Avoid Problems with January Gym Membership
January and February are typically the times of year that commercial gyms pick up the most number of new members. The post-holiday gym rush also represents the highest drop out rate.
For people who regularly visit a gym the next two months is a struggle. The gym is crowded, the machines you want to work on are all being used, and you long for April - when you have the gym all to yourself again. Take these five tips with you to make sure you do not end up wasting money or become demotivated.
Tip 1: Never pay a full years membership in advance. Many special offers or attractive deals are tempting you to commit to a monthly fee for a whole year. Most new members do not last past 90 days, and you may be one of them. If you are going to quit the gym, make sure your pocket book can quit too.
Tip 2: Choose a gym that is located closest to your most regularly travelled location. A gym near home is appealing, but when your are so close to home it is all to easy to just "skip the gym tonight". A better option is a gym closer to your place of work, so you can pop out at lunchtime, maybe hit the weights before work if the traffic has been kind.
Tip 3: Do not be put off by the crowds of people and the apparent poor ratio of physical instructors to members. In April the gym will be much quieter, the staff will have more time for you, and fitness machines will be more available. Even after the first couple of weeks you should notice the gym is quieter, so hang on in there!
Tip 4: Make sure you enlist the services of a personal trainer. Good quality gyms will provide excellent fitness instructors to help with the use of the equipment, but if you are looking for better fitness or weight loss you will need a personal trainer to put together a program for you. They will help you sustaining motivation to keep going before you start to see the weight dropping off.
Tip 5: Check the equipment and facilities the gym has to offer, look for sauna, squash courts or maybe a swimming pool. These extras help motivation as fitness equipment can be very boring, and now highly anti-social, as everyone plugs into iPods. Ultimate gyms, such as two in my home town, will have Gamercize Pod fitness machines similar to the picture. A quick game of the latest Playstation or Xbox title never gets old, and is an excellent way to socialise and get fit.
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