Exercise - Home vs Gym

Here it is, the long anticipated low down on exercise routines at home vs in a gym.

For years prior to my joining a gym, I was sure that I was getting enough exercise on my own at home. I wasn't a couch potato. I was busy all the time, going here and there during the week. My job was relatively sedentary. I sat in front of a computer 98% of the time. But on weekends I went out when the weather was nice. Walking, hiking, roller blading etc. Took my kids to the park. Did yard work. Washed the car (in my driveway). Housework.

I thought that I was at least as active as the average person, if not more.

(Activity Calculator)

Strangely, even with all this activity, I was still overweight. 

When I joined the gym; well, I've already explained here in another post, I lost 6" on my waist in the first 8 months. I found muscles!! My energy level increased. I slept better. And my overall mood was happier.

Why?????

Well, its a very simple matter of money and commitment. When you join a gym, you make a commitment, both with your cash and with your time. The cash commitment usually motivates you to keep your time commitment. Paying for something you never or rarely use seems silly. YET, there are many people who do just that!! Bizarre!! I know!!!

Even more common, are those who buy a gym for their home with great intentions that quickly fade to regret. Those home-use treadmills and fancy gizmo gym-in-one contraptions are not cheap!!  You bring it home. Like a proud parent. And the first few months or so, you actually stick to a routine. You plan your workouts and you commit to a schedule. Then something happens. You change jobs. You strain your knee. You meet a new partner. And now your "routine" is changed. So you put off your workouts. Reschedule your visits to your gym. Pretty soon the treadmill you bought is dusty and forgotten, or the membership card to your shiny new gym membership sits lonely on your dresser. Forgotten. Unloved.

HA!!

Only YOU can change your excuses into reasons to keep up your commitment to your exercise routine. You certainly didn't stop eating, or driving, or sleeping or talking when your lifestyle changed. Why would you stop exercising??? As I've said before; think of regular exercise as something that you do, like brushing your hair or vacuuming your house. Its a routine. Its part of your lifestyle. And its here to stay. No excuses!!

Bottom line??

Gym and home workouts are equally valuable. But neither have any value if you are not committed to exercising as part of your everyday/weekly lifestyle.

Home workouts may be more suited to those who:

-prefer privacy

-easily self motivated

-have a hectic and varied work/home schedule

Gym memberships may be more suited to those who:

-enjoy the social aspect of working out

-prefer to meet up with a workout partner to help motivate them

-have a work schedule that allows for some personal time during the week

-like to have a variety of equipment and activities available

-like to have the option of booking a personal training session 

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Make a commitment to yourself and enjoy your workout.

don't sweat the small stuff......

What Do You want In your Gym Membership??

Today I visited the newly ordained Century Fitness at Upper Wentworth in Hamilton. Did my usual workout thing with a slight twist; I added 10 mins on the elliptical at the beginning of my workout. I still feel bizarro on that machine. Must get my bf to show me how to use this equipment properly. I find the staff here quiet friendly and helpful. I had a few membership questions this morning which they were very helpful with answering.

On to the topic of the day; "What do you want in your Gym Membership"?

With so many choices available, unless you have some previous experience at a gym, most people really aren't sure what they want. The obvious is clean facilities. I don't know how often gyms are inspected or even if that is a norm of the industry, but cleanliness can be a hit or miss thing. Overall, most gyms are reasonably clean. I mean, consider how many people are going in and out of that gym every day! While this is no excuse for a gym that is not clean 24/7, I can imagine it is a full time job requiring several full time staff to manage in order to keep a facility such as this at optimal cleanliness.

The not so obvious features of gym memberships include things like access to multiple locations, all inclusive memberships that include all features of the gym (group classes, main gym, specialized areas such as boxing studio, daycare, saunas, running track and/or lap pool ) Before you sign anything, make sure you ask if ALL the services are included. Some may not be included and its better not to be disappointed later when you find out that the saunas/pool/boxing studio are off-limits to you.

