4 Ways to Get Started at a New Gym

If you haven't been regularly going to the gym to exercise, then starting may be the hardest part of the whole experience. For many people, the difficulty of exercise may be the main deterrent to the gym, but there are certainly other reasons that can factor in as well. For those who would like to try out a new gym for the first time, but always seem to have excuses, the following list of solutions could be just what you need to finally get started on that new, healthy lifestyle you've always wanted.

Avoid Long Term Contracts

Most gyms that require expensive long-term memberships take advantage of the fact that the majority of their members won't attend often enough to make the price worth the offer. For this reason, gyms frequently sell more memberships than their facilities can accommodate, banking off the bet that you won't show up as often as you plan to when you purchase their agreement. Even many well-known health club franchises that require long-term memberships are known to engage in this policy.

Gym contracts are notoriously difficult to break. The reason for this probably has something to do with the fact that gyms thrive off selling more memberships than their location can support, all on account of betting on the failure of their clients to exercise regularly.

The Solution: Try a Pay-As-You-Go Fitness Plan

If you haven't heard about pay-as-you-go gyms yet, then you're in for an eye-opening treat. Fitness clubs that offer a pay-as-you-go option – like Striation 6

• offer an entirely new way to pay for the time that you use at the gym, which guarantees that you don't pay a cent for any time that you don't actually use. The way that it works is simple: rather than agree to a long-term membership when you join the gym, you are only billed for the time that you use inside the gym and the special services that you partake in.

Feeling Comfortable

It's hard to bring yourself to go exercise in a place that you just don't feel comfortable for one reason or another. If you're trying to work your way back from a period when you haven't been getting very much exercise, then chances are you currently don't feel quite as proud of your physical condition as you could.

The Solution: Try Out a Number of Different Facilities

The best part about a pay-as-you-go option is that you aren't committed. That allows you to try out as many different health clubs as you like until you find the perfect match for your personality and one that is supportive of beginners. When you get trapped in a long term membership plan, you may soon come to realize that the gym that you joined isn't the best fit for you at all. Contracts at such facilities are notoriously difficult to break, and best avoided altogether.

If you want to avoid intimidating gyms where everyone looks as if they're ready to enter the Mr. Universe competition, then all you have to do is try a par-per-use option. In this case, you can easily determine whether or not you're exercising at a location that doesn't suit you. All you have to do is try out one pay-as-you-go gym to experience that atmosphere and determine whether it feels comfortable to you. If not, you are free to try out as many different locations as you like because you won't be bound to any contract.

Avoid Premium Membership Costs

After the idea that exercise is a lot of hard work, the second biggest thing that keeps people from attending a fitness facility is the cost. The problem with the cost of most gyms is that they require that you pay for a long-term membership that encompasses more time than you are likely able to use. This often means that you end up paying premium prices for an assortment of services that you'll never even try out.

The Solution: A Pay-As-You-Go Gym Option

Why bother with gyms that require lengthy memberships where you're always going to have to be on the lookout for hidden fees in the fine print? The easiest way to avoid premium costs at a health club is to attend one that holds you to no obligation and only charges you for the services that you're actually using.

Getting Lost Among the Equipment

If you aren't used to exercising at a health club, then your first reaction may be to get overwhelmed by the assortment of elaborate fitness equipment and the number of options in front of you. While everyone who is new to the gym should always start by signing up for a training session offered by a fitness expert, these crash courses may still leave you feeling overwhelmed and indecisive.

The Solution: Plan to Try a Specific Exercise Program

One of the best ways to overcome the feeling that you don't know where to start is to begin with a simple plan. Try picking out a particular exercise program that you've never tried before or are attracted to for any reason. Some of the best group fitness options for beginners include:

• Zumba
• Pilates
• Yoga
• Spinning

One of the best parts about a pay-as-you-go gyms is that they offer all of the same amenities and services that other fitness clubs contain – they just don't require long term payment plans. That means that you can find all of the same kinds of exercise programs that are available at any other gym. You can also find some of the best professional trainers to teach you everything that you need to know to get started towards the exercise program that you've always wanted.

When it comes to trying out something new that's going to be an enormous benefit to your quality of life, there's no time like the present to get started. And since there's no membership, getting started is easy. Find a pay-as-you-go fitness center near you today to begin on your path to the conditioning that you've been wanting.

An observer of the human condition. Endlessly curious about how and why the world works.