by Bhavya Dabas

Created on: October 28, 2009   Last Updated: November 03, 2009

Choosing the right fitness centre can be an important factor in determining whether or not you follow your fitness regime with regularity and achieve your fitness goals, so make your choice carefully. It certainly helps if you already know someone who is a member of the fitness centre that you're looking at, so you can get some personalized feedback.

Location is definitely important. Your fitness centre should be near your home or work, whichever seems more convenient to you. If you have a busy work week and plan on exercising primarily on weekends, then it should be near your home. If you want to exercise every morning before work but after dropping the kids off to school, pick a place near work.

The facility should certainly be well equipped and well maintained. When you visit, take a good look at the quality of the equipment and check to see if it is in good working order. Take a tour at the time of day when you're planning to actually use it, so that you know if there's enough equipment or there are long queues for using it.

The staff, including the fitness instructors, should be friendly and competent. They should make you feel comfortable. And, of course, it goes without saying that their trainers need to be certified.

Make sure that the place has clean, well lit showers and restrooms, and that it has plenty of them. Also pay attention to whether their parking lot has adequate parking space.

Ask what membership plans they offer. Do they have monthly membership contracts or annual ones? It is obviously a good idea to try the place out for a month before entering into an annual contract. Ask what is or is not included in the membership fee. Ask what their policy on cancellations and refunds is.

Find a place whose ambience, staff, and other patrons create an atmosphere that you feel comfortable and motivated in, so that you exercise well, and regularly.

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