See how your gym shapes up before you sign on
See how your gym shapes up before you sign on
JAKARTA (JP): It's that nagging feeling that usually comes
after a stringent medical checkup, or after a holiday when we
have let go only to pay the price in a bulging waistline.
We make the sobering realization that it's time to put our
house in order. The flesh has been weak for too long, so now the
spirit takes over as we embark on our mission to shape up. It's a
time when we waddle off to a local gym, hoping that a spartan
diet regimen and pumping some iron will trim the fat.
In our zeal and desperation, many of us plump for the first
gym which looks the part. It's got the treadmill, the weights,
the little jogging track outside, so what can go wrong?'
A lot actually, especially if it's all style and no substance.
I know from experience. As my weight ballooned way past my
college days of a trim 78 kilograms, I decided to splurge and put
myself in order at a newly opened gym-cum-spa at a major hotel in
the capital.
It seemed to have everything going for it, what with the
Jacuzzi, state-of-the-art fitness equipment and the little extras
of massage and a steam room.
Well, the little extras do not add up to much when the water
in the hot and cold plunge pools does not run for a week (perish
the thought of what bacteria and viruses may be lurking in there)
and the supposedly well-trained fitness instructors just do not
know what is going on, or refuse to show up for a week because of
the demands from the expatriate supervisor, flown in for a flying
visit from Hong Kong.
It was not its money worth, and the local manager, whose name
sounded suspiciously like Ninny, did not help matters much.
"Everything OK?" she would ask with affected sincerity as I
emerged dripping with sweat from the locker room, the water in
the showers "out of service" for the umpteenth time.
Even with all the complaints coming from all sides, Ninny knew
that her best was to look the part -- and she did that perfectly.
But it was never OK, and would never be with Ninny at the
spa's helm, so I threw in a soiled, unwashed towel from the
aforesaid spa at the end.
Thus, gentle reader, it's very much a case of buyer beware
when choosing the gym which will get you on the right track to
fitness. It's your money and you need to make sure that you get
value for all the moolah you will be shelling out.
Check and Recheck: Do not let the glossy promotional materials
and double-talk by fitness center managers fool you. Take a look
for yourself, not only on a guided tour provided by the
management, but on your own. If you are in the neighborhood, stop
by and see how things are running. If it's in a mess when you
make your spontaneous visit, then that is probably par for the
course.
Ask Around: Make sure to ask members at your prospective
fitness club about their experiences. Has the club lived up to
its promises? Do things really function as they should? When
there are complaints, does the management act on them? Their
opinions are invaluable in giving you a picture of the club.
Your Kind of People?: What are the other members like? Sounds
silly, but you have to feel comfortable with the people you will
be sharing equipment and locker rooms with. One friend found
himself waiting in line at his gym as a chorus line of aging
biddies swapped hair tips and the latest gossip as they went at a
snail's pace on the treadmill. They turned a deaf ear to his
protests (some of them were, in all likelihood, a little hard of
hearing) and he eventually packed in his fitness dreams.
Timing: Stop by at the time when you would most likely be
using the gym. If it resembles a geriatric's dream palace and you
have no gray hair in sight, or the crowd is such that there is
little room to maneuver, then grab your little spandex gym togs
in those chubby hands of yours and head for friendlier parts.
Take the advice of someone who has been burned and paid the
price for it, both in monetary losses and weight gains: Don't be
a ninny and join a fitness club run by Ninnies (Bruce Emond).