Some gyms also offer specialized services such as fitness tests, medical health exams, fat or cellulite reduction services and procedures, personal trainers and diet programs. Most of these programs require additional fees for the service. Some might be included in your membership as "introductory offers". If your membership includes one of these as an introductory offer, be sure to USE that offer, even if you don't intend to pay for additional services or treatments later. I mean, it is a perk of membership, and its being offered for free so why not give it a try?

Personally, the only additional service I have used so far is the personal training sessions. In my opinion, as a common average person; these personal training sessions are wonderful!! Why? Simply because the one-on-one attention you get from a trainer is a gentle kick-in-the-butt to get you started on your gym membership. A personal trainers job is not only to teach you proper technique on the various equipment at the gym, but also to encourage you to make your trips to the gym a regular part of your lifestyle routine. Just like diets don't work, neither does working out for 3 months before summer then not returning to the gym again until the following spring. Healthy diet and regular exercise are a part of a healthy lifestyle. Which means its just something you do, like combing your hair or taking a shower. But, I've already extrapolated on this topic once before in my posts, so I won't go on too much.

The bottom line is be sure to go in to a gym with a "shopping list" of things you want. Ask questions if you don't understand what the membership includes. And don't, don't, don't sign anything until you have had your 7-10 days trial period. If you live in Ontario, this website has some great tips and also lists and explains your consumer rights with regards to gym memberships. Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services

To the left of your screen, you'll find a quick little poll. I'd love you to take 2 seconds and check off the top two or three features you feel are most important  to you in your gym membership. I will post the results next week.

until then; don't sweat the small stuff

Music to Burn Fat By

I am a recent convert to using an MP3 player during my workout sessions. Until about 3 weeks ago, I relied on the music that was projected thru the sound systems at the gyms. But I have found that using your own music has its advantages.

When you rely on the broadcast music at the gym, you might be interrupted with radio babble; especially early in the morning. That tends to throw off my stride while I'm pushing my way up the hill on the treadmill. Honestly, I really have no interest in what so and so did last night in Hollywood at the trendiest club of the night.

So, I invested in a nice pair of wireless headphones and fed my blackberry some of the music I have on my DVD collection. Now, technically my tastes are more along the classic alternative rock styles; but I don't find that musically style especially motivational during my workouts. A sudden burst of Dream On lacks the urgency I need to keep moving. So instead, Ive loaded my BB Bold with selections of Lady Gaga, Madonna and Annie Lennox. Three power pumped divas who seem to have a penchant for amazing vocals and hard hitting beats. Perfect!

BTW; I truly love my wireless headphones. They are bluetooth and I could even receive calls if I wanted to .................. The freedom of wireless cannot be understated when in the gym. Now all I need is an armband to strap my BB to and I'm all set.

What's your favourite music to workout to???

don't sweat the small stuff  

The Belly Fat Challenge - Day One

Well, as you can see from the title of this post, I've decided to really make an effort to bust my belly fat before summer starts. This is not going to be an easy challenge. I'm a 45yr old woman who has had two pregnancies. The odds are stacked against me, my age, my gender and the fact that I still have extra skin on my middle from when I was pregnant. I suppose that's why its called a "challenge", if it was easy it wouldn't be a challenge. It would be a walk in the park, a ray of sunshine, a day at the beach.....you know what I mean!!  Wonder who coined these phrases anyway, not everyday I've spent at the beach has been.....well, a "day at the beach".

Anyway, I've digressed.

Day one workout of the BFC (belly fat challenge) I decided to flip my usual workout upsidedown. This decision was due to what I discovered yesterday about the best workouts to beat belly fat. (check out yesterdays post if you missed it)

I started off with 10 mins on the elliptical. I still think this machine is bizarre. I feel like someone/thing is pulling my arms and legs.  I managed to maintain an average 58rpm during the 10 mins. Then I went over to the treadmill. Normally I would do a gradual increase on this but after my research yesterday, I decided to start off more quickly and intensely. Most of what I found in my research suggested that a more intense cardio component was more effective to burn fat. So I started at 6.5 elevation and 3.5 speed. After 5mins I increased the speed to 3.8. At 10 mins I increased the elevation to 9. Then at 20 mins I increased the elevation to 11. At 30mins I hit the "cool down" button. I have no idea just how accurate the readings are on these machines, but I will tell you at the 25min mark my heart rate was 159. According to the readout, I completed 2.1 miles and burned 326 calories.

