How To Choose The Right Gym

You want to start working out, great, but which gym to choose? This question can be a bit confusing and perhaps a little intimidating for someone considering a gym membership for the first time. It’s important to choose a gym that you are comfortable at and that will meet your needs. In order to find the best workout environment for you should consider the following:

1. Recommendations- Ask your friends which gym they go to and why they like it. Also having a  friend at the gym makes you more likely to go regularly and the support system will help you achieve your goals.
2. Location- Since getting up out of the house in of itself can be a reason we avoid going to the gym, having a membership at one near your home makes it harder for you to justify not going.
3. Hours- Do you need a gym that is open late? Or are you an early morning person? Be sure to take note of when the gym is open so you can be sure you can get there in accordance with your schedule.
4. Staff- The staff can really make or break your decision, were the staff helpful? Did they put too much pressure on you to buy a membership? In choosing my gym the staff was extremely helpful, friendly, and supportive. All the qualities you need to feel confident and keep you coming back.
5. The other members- Most likely you will get a tour of the facility before you join; you need to feel comfortable in your work out environment not intimidated. Look around and see what kind of clientele this facility caters to and whether or not you will be relaxed and comfortable there.
6. Cleanliness- This is especially important in the locker room, make sure that the showering facilities are properly cleaned and maintained. Also take note to see if towels are readily available to clean the machines.
7. Equipment- Make sure the equipment has clear instructions for use, or that the staff is available to help you. See if there are any ‘out of order’ signs on the equipment it could indicate that the gym is poorly maintained. Also be sure to check if the machines have time limits, if you like to run for an hour on the treadmill but there is a half hour limit it may not be the right gym for you.

When you take your tour of the gym remember that you should be picky and shop around, you are paying your hard earned dollars and you deserve the best gym for you!

Angie Picardo is a writer at NerdWallet, a financial literacy website where you can find information on making a host of financial decisions from gym memberships, retirement, to divorce finances.

Get Fit With These Smart Phone Apps

There is no excuse now from getting fit and fabulous. Modern technology has paved way for information to be accessible at the tip of our fingertips by the creation of apps or what we commonly know as applications in smart phones.  Having said that, we practically have no reason not to get fit and healthy!

Here are some fantastic apps you can download in your smart phones. Most of these are iPhone apps which you can get from iTunes.

GYMPACT

This is a great app where you get paid for your efforts as an incentive each time you check in a gym or fitness club via your phone. The money comes from you when you fail to commit to a goal you have set in the program. It goes into a pool where others pitch in when they are derailed by other excuses not to exercise.

This is available free for iPhone and iPad.

EATERY

Eatery is like the Instagram of munchies! You get to snap pictures of what you have been eating. It is your virtual food journal which can help you track your food intake and give you insight on how bad you have been with binges or how good you have been by eating the right morsels. Tracking what you eat in a daily basis can help you lose weight and this app may just help you get near to that goal.

This is free for iPhone and iPad.

DAILY BURN

The initial app is free but if you want to get more personalized workouts from their wide selections of videos, you will have to pay monthly dues. You will be feeding detailed information about your exercise preferences and Daily Burn will offer a new tailored workout each day to keep you motivated, energized. This app will also inform you if you are making progress. The app also provides customized nutrition plan for members.

Free to Download for iPhone and iPad, on iTunes, and Android, on Google Play; $9.99 per month subscription afterwards.

IMAPMYWALK

Walking is the cheapest way to get fit because it is free! This app will help your power walking more enjoyable and effective as it records your walking workout on a map and give you records of your stats afterwards. MapMyWalk is a GPS-type of app that will let you know where your walking workout will take you and even shows you your pace. This is effective as long as you don't walk straight to the nearest McDonald's or Starbucks!

Available for iPhone, on iTunes for free, and Android, on Google Play.

NIKE TRAINING CLUB

And you think, only those Hollywood celebrities can get their own personal trainers. Well, this app can help you with that! The Nike Training Club app will let you work out like a celebrity. The app has 85 custom-built workouts, including workouts used by the Glee-fully fit Lea Michele and Dancing with the Stars champ Shawn Johnson. The Nike Training app also offers detailed instructions and audio support to guide you through your choice of 15, 30 or 45-minute sessions.

You can get this free for iPhone and iPad, on iTunes.

POCKET YOGA

Pocket Yoga is a great app for those who are followers of this ancient practice. Have mat, will travel. Take your practice with you anywhere thanks to this Gaia Flow Yoga app. You can select from 3 different levels of difficulty such as Beginner, Intermediate and Expert. It also has 3 different durations (30, 45 or 60 minutes) and 3 different classes for a total of 27 different yoga experiences that you can do at home, on the go or anywhere you can set up your smart phone.

Download it now for a fee: $2.99 for iPhone, on iTunes; $3.99 for iPad, on iTunes; $2.99 for Android, Google Play


(Photo credit: iVillage.com)

New Fitness Equipment is Healthy Enjoyment

Our building's gym equipment needs serious updating or much better, replacement of modern and current models.

I appreciate the fact that we have a free gym in the building to use. However, the optimum exercise regime is not achieved when most of the fitness equipment are malfunctioning.

I remember using the treadmill last week and was already on my peak when the machine went kaput. I almost fell but luckily was holding the side rails so I managed to hang on.

There is a reason why a successful gym requires modern and functioning equipment so that people can achieve their objectives. If the landlord hears our pleas and decides to replace or update the fitness equipment, then we, the tenants, are all going to be very happy!

Gym Machine and What-Have-Yous

I was in the gym again the other day as I go full force on my weight loss for good health. As usual, I started with my treadmill session for half an hour (as what the doctor advised me to do for at least 5 days in a week) and moved on the the cross training machine. I did not stay long on the cross training machine as my legs were tired and I was panting like a dog already. I wanted to try the pull up bars but my arms were stiff and heavy as a log. I would probably use it next week as I give my body time to rest. Besides, I just had a great morning walk at the park for 40 minutes. My body (and mind) deserves much needed break.

Fitness Equipment

The residential building where I live has a small gym at the lobby. It is free for all the tenants of the building. I go there at least twice a week to run on the treadmill and use the stepper for my cardio routine. There are other fitness equipment there which I am not familiar. I need more Information on Exercise Equipment. So, I just stick to the common ones that I know, like the stationary bike, Tunturi treadmill and rowing machine.

I have no plans of bulking up so I do not use the dumbbells and other weight-lifting machine in the gym. The other machine look so complex and mind boggling so I leave those fitness equipment to the experts to use.

The mini-gym in our building pales in comparison to the other gyms I have been to so far. I have gone to Fitness First and Body and Soul here in Dubai. I was just a member's guest in Fitness First but I was so impressed with their equipment. They were all high-tech and serious-looking like they really meant business! Then in Body and Soul, I was a gym member for 2 years. Their fitness equipment were more simple. They also had Tunturi elliptical machine, rowing machine, body-building machine and steppers. However, their fitness equipment were more easy to operate.

I am thankful though that at least, our building provides healthy alternative to busy people's lifestyle by allocating a small gym.

Fitness First!

Oh no, not the famous fitness club. I am referring to my goal this year to give priority to fitness and healthy lifestyle.

I am lucky enough to now spend a fortune by joining a fitness club because we have a gym in our residential building. The fitness equipment may not be as fabulous as the ones you will find in Fitness First or other top rate fitness gyms and health clubs here in Dubai. They are just fine if you are aiming to do regular and light exercise like running on the treadmill, lifting dumb bells or flexing and toning your muscles.