LIVING WELL

I was recently at a public event where I was talking to a lady about joining the gym. She stated that she really wanted to join but she was intimidated about coming in. After my conversation with her, I felt compelled to write this article.

I know that a lot of people feel intimidated when they walk into a gym. This feeling is often so overwhelming that people try once and never go back. The gym CAN be very overwhelming, confusing, and intimidating. Having been in the fitness (gym) industry for many years, you can trust the advice that I am about to give you.

1. Feeling comfortable: When taking a tour of the gym, ask yourself “do you fit in?” Look at the crowd of people that the gym attracts and decide if you would feel comfortable or not in that type of atmosphere. You may be an upbeat type of person and all you see is a serious crowd – would you feel comfortable working out in that kind of atmosphere? The decision is really up to you but remember this is where you will be spending lots of your time.

2. Catering to kids: If you have children and plan on having them with you during your gym hours, check to see if the gym has child care. A lot of gyms nowadays cater to adults that have children by supplying a child care service. If you don’t trust other people with your kids, find someone else to watch them as the gym will not be held responsible if something happens to your child most of the time.

3. Equipment versatility: Look for different kinds of exercise equipment. Every gym will be supplied with the basic treadmills/stair steppers, however; what does the gym have that makes it stand out? Look for updated exercise equipment with digital screens as opposed to older, basic equipment.

4. Locker rooms: One of the most important things you should watch for is the cleanliness of the locker rooms. This will determine a lot about the gym in question. If the locker rooms aren’t clean, that probably means the gym equipment isn’t clean, which means there could be any and everything on every surface in the whole place!

5. Knowledgeable staff: Look for a place that has employees on staff that can help show you how to use equipment. Don’t be afraid to ask, remember someone had to show everyone how to get started at some point, none of us came into this world knowing how to exercise.

Finally, if you are so intimated that you can’t even get the nerve to come into the gym to see what is offered (like the lady that I had the conversation with), just remember only about 5 percent of most of the population in a gym are considered “gym rats” – meaning in great shape. The other 95 percent are just like the rest of us.

Lynn Pass is owner of The Gym in Oneonta. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Performance from Auburn University and personal training and aerobic certifications in ACE, AFFA, and ACSM.