Up next in my workout, I wandered over to the weight machines. I did 10 reps on various arm machines, working my pecs, biceps and that wobbly bit that we women have under our upper arms. Charming.  Then I went to find the machines that work my legs. I did about 10-15 reps each of the inner and outer adduction machines. Then about 20 reps on the leg press machine. I was trying to find something where I could do ab exercises, where you raise your legs, rather than crunch in, but I didn't find anything. I will check again tomorrow.

Lastly, I wandered into the aerobics studio and finished my workout with 40 crunches (I place my feet on the wall with my knees bent at 90 degrees) I did 20 side rockers, on each side, left and right and then on my back also.

My final 10 mins was stretching, legs, arms, back and neck.

My plan is to do this workout, and alternate with my boxing working, 4 to 5 days per week until the start of summer, which is Wednesday, June 20, 2012. This gives me 15 weeks to try to decrease my belly fat.   

Diet: Yuck; my least favourite thing to keep track of. Like most people, I like to eat. Its one of the few pleasures in life that anyone from any lifestyle, background or social status can enjoy. Even if you cannot afford lobster and steak (personally I don't care much for lobster) anyone can prepare tasty meals from any combination of fresh, simple ingredients.

I am not going to post every single thing I eat in a day, each and every day over the next 15 weeks. That would simply make me crazy!!!! And likely bore you  to tears!!! Instead, I will post a summary of the highlights and the epic fails (like indulging in 2 sour cream dipped donuts).

This morning; I made myself a breakfast burrito. Using the food information on the packaging of the ingredients I used and information I found on the internet, my estimate of the total food value of my breakfast, including one cup of frozen prepared juice beverage is as follows:

Calories: 668

Fat: 26.5 grams

Protein: 23.3 grams

Sugars: 31.7 grams

I used this website to determined an estimate of the food value for my breakfast (and I also used the label information for foods that were labeled; like the tortilla)

Here are the ingredients for my burrito:

1 large white tortilla

2 large eggs

2 tsp canola oil

1 brown mushroom

1tbsp chopped leek

1tbsp canned tomato, diced, no salt added

3tbsp grated marble cheese

1 /3 cup chopped iceberg lettuce

So now on to the days to do list.

Until tomorrow, don't sweat the small stuff

The Skinny on Belly Fat: Part Two - Diet

What? Did you think I was just gonna discuss exercise and NOT diet? Gosh no! Everyone knows that a healthy lifestyle comprises of regular exercise and healthy eating. The tough part for everyone is to maintain that attitude and practice, FOREVER! Yep, you can't just "diet" or decide to exercise every so often. It needs to be a part of your lifestyle, just like waking up and going to work everyday; exercise and diet are an integral part of your daily life. "Diets" don't work. And exercising in the spring so you can fit into your two piece bathing suit this summer is fine and dandy, but if you make it a part of your everyday life, then you don't have to stress every spring. Make sense?

Again, I did some research and came up with some common sense dietary approaches to fighting belly fat:

I liked this site because it offered some very common food suggestions for diet.

Quick and Simple   

Oatmeal – not instant

Almonds and other nuts - Small quantities per day

Protein Powder – Contains amino acids that burn fat and build muscle, add to all natural fruit only smoothies

Olive and Canola Oil

Berries – fresh is best, canned fruit tends to be over processed and contain way too much sugar

Eggs – Contain vitamin B12 which your body needs to metabolize fat.

Beans and Legumes – Packed with protein and fibre.

Lean Meats and Fish – fish is best,  or lean cuts of meat

Whole Grains -  100% whole grain, keep away from instant rice which has little food value

Low Fat All Natural Peanut Butter - PB is packed with niacin, which keeps the digestive system on track and prevents belly bloat.

Green vegetables -  Did you know that iceberg lettuce contains almost no fibre?? Choose leafy vegetable like spinach, arugula or romaine instead.

