Weight Loss Community Blog

As many of you would realise, I shot a bit of footage of Adro and I training together in the lead up to the final weigh-in for The Biggest Loser Australia. Well I've finally got it all together, learnt how to do a basic editing job, and it's up and live!

You can check it out here: The Biggest Loser Video

You'll see how much work he really did put in!

Ray

I've noticed a great deal of confusion from people when they first make the decision to join a fitness centre. I mean, if you haven't spent a lot of time in them how could you know a good one from a bad one?

So here's an article I wrote about a year ago that will provide some guidance:

A good fitness centre has their members as their number one priority. They are customer service oriented. A bad fitness center is only looking at your dollar value. Once you join they will not want to know you.

Telling the difference can be as simple as following this simple checklist:
 

Type of Gym
What type of people use the gym at the times you will be training? Unless you’re into bodybuilding you probably want to stay away from ‘muscle head’ gyms after 3pm. These gyms are easy to identify. They have loads of weights, no aerobic classes, and no (or very old) bikes and treadmills.

Equipment
Take a walk around the gym and have a good look at each piece of equipment. Get on and use some. If they grind, or seem loose or unstable then that’s a sure sign that the equipment is not serviced often. Any gym that doesn’t service their equipment is not going to service you.

Service
If you don’t know much about exercise and nutrition, this is the most important of all. A quality gym will want to help you in any way they can. You should be given a new program every 4-6 weeks and another fitness assessment every 8-12 weeks. There should always be someone around to answer your questions. The staff should also be friendly and easy to talk to.

Cleaning
This is a great way of seeing how important the owner’s business is to them. If it’s not cleaned daily then they’re probably cutting costs, which isn’t good for a prospective member. When you’re walking around have a good look at how clean the machines are. If they’re covered in dust, they are probably not cared for.

Ethics
Are they constantly trying to push their products? This is often done with nutrition supplements. There’s nothing wrong with selling these products as some are quite good if you need them but some unethical centers try to push supplements onto all new members. If the salesperson or instructor seems pushy with their products, run for cover!

Staff
Whilst qualifications are important, it’s not everything. The most important trait in a good fitness instructor is that they must care. If they are tertiary qualified as well then you have yourself a great trainer, but the even the most knowledgeable person in the industry is of no value if they’re not interested in helping you. It’s easy to identify staff that care because they are friendly, courteous, and listen! (They may even remember your name)

Membership Price
Every region is different but the membership price should reflect the service, equipment, and instructors. You shouldn't judge a fitness center on price alone (this is why they rarely give prices over the telephone!). Have a look at a few gyms in your area and compare each one. That is the only reliable way to measure true value.

Deja Moo : The feeling I've heard this Bull before!!!!

I just came across a new device today that may help convert those kids that are addicted to video games, to regular exercisers. It's called Eye Toy and it connects to your Playstation 2.

The Eye Toy is a camera that keeps track of your movements, so you play the games by moving your body instead of using the controllers. You do need to buy the games that are made for Eye Toy but there are many there. One of the most popular is Dance Dance Revolution. This is where you must follow the dance steps on the screen and is pretty popular in the video arcades. Another is Kinetic, where you get your own personal trainer who will put you through an exercise program!

If you wish to learn more about Eye Toy, check it out here: http://www.eyetoy.com/index.asp

Now that I'm taking personal training clients up on the Central Coast, I need aplace to train them!

Well, that place will be Forresters Beach Swim and Gym (or FBI). I'll be starting sessions there in about 2 weeks time so if you're interested in a PT then visit my site: http://www.raykellyfitness.com

FBI was apparently quite run down by the last managers, but now the owner has taken over again and has spent about $500,000 on the building.

If you'd like to check the new centre out, phone: (02) 4384 3577

Or visit them at:

41 Bellevue Road,

Forresters Beach