an effective endurance or resistance training program. Research conducted by The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) on endurance and weight training shows that elderly people (aged 75 and older) experience an increase in heart and lung capacity and efficiency similar to the gains of younger people.

Major components of an exercise routine should include a cardiovascular segment, resistance training, and flexibility exercises. Activities and exercises to choose from are endless. The right choice depends on what you enjoy and what will suit your needs. When you find yourself losing interest or motivation, ask for help. Qualified personal trainers are within your reach at all reputable fitness centres to guide you and to assist you in developing a new, well-balanced program to suit your ever-changing moods, interest, or needs.

If you live a sedentary lifestyle or have not participated in a regular exercise program and are thinking about starting an exercise routine, it’s not too late! (If you do have a medical condition be sure to inform your instructor or personal trainer prior to beginning your new exercise program). Variety is the key in maintaining interest and motivation. Try different activities, learn new things, and meet new people who are just like you. There is a club out there waiting to be discovered by YOU! Go ahead, try it out; quality of life is what you have to gain. Above all have fun!