Dairy – choose low fat or fat-free  dairy products

Avocados

Tea – Especially green tea which is loaded with antioxidants which speed up metabolism

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese – High in protein

Cannellini beans – Contain resistant starch that resists digestion, thereby digesting slower and burning more calories during the process. Who knew?  

The interesting thing I discovered here, is that most of this I already include in my diet. For breakfast, I usually have a couple soft-boiled eggs with whole grain toast. Oatmeal is great for a before bed snack, at least I think so. I love berries and try to have them in my fridge whenever they are affordable. I like beans in chili and I love lentil salad. Fish is awesome, I tend to only buy when its on sale though because its darned expensive otherwise. Drinking tea has become my new beverage of choice. Green tea is nice, but I've discovered so many other variety's out there, like berry flavoured teas. I've started experimenting more with these and can't wait for summer to brew up some strawberry tea for sipping with ice.  I think my weakest link here is dairy. Like alot of adults I know, milk is not my stomachs favourite food, so I tend to choose yogurt or cheese instead.

When searching for more general information on diet, I found most sites recommend diets that emphasis lean protein and low GI carbs (such as fruits, vegetables and high fibre/whole grains). The true revelation here? None really, this is the type of diet that is recommended for optimal health regardless of what your goal(s) are. The hard truth is food alone cannot and will not affect your overall health. A common sense balance of diet and exercise is what is most recommended.

Does that mean never eating cake, cookies, chips or chocolate ever again? Gosh no, but when you do, limit your intake to a very small portion. You will satisfy your craving and not add on needless fat and sugar to your body. Everything in moderation, right?

The key here is to be aware that your daily caloric intake should not exceed your daily caloric usage. So, if you just burned 400 calories on the treadmill, you probably don't want to go out and kill that effort by wolfing down a fast food burger.

But that's just common sense right?

As part of my belly fat fight, I am going to continue with my usual diet and I will let you know how that goes.

In the meantime; don't sweat the small stuff  

The Skinny on Belly Fat Burn

As promised, I have gathered some info regarding the best and most recommended ways to burn belly fat. In this article, you will find links to the sites where I've found the information/advice. As with anything you read, always consider the source. I am in no way an expert or professional. I am just like you. A common average person with common average belly fat.

Now on to the skinny:

It seems that the 160 crunches I do at the start of my work out are all for naught; "...the amount of calories you spend doing exercises like crunches and sit-ups just isn’t enough to make much of a difference to the appearance of your waist and stomach.

Developing your abdominal muscles is relatively easy. The hard part is getting your body fat low enough so that you can see them." from Beat my Belly fat

The concensus seems to be that a workout that combines high intensity cardio with resistance training is your best bet to burn fat.

Here's an interesting snippet; "...  don't think that you only need to work on your abs. This is another grave misconception. The truth is that when you work all the larger muscle groups, adding more mass to your muscles, you rev up your metabolism to heights it has never before reached. Your muscles need extra calories to maintain themselves, so more of the food you eat will be feeding your muscles instead of your trouble spots. Your conditioned heart (from the cardiovascular stuff) is more effective at burning calories as well, so you have the golden combination there. As the fat comes off your body, it will come off your belly. Your body fat is like one organ, located throughout your body, and you can't take it off of just one spot unless you have liposuction done. The large muscles that you should concentrate on are (in this order):

1. Front and back of thighs
2. Buttocks
3. Back
4. Chest
5. Triceps and biceps
6. Calves
7. Hips
8. Forearms
9. Shoulders

Always work your abs at the end of your workout. There's a good reason for this. You are indirectly using them for all the other exercises you do.
The abs are important stabilizer muscles that keep your form in check. If you do abs first, you will tire them out, and your whole workout will be less than optimal. Work down from the largest to the smallest muscles."
from Body Building.com

So it seems I've been totally doing this wrong!! No problem, I am going to adjust my mis-informed routine and follow the advice I found. This same site also mentioned that the abdominal muscle called the transversus abdominis, "... located at your sides, below the obliques. Often called "lower abs", this is the muscle that women who are trying to lose the belly after pregnancy should concentrate on. Exercises that call for raising the legs instead of the upper body are very effective at strengthening the transversus."

