What to Look for in a Fitness Facility: Does Yours Measure Up?

Dear Readers-

 

Today, please enjoy a guest blog by a fellow friend in academia - Kimbo Yee, Kimbo is a PhD student in Exercise Physiology at Michigan State University.

 

Be Extraordinary,

 

RDKate

 

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Hello everyone.  I’m thrilled to be guest blogging for Katie today.  It’s an absolute pleasure for me that I get to share some of my thoughts with you. As someone working in the exercise science field, there are a multitude of topics I could’ve chosen to write about today, but after visiting a friend this past weekend and working out with them at their gym, I’d actually like to share some of my thoughts about what you should look for in a fitness facility.

When I asked my friend why they chose that particular fitness facility to workout at their primary reasons were: 1) Cost and 2) Location.  Those are two of the biggest factors that most people would comment about if you asked them why they workout where they do.  Although both cost and location are important, I believe the choice in a fitness facility goes much deeper than that and should be made while considering other important factors that are often overlooked.  In the rapidly growing health and fitness industry, more and more fitness facilities are opening left and right and of all varieties.  You see everything from a lot more 24-hour facilities, YMCAs, “everything and more” globo clubs like Lifetime Fitness, CrossFit gyms, and the good ol’ standard fitness facilities like Powerhouse Gym and Gold’s Gym.  It can be a tough decision figuring out which place will work best for you and the obtainment of your goals.  This is a common problem I get from people looking to start working out somewhere so here are a few key things I tell them to think about and look into when determining what fitness facility is the best for them.

Environment with Positive Energy

I’m a firm believer in that you have to have fun when you workout.  It’s one of the drawing traits to the particular forms of exercise a person engages in.  It only enhances the motivation to go to a place and get a workout in.  A fitness facility that is fun, welcoming, and that is full of positive energy only enhances the motivation to workout and lead a healthy lifestyle.  It should be a place where anyone can come in and feel that someone is interested in their goals and wants to help them achieve them and live an overall healthier lifestyle.

Interpersonal Service

I’m talking about service as in the interpersonal relationship between a client and the personnel at a fitness facility.  From the personal trainers to the front desk worker, everybody should care for every member that comes through the doors and should be ready to provide any support and motivation you may need.  You should not be viewed nor treated as just “another member of the gym”. 

Cleanliness

Nobody wants to work out in a place where germs are aplenty.  Any proper fitness facility should be clean around the clock.  A high priority should be placed on the sanitation of equipment, locker rooms, bathrooms, and floors.  When deciding on a fitness facility, try to keep a lookout for the availability of clean towels and personal sanitizers and equipment sanitizers.  You’ll want to make sure that the cleanliness of the facility is up to your own standards.

Professional Staff

A well establish fitness facility should have a team of dedicated fitness professionals who are well educated, experienced, and certified.  This team is usually comprised primarily of personal trainers and coaches, but can also include exercise/fitness specialists, dietitians, coaches and instructors.  These are the individuals who help clients achieve their goals by steering them in the proper direction and giving them the motivation, support, and instruction to properly use exercise as a means to achieve their goal.  You’ll want to be part of a fitness facility with a team of professionals that are passionate about what they do day in and day out.

There are many other factors that I did not talk about in this blog, but I believe the ones I’ve written about are some of the most important to consider for anybody looking to exercise in an established fitness facility.  Choosing a gym is quite the important investment in living a healthy lifestyle, so one should take adequate time in determining what fitness facility is best for their needs and goals. 

Thank you for reading my guest blog.  If invited again in the future I would gladly accept and write about various exercise physiology topics (e.g., body composition testing, high intensity training etc.) or perhaps any topics any of you readers would like to hear about.  If you would like to contact me for any reason my e-mail is: yeekimbo@msu.edu.

Again, thanks for reading!!! 

How about dinner and a 150 foot jump?

Welcome to part 2 of my amazing adventures in New Zealand! Last week, I introduced breakfast and lunch. Lets move on to dinner and then more exciting activities!

Dinner
As a general rule, Kiwis do not eat dinner until late - typically around 7:30pm. Similar to Europe, dinner is a very relaxed meal that can last a good amount of time in good company. At restaurants, the waitstaff is not pushy and will never make you feel as if you need to "hurry up and leave".
Given that New Zealand is two islands, it won't surprise you that the seafood was delicious. Though prepared quite similar to the States, one could tell it was fresh (see picture of my partially-eaten seafood dinner). I regret to say that I probably could have eaten a bit more seafood during my time in NZ. And what better to go with seafood than wine? I was shocked to discover that there are vineyards in NZ and wine is quite a popular commodity - who knew?! After visiting a couple of wineries, I will say that I was quite impressed with the flavor and quality. For the most part, I observed more wine being drunk with dinner than beer, but breweries are quite plentiful as well, so we never seemed to be lacking multiple micro-brew options.

One more surprising dinner option - Indian food. I could not believe the number of Indian restaurants in every part of NZ we visited. There are likely many reasons for this, but we simply had to give in one night, even though we of course can get this in the states. One order of butter chicken, potato curry and garlic nann later....we were not disappointed.

