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You’ve finally committed to getting fit and you want to join a gym, but which one? Unless you’ve been a regular at gyms in the past you really don’t know a good one from a bad one.

A good fitness center has their members as their number one priority. They are customer service oriented. A bad fitness center is only looking at your dollar value. Once you join they will not want to know you.

Telling the difference can be as simple as following this simple checklist:

Equipment

Take a walk around the gym and have a good look at each piece of equipment. Get on and use some. If they grind, or seem loose or unstable then that’s a sure sign that the equipment is not serviced often. Any gym that doesn’t service their equipment is not going to service you.

Cleaning

This is a great way of seeing how important the owner’s business is to them. If it’s not cleaned daily then they’re probably cutting costs, which isn’t good for a prospective member. When you’re walking around have a good look at how clean the machines are. If they’re covered in dust, they are probably not cared for.

Service

If you don’t know much about exercise and nutrition, this is the most important of all. A quality gym will want to help you in any way they can. You should be given a new program every 4-6 weeks and another fitness assessment every 8-12 weeks. There should always be someone around to answer your questions. The staff should also be friendly and easy to talk to.

Type of Gym

What type of people use the gym at the times you will be training? Unless you’re into bodybuilding you probably want to stay away from ‘muscle head’ gyms after 3pm. These gyms are easy to identify. They have loads of weights, no aerobic classes, and no (or very old) bikes and treadmills.

Ethics

Are they constantly trying to push their products? This is often done with nutrition supplements. There’s nothing wrong with selling these products as some are quite good if you need them but some unethical centers try to push supplements onto all new members. If the salesperson or instructor seems pushy with their products, run for cover!

Staff

Whilst qualifications are important, it’s not everything. The most important trait in a good fitness instructor is that they must care. If they are tertiary qualified as well then you have yourself a great trainer, but even the most knowledgeable person in the industry is of no value if they’re not interested in helping you. It’s easy to identify staff that care because they are friendly, courteous, and listen! (They may even remember your name)

Membership Price

Every region is different but the membership price should reflect the service, equipment, and instructors. You shouldn’t judge a fitness center on price alone (this is why they rarely give prices over the telephone!). Have a look at a few gyms in your area and compare each one. That is the only reliable way to measure true value.

Ray Kelly is an Exercise Scientist with 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. Sign up for his free 7 Day Weight Loss Course at Free Fitness Programs

Tags: choosing fitness center, fitness centre, health club, Joining gym, loose weight, Lose weight, weight losschoosing fitness center, fitness centre, health club, Joining gym, loose weight, Lose weight, weight loss

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On a hot day we may feel like we’re melting, but did you know that our internal temperature (or core temperature) only changes by a few degrees. Our normal body temperature at rest is maintained between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius. Our core temperature is extremely important as the processes that occur in our cells need it to be very constant in order to keep the body alive. In fact, you will require medical intervention if it drops below 34.4 degrees, or above 41 degrees.


Sources of heat
Apart from the obvious source of heat: the environment, the body also has another major contributor: metabolic processes. Anything that increases energy production, the release of hormones, or basal metabolic rate, also increases heat production.


Body temperature whilst exercising
Body temperature reflects the balance between heat production and heat loss. As we exercise we increase our body temperature and for us to be able to continue we must be able to release the excess heat.

This is done using the circulatory system. The heat is carried by the blood, to the skin. It is then released into the external environment.

The release of heat is completed by any of 4 mechanisms:

• Conduction: the heat is transferred through contact with another object. This object must have a lower temperature. The body loses only small amounts of heat due to this process.



• Convection: the heat is transferred by the motion of a gas or liquid (eg, air across the skin when running, or water across the skin when swimming). As these air or water molecules come into contact with the body, heat is released to them, they move on, and are replaced by cooler molecules.



• Radiation: the heat is transferred from one object to another without contact. This can result in heat loss or heat gain, depending on the environmental conditions



• Evaporation: heat is transferred through the evaporation of bodily fluids when brought into contact with the external environment (eg, sweat evaporating off the skin, and to a lesser extent our breathe as we exhale). This is usually the most important form of heat loss during exercise. In this process the heat is transferred from the body, to water on the surface of the skin (sweat). When the sweat reaches a certain temperature it is converted to a gas and the heat is released into the environment.

What does all this mean to the average exerciser?
The human body’s automatic temperature controls work very well, but you’ll perform much better if you follow these guidelines:

• Expose as much of the skin as possible to the open air. This will not only allow the sweat on your skin to evaporate, but it will also allow some heat loss via convection.



• If you are not able to expose much skin (eg, sports uniform), then take frequent water breaks.



• Wear cotton clothing whenever possible.



• In extremely hot weather, take frequent rest periods.



• If you do not regularly exercise in hot conditions, take time to acclimatize before participating in high intensity exercise.

Ray Kelly has a degree in Exercise Science and 15 years experience as a Lecturer and Fitness Trainer. Sign up today for his free 7 Day Weight Loss Course at: Heart Disease, Diabetes, and Weight Loss

Tags: diet, exercise, fitness, heat, hot, humid conditions, loose weight, Lose weight, summer, sweat, weight lossdiet, exercise, fitness, heat, hot, humid conditions, loose weight, Lose weight, summer, sweat, weight loss

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So you have to start an exercise program. What are you going to do? How are you going to exercise?

Well the type of exercise you do largely depends on you. What do you like doing? What do you hate doing? Do you have to pay membership fees? Do you need a training partner? Do you need to buy equipment?

These are all questions you need to answer.

If you choose something that you don’t like doing, you’re not going to keep doing it for long. Think about it, if you don’t like jogging you’re hardly going to keep dragging yourself out of bed at 6am, especially when winter comes around! If you can’t find something you like, just choose the thing you hate the least. This is usually walking.

Walking is great because it suits all fitness levels. Anyone can start a walking program at any time, it’s just the intensity and duration that differs. Walking is also very social. It’s not hard to find a training partner to chat to while you exercise. This also makes the time go faster.

Whatever exercise you do, starting at a low intensity and building it up over a number of weeks is essential to the longevity of your exercise program. If you start too hard you could get an over-use injury such as shin-splints, and then you’ll have to take time off to get over it.

If you are really unfit, start by walking for 10 minutes each day. Increase it by 5 minutes every 2 weeks.

To make it more interesting try walking a different course every few days. You can also roster a different friend to walk with you each day of the week.

If walking is not for you then you may like to try a fitness centre. They have loads of variety and usually have trainers on hand to answer any queries you might have. When choosing a fitness centre, make sure they give good service. If they’re not willing to treat you well before you join, then they certainly aren’t afterwards! Also make sure that their equipment is well serviced. It’s easy to find out, just listen when the machines are being used. If they squeak a lot, or make a grinding noise, then there’s a fair chance that they’re not looked after.

If you’re still not sure what you should do, then why not consider tennis or golf? There are social competitions in most areas and you may find a few new friends. Tennis is great for fitness and it’s a great social activity but it’s not for someone who is just starting out. If you haven’t exercised in a long time then you’re better off finding something a little easier.

Whatever you decide on, it must be something that you enjoy. Find that type of exercise and you’ll be well on the way to the new you!

Ray Kelly is an Exercise Scientist with 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry. Sign up for his free 7 Day Weight Loss Course at Free Exercise and Fitness Tips

Tags: diet, exercise, fitness program, loose weight, Lose weight, obesity, weight lossdiet, exercise, fitness program, loose weight, Lose weight, obesity, weight loss

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