This site also recommends walking, weight training and yoga to reduce belly fat and tone your abs.

I found loads of other sites and recommendations. What I chose to include here were ideas and suggestions that were most commonly found on all the sites I visited. What I chose to not include were recommendations from sites that were directly sponsored by a particular product or company.

Well, I'm gonna try these new ideas, and track my progress here. Hopefully by summer I will have some improvement to show you.

don't sweat the small stuff

Todays Work-Out update

So as mentioned, I've been a gym guru now for about 2 years. I started with 30mins of boxing activities and exercises, and this winter I've added 20mins of weight machines and 30-40mins of cardio on the treadmill.

I've been doing the cardio for about 5 weeks now and I really expected to see more results than what I see. My belly is still jelly. Not happy about that. Maybe it takes longer?? I dunno really. I'm going to do some internet research later today and post my findings. Maybe theres something I'm missing.

I'm also considering booking more personal training sessions to kick-start my new work-out routine. The idea being that a professional will probably know what I need to do to get the results I want. I will let you know how that works out, when I decided to take this step.

So today I went to the Upper Wentworth Premier gym. I wanted to try out their boxing studio as I have not done this previously. I got the key at the front desk. It was attached to a 3 foot wooden plank, a 1X6 I think would be the term. LOL!!

I dragged it upstairs and got access to the studio. The studio is packed with lots of bags, all various sizes. They had a generous supply of gloves, I have my own so I didn't need to use theirs. In the center back of the studio is a small boxing ring, kinda cool, but not something I would use. I could never actually hit anyone, I just like the feeling of tension release when hitting the bag during a workout. One thing missing was a speed bag.

After about 20mins in the boxing studio, I locked up and brought the planked key back to the desk. I decided to try an eliptical. I'd never tried these before. I spent 5 mins on this. I found it felt odd to have my arms moving strangely while my feet were seeming to climb upwards. I could really feel my upper thighs start to burn so I kept it to a modest 5 min trial.

After the eliptical, I went over to the treadmills and did my usual 30mins.

One thing I've noticed since going to the gym, is that only a small percentage of members warm down or stretch after their workout. As I was a competitive figure skater in my youth, I was taught early on the importance of a proper warm down and stretch after each training session. Stretching after a workout is especially good, because the muscles are warm and will respond to a nice slow stretch. This lengthens the muscle and when you cool down, you don't feel knotted and sore. I usually spend a good 10 mins stretching my arms, legs and back after my workout.

Tomorrow,  I may check out another gym and post my findings here for you.

Until then, don't sweat the small stuff!

Premier Fitness/PhysioMed Fitness Upper Wentworth Hamilton

As most of you have already heard or read, Premier Fitness/Physiomed Fitness is currently undergoing some structural problems. However that being said, its not my purpose to comment on the organizations but rather on the services they provide.

As a member of this club I have been able to experience many aspects of their services.

Here is a quick run-down of this particular facility which is located on Upper Wentworth Street Hamilton. Click here to view a map of the facilities

Customer Service

My first visit to this location was about three weeks ago. There was one person at the front desk who greeted me and helped me scan my new bar coded member card. On my second visit, I asked about the boxing studio. She advised me that I would need a key to use the studio and I could get the key here at the front desk. She was friendly and helpful.

Staff

After three weeks of visiting this location, I have not seen alot of staff. At most, there have been two people at the very large and expansive front desk. Inside the gym, I saw two trainers. I usually visit early in the morning, between 8am and 10am. I saw one class in session on one of the days I was there. Oddly, much unlike the Brant Street location, this facility did not have any literature at the front desk.

Changerooms

The changerooms are large and well lit. The overall appearance is one of a more upscale styling. The washroom stalls have large wooden doors. The shower area needs some TLC. One of the stalls has been noted out of order for some time now. I tried to use the neighbouring stall but was unable to get any hot water at all. My second choice had hot water but needed a good scrubbing. The saunas looked nice, but I have not seen anyone use them yet.  

