I have worked at a lot of gyms and have been a member at a lot as well. I know some of you choose to exercise at home, which I do as well sometimes, and if that works for you - keep it up. It doesn’t matter when or where you exercise, as long as you do it. But for those of you who may be looking to join a gym for the first time or choose another gym, here are some things I have observed over the years.

First, I really only know my local scene so I can’t say that this will be the same everywhere, obviously. But in general, here are a few different types of gyms I have visited, worked at, or been a member of.

Every neighborhood seems to have the expensive and “cool” gym, the corporate gym, the mom and pop gym, and the “meat head” gym. Choosing the right gym is a tough decision and one only you can decide.

Where I live there is this huge “cool” expensive gym. Usually those that want to see and be seen go to this gym. Monthly membership is $90. More than what I want to pay for a gym, but certainly not out of the quesiton. So I decided to pay the day rate of $15 and see what it was all about. I got up extra early showered, did makeup and hair, and dressed into my finest fitness coordinates. Already tired before I got there, but hey I looked good. After a few visits I found I wasn’t missing anything. Everyone struts around in their Adidas sipping the finest water and protein drinks sold at the café - which is cool I guess. But since the gym was filled to capacity, it was not unusual to wait for a machine or have someone breathe down your neck while waiting impatiently for you to finish on your machine - this made me want to kill. While there was a huge selection of classes and times, they were not of any better quality than other classes I had attended. The staff were nice but didn't provide anything out of the ordinary. It was more of a a “scene” than a gym, and just not for me, but I could see how some people might like it. I know I mentioned a bunch of negatives but it had a lot of positives as well. For example, the hours are great, the variety of classes and times to choose from are good, it had a pool, a sauna, a juice bar, etc. If this stuff does it for you, than you might find this is the choice for you.

Next is the corporate deal. Places like Bally’s and LA Fitness. These gyms do have their positives. Since every city seems to have one of these, you can workout anywhere I guess. This could be good for people who travel a lot. Another plus is the hours, class schedules, and low monthly payments. Most are open very early and late with good weekend hours and class selection. But beware that a lot of the class sizes are very large and sometimes filled to capacity. Some classes, especially spin, you must sign up before hand in order to hold your spot. While monthly rates are reasonable be very cautious when signing a contract. A lot of these sales people are very pushy and will try and rope you into committing for long periods of time ... and in Bally’s case a lifetime, literally. Also these gyms, like a lot of gyms, either keep your credit card or bank account number on file and automatically charge your account monthly giving you no other option. You must read the fine print of the contract about their cancellation policies. I once was a member at one of these gyms and it took me months to get them to stop charging my account after I had left the gym.

The next type of gym, and my personal favorite, is the little no fuss mom and pop gyms. After trying the gyms I mentioned above, I found a little 'hole in the wall' (well, not really-just not a 50,000 square foot warehouse) gym in my neighborhood and fell in love. Although it was small, it had everything I needed and without the aggravation and attitude. It offered a few classes a day, decent hours, clean friendly environment, and various payment options without a contract. For example my gym offers a 3 month membership, one time charge of $119. If I chose not to re-up in 3 months, they don't charge my account or harass me into rejoining. As a result, I have been a member ever since. For me the old saying less is more really is true. Since the gym is little, I am not overwhelmed by all of the equipment and only use what they have. You will find, in most little places like this, although they may not have a lot of equipment, what they do have is the key pieces you need. The other benefit of these gyms is they tend not to be very crowded, which is a plus in my book.

Finally the last type of gym is what I'll respectfully call the “meat head” gym. While most gyms, some worse than others, have the weight room of grunting, staring, testosterone filled men, the “meat head” gym is just that. More like a weight room then an actual gym. Don’t get me wrong, these gyms have their pluses. For one, it may be a great place to meet men and for two it may force you to lift more and help build your confidence in the weight room. I know some women, me included, are sometimes intimidated of the “scary” weight room. But we need to get over this fear and maybe we can do that with the assistance of an experienced hot weight lifter lol.

So as you can see there are so many factors to think of and weigh when choosing a gym. Hope some of my experiences can help make your decision easier. I would love to hear your gym experiences as well.

Stay Strong,

Kristi

Last Christmas my husband gave me a heart rate monitor. I wasn’t exactly enthused at first: do I really need one of these things? A nice watch or diamond tennis bracelet was more in line with my expectations  ... but instead I get a doohickey to tell me my heart is still beating. Well, at least it was small and a cute shade of baby blue. I would have to make the best of it.

Fast forward a year+, and it is now my favorite accessory ... with the possible exception of my engagement ring ;) I honestly don’t know how I worked out without it. So what's the big deal?

Keeping track of your heart rate is important because it helps you monitor how hard you are working and helps track your fitness progress. If you are not working in your target heart rate zone, which varies for everyone, then you are either working too hard or not enough. In addition, monitoring your heart rate helps you track your current fitness level and progress. The more “fit” you are the less time it will take to bring your heart rate down to resting level after a workout.

Ever see that movie Tron?

Not surprisingly, many people don't know what their target heart rate is or should be. The basic formula to figure out your target heart rate is 220 - age x the % of your maximum heart rate. To burn fat, it is ideal to stay around 60-80% of your maximum heart rate, although even working as low as 50-55% has proven to still burn fat as well. So for example 220 - 29 = 191 x .60 = 114.6, 220 - 29 = 191 x .80 = 152.8. This happens to be my target range 115-153. A heart rate monitor will keep track of this for you. You initially program your information, and it lets you know when you are working too little or too hard.

I love my heart rate monitor because it keeps my workouts challenging and fun. By keeping track of my heart rate and calories burned, you feel more satisfied when the workout is completed. While the machines at the gym supposedly keep track of your heart rate and calories burned, based on my own experiences these machines are not very accurate, and tend to be very kind in etimating the number of calories you supposedly burned (oh I know - that is such a downer isn't it? sorry).

Heart rate monitors range in price from your basic model for as low as $50.00 to as high as $500.00. Many different companies make heart rate monitors, but the most popular is Polar. I have a Polar F4- which was $90.00, and it works great. A small price to pay to work out safer and more effectively.

Stay Strong,

Kristi