When you have made the decision to improve your health and increase your physical activity levels by joining a fitness centre, you want to make sure that you have joined the right one. This means you must do your homework.
Fitness Australia registration
Before committing to a particular fitness centre, ensure that it is registered with Fitness Australia (as it will then be compliant with the Codes of Practice of the fitness industry). The exercise professionals employed should also be appropriately registered and qualified.
Hygiene and cleanliness of the centre
As a member of a fitness centre, you typically use equipment and facilities that are used by many others. Hygiene and cleanliness is vital. Ensure the fitness centre that you use is regularly and thoroughly cleaned, preferably by a professional company such as AMC Melbourne .
Let your instincts guide you and do not be afraid to look closely at the state of areas such as showers, pool areas and change rooms.
Support on offer and availability of equipment
Quality fitness centres make good support available to their members. You should be able to get help and assistance when needed and to have this offered to you, unprompted, when appropriate. Staff should be friendly, approachable and knowledgeable.
You also want to find a fitness centre that has plenty of good quality equipment available. There is nothing worse or more disheartening than having to line up to use a piece of equipment or to feel that you are fighting crowds in the fitness centre. Equally, there should be a good selection of the equipment that you most want to use.
Location
While you may really like the idea of attending a particular fitness centre, if the location is not optimal and convenient for you, it will be too easy to find reasons to avoid exercise.
Think carefully about whether a fitness centre close to home or work will suit you best. There are advantages to both, but it really comes down to the option that will best fit with your schedule and allow you to exercise at your preferred times of day. Weigh your personal preferences against the times of day that the centre is most busy and consider whether this will still work for you.
Child-minding
For some people, the availability of child-minding is crucial to them joining a fitness centre. If you have children and would value child-minding services, find out whether the centres you are interested in offer this service, the times of day that it is available and any additional costs.
Parking and accessibility to public transport
As well as carefully considering the location of a fitness centre, you should also consider whether parking and/or public transport is available close by. Access is pivotal to successful use of a fitness centre, so don’t forget to evaluate a centre’s appropriateness for you in terms of how well it meets your parking or public transport needs.
Quality assurance
Naturally, you will want to join a fitness centre that is committed to the provision of high quality services. Find out whether the centre regularly assesses the quality of its services and how it continually seeks to become a better and more effective place for all of its members.
When choosing a fitness centre, there are many elements to consider. To maximise the benefits of your membership, a fitness centre should be a place that you want to go, a place that is convenient and a place that is clean, supportive and committed to the highest standards of practice.