Classes

The aerobic studio is upstairs adjacent to the main gym. Its very nice in appearance. Well lit and somewhat clean. It seems to be under utilized as I have only seen one class in session in the morning during the three weeks I have been going to this location. The main gym has no specified stretch area and I've noticed many members use the empty aerobic studio for this purpose.

Personal Trainers

Again, I have only seen a couple personal trainers in the main gym. They do not stand out from the other gym members on first glance.

Hours & Parking

This location is open:

24 hrs 7 days per week

Parking is not shared at this location, they have their own lot for members. My early morning visits always find plenty of spaces available.

Special Features

Just beyond the vast front desk, there is a lap pool at this location. The pool seems nice, has two lanes and I have seen a few members using this feature. The women's only area, which is located directly off of the women's changeroom is very small, very dark, and very crowded with machines. The ceiling is low and gives the appearance of working out in your basement. I choose not to use this part of the gym. The main gym is very bright, and has a nice window filling the entire front wall of the building. The boxing studio has a boxing ring; mini-sized. Overall, the studio is small and seems packed with way too many bags. Unfortunately, this location keeps the boxing studio locked so its virtually inaccessible unless you've asked for the key at the front desk upon arrival. 

Overall

Overall, I really like the atmosphere in the main gym area at this location. There are plenty of treadmills and ellipticals available and a wide variety of weight machines. Maybe a bit more staff presence in the gym would be helpful to members. And a bit more cleanliness in the changerooms/showers.  

As always, I welcome all comments, suggestions and ideas

don't sweat the small stuff

GoodLife Fitness Upper James St Hamilton

I have visited this location only once in the past month. I will update my review with additional insights when I have visited a few more times. In the meantime, below are my initial impressions of GoodLife Fitness at Upper James Street in Hamilton.

Customer Service
The front desk staff were very friendly when I first arrived. I explained that I wanted to try out the gym and they asked me to wait while they found a representative to meet with me. I waited about 5 mins. The young man I spoke with was very candid and well spoken. He was very knowledgeable about the services and facilities at Goodlife. After the initial introduction he gave me a quick tour of the facilities.

Staff

The staff at this location are very friendly. The front desk had 2 or 3 people attending. The office seemed a bit bare, with only one person attending. I saw a couple staff in the main gym area although they did blend in with everyone else. As a new visitor I wasn't sure where to find everything, and unfortunately could not find anyone to ask either. 

Changerooms
The women's changerooms seemed very small and cramped, considering the size of the gym itself. Open lockers were a challenge to find on a Saturday afternoon. Perhaps I was there during the busy time!

Classes

I personally have not attended a class here yet. I will update this portion when I have experienced a class. However, I have noted that class schedules are posted and handouts are available at the front desk. There was no class running while I was there that day.

Personal Trainers

I saw a couple personal trainers in the main gym area. They were hard to recognize as they did not stand out from the other gym members.

Hours & Parking

Open	Close
Monday	5:00 AM	11:59 PM
Tuesday	12:00 AM	11:59 PM
Wednesday	12:00 AM	11:59 PM
Thursday	12:00 AM	11:59 PM
Friday	12:00 AM	10:00 PM
Saturday	7:00 AM	6:00 PM
Sunday	7:00 AM	6:00 PM

I found the hours puzzling. Since it seemed they were busiest on the weekend, staying open longer during those days made more sense to me.
This location shares parking with many other retailers. You can park in the front of the plaza, which also has Zellers and Fortinos OR you can park in behind, which is shared with the Mandarin.
Special Features

The aerobics room was upstairs, away from the main gym area. This location does not offer a women's only section. They do have an area for boxing, its about 10' X 10' around a very old and well-worn bag. Just one single bag. I was unable to find any skipping ropes.
They also have a stretch area centrally located in the main gym. Daycare services are available at the front desk area.   

Overall

 Overall, this location was fair. It could be a personal preference, but I disliked how the gym was basically just one big open room. I found the lighting very dark. Surprisingly, this location was extremely busy while I was there on a Saturday afternoon. It was tough to get access to some of the weight machines, although they have dozens of treadmills and elliptical. There seemed to be an open area at the front just beyond the desk that was not utilized. I would be willing to go back to this location and check it out a bit more.    