Calling all adventure-seekers!
If there is one thing NZ will never be called, it's "boring". We could have done one crazy adventure after another and never run out of new things to try. Instead, we chose jet boating, kayaking, hiking, hang gliding, and bungy jumping

Jet Boating
This is very popular all over NZ, but we chose to experience this at the Huka Falls. The idea is you sit in a boat with about 12 people and go flying down a narrow river canyon at unreasonable speeds, while the driver performs 360's and other daring maneuvers. Think of it as being on a group jet ski. While I thought it was a bit over-hyped, they still did a nice job with this. 

Kayaking

We chose to kayak in the beautiful Milford Sound. Located in Fiordland, it is rich with phenomenal views that literally took my breath away. While the trip should have been fairly relaxing, an odd weather pattern creating a change in wind direction. Instead of few minutes of head wind with mainly tail wind otherwise, we had the opposite. Twenty-five minutes into the wind - lets just say it was epic!

Tangariro Alpine Crossing

This 19.4K hike is considered one of the most beautiful one-day hikes in the world. After completing this hike, I wouldn't doubt that! Temperatures ranged from 45 to 70 degrees and at the highest point, we were at 1900 meters! Absolutely amazing and I would recommend it to anyone. Read more about the crossing here. And yes - that IS Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings.

Hang Gliding
This has got to be the closest to flying anyone will experience. I was fortunate enough to fly with the World Champion of Hang Gliding. Therefore, he felt comfortable enough to actually stop the kite a few times during our flight so you were literally hanging in mid-air...crazy! The best parts were taking off (i.e. running off a cliff) and landing (flying at incredibly high speeds toward the ground and rolling along the grass - quite like an airplane!).

Bungy Jumping

While I always said I would NEVER do this, who could go to New Zealand - the birthplace of bungy jumping - and not try it? Not only did we jump in NZ, we jumped at the location of the very first commercial bungy jump. It was a 150 foot jump, and easily the most terrifying moment of my life was standing at the top and looking down. However, contrary to my own beliefs, once I took the leap, it was not painful and in fact my stomach did not even drop - impressive! While I'm not sure I'll ever do it again, I would definitely recommend everyone try this at least once.


Visiting New Zealand left my husband and I wondering - why don't more Americans come here?! I would love to go back, and I hope each of you get the chance to experience this amazing countryside one day too.

Be Extraordinary,

RDKate

Hydration - don't leave home without it

Yesterday was Day 1 of my marathon training for the Detroit Marathon in October! Unfortunately, the heat index yesterday in Chicago was a comfortable 101 degrees. Because I was going out for a 6 mile run, I knew that hydration was going to be important for me to have a successful run. Although I had hydrated well during the day, I know that it easy to lose 2% of my body weight during even a short run. Any weight loss above 2% drastically affects performance due to increases in heart rate and core temperature. If you're exercising in a gym or on a court, keeping hydration close by is fairly easy. However, for endurance athletes - particularly runners - this can tricky. It is from these athletes that I typically hear, "Well, I would have drunk water during my run but there wasn't any along my route." So sad, but this is no longer a valid excuse. Endurance runners now have many options when it comes to staying hydrated...

What type of hydration apparatus or fuel belt you use is dependent on the length of your workout. If you are doing a run longer than 50-60min, you might opt for a fuel belt. The fuel belt brand offers belts that have anywhere from one to eight bottles. Bottle size varies but can be as high as 22oz. per bottle. Of course the larger the bottle, the fewer bottles you will need to carry. However, I would caution you to be sure to train with the belt before using it in a race, as the belts can be HEAVY and also somewhat awkward, so do take some getting used to. The nice thing about these is that most also have a zipped storage area for holding keys, an ID, or energy gels/chews.

Even if not running for a full hour, some runners don't like holding even one water bottle. Therefore, using a fuel belt that holds only one bottle is a great option. Here is one specifically advertised for trail running; the water bottle side typically is worn in the back. Personally, I just love the camo:

Another option if you only need one bottle is a palm holder (assuming you don't mind holding the water bottle). There are also many varieties and sizes of these, but here is one designed for a relatively longer run (because the bottle is 22oz). It has a convenient strap that wraps around your hand, which surprisingly makes it leaps and bounds easier than just carrying a water bottle alone. Plus the strap typically has a storage area for keys, an ID, or perhaps some type of energy gels or chews.

Although these are all great options, my personal favorite is the Vapor bottle. I love it because my small, feminine hands often hurt after using a palm holder for too long. Plus as the bottle becomes less full, it can actually be folded in half, which is doubly convenient when running.

Although these come in a variety of sizes, they don't hold a huge amount of water, so wouldn't be good for a long run. However, if I'm running less than 50 minutes, this is my go-to hydration partner.

Any fuel belt or water holder is only as effective as it is used. So find one that you like and that you will actually drink from. Remember you should be drinking 8-12 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes. Add in sports drink if your workout will be longer than an hour or if you are doing an interval workout. The more you sweat, the more fluid and electrolytes you need. Happy drinking!