As always, I welcome all comments, suggestions and ideas

don't sweat the small stuff

Premier Fitness/Physiomed Fitness Brant Street

As most of you have already heard or read, Premier Fitness/Physiomed Fitness is currently undergoing some structural problems. However that being said, its not my purpose to comment on the organizations but rather on the services they provide.

As a member of this club I have been able to experience many aspects of their services.

Here is a quick run-down of this particular facility which is located on Brant street in Burlington Ontario. Click here to view a map of the facilities

Customer Service

My experience with this club has been that the customer service is very good. There is always someone available to answer questions and they do so in a friendly manner. A possible improvement would be to have a few more staff on hand at the front desk and office who are knowledgeable in all of the programs and services as sometimes you are asked to wait for someone to return from lunch.

Staff

The staff at this location are all very friendly and helpful. Its not difficult to find a staff member and often if they are unsure of what you are asking, they will find someone who can help you. Staff members seem to be happy to be there, which in my opinion, really adds to the atmosphere of the entire club.

Changerooms

I obviously cannot comment on the mens changerooms, however the womens changerooms are moderately sized and reasonably clean. The changeroom and shower facilities have been upgraded this past fall and the new facelift they received was very well done. Lockers are clean and plenty-full, although if you visit after 6pm, the place is quite busy and sometimes you have to look for awhile to find an open locker.

Classes

I personally have not attended a class here yet. I will update this portion when I have experienced a class. However, I have noted that class schedules are posted and handouts of these are available at the front desk. I have also noted that the classes appear quite popular for members and are well attended.

Personal Trainers

Again, I have to say that the staff at this location are A+. They are well trained and knowledgeable. I've gone into a personal training session and asked for a specific workout, for example: butt and gut. And let me tell you, I got what I asked for!!!!! Myself, I have a small issue with one knee and when I told the trainer, he was able to tailor the workout so that I was still working all muscle groups but in a manner that did not put stress on my knees. My only suggestion would be to have more trainers available at more times throughout the day. I found trying to schedule an early morning session was very difficult.

Hours & Parking

This location is open:

Mon - Thurs Fri Sat Sun

5am - 11pm 5am - 9pm 8am - 5pm 8am - 5pm

The parking is shared with other retailers, including a Silvercity theatre. Depending on the time you arrive, sometimes you have to park fairly far away. Which honestly shouldn't be a problem considering you are going to work out.

Special Features

Brant Street has an awesome boxing studio. It is very large, bright and clean. There is room for up to 6 bags, including a speed bag. Classes are available in boxing, kickboxing and Brazilian Ju Jitsu. I like the mezzanine setup for the ellipticals and treadmills; which overlook the main gym area. The women's only area is large, bright, clean and well maintained.

Overall

Overall I have been quite happy with the services provided at this gym. I know that my experience has not been shared by all members. However, as someone with 10 years in customer service, I also know that some customers cannot be satisfied no matter what you say or do for them. In addition, I am unable to comment on membership fees. Like most services, fees vary depending on the location, type of service and special promotions offered. Lastly, I don't like numerical ratings, they really don't tell you anything useful, so I won't be providing that type of system here on my blog.

As always, I welcome all comments, suggestions and ideas

don't sweat the small stuff

Welcome to the GTA Fitness Reviewer

Did you know that there are literally hundreds of fitness clubs and fitness franchises in Ontario? And did you know that there is very little good, reliable, unbiased reviews available?? Likely if you've ended up here, you have discovered that!

As a fairly new health and fitness enthusiast, I would like to share with you, through this blog, my real life experiences and humble opinions and ideas on fitness clubs in the GTA and Hamilton Niagara area.

Each day that I go to a gym, I will post my workout experience from that day. My intention is NOT to diss any gym or franchise, but rather to express my honest experiences and my impressions and ideas.

Please visit my About Me page to read more about, well......me!!
I welcome all comments, questions and opinions. Speak freely and speak often.
Together, we can help improve the fitness industry which in turn will improve our quality of life.

Always remember; don't sweat the small stuff!!