If you’ve decided to start working out at a gym, health club or fitness center, or join an exercise class or program, congratulations! Health and medical professionals agree that regular exercise provides a number of great benefits. It strengthens your cardiac and immune systems, increases your muscle tone, relieves stress, and, of course, helps you to burn calories and lose weight.

The first thing to do if you’re thinking about beginning an exercise program is to talk to your doctor. If you have any kind of medical conditions be sure to consult with him or her to make sure the type of exercise you’ll be doing won’t cause any health risks.

Once you’ve gotten the ok from your doctor, it’s time to start thinking about where, and how, you want to work out. Today, there are a host of choices to explore. The first step is to decide what types of workouts you want to try. Do you want to do only aerobic or “cadio” workouts? Weight and strength training?  Or, a combination of both? Most heath and fitness experts agree that a combination of aerobic and weight training provides the best overall results. Let’s look at some of your options.

Gyms, health clubs, and fitness centers.
When you first walk into a health club or fitness center, you might be intimidated by the amount of equipment that you see. Don’t be. Each piece of equipment has a purpose, and if it’s the right place for you, the staff will guide you and help decide what will work best for you. (More about that in a minute.) The aerobic equipment usually includes elliptical and step machines, treadmills, and stationary bikes. Weight and strength training includes a combination of free weights (dumbbells and barbells) and machines that target specific areas of the body. They also usually offer a variety of aerobic classes and one-on-one personal training from facility employees and can recommend outside trainers. Some offer other amenities such as steam rooms, saunas, spas, a pool, or racquetball courts.

It’s important to decide what exercise options you might want, ask some questions, and check out the facility. How many staff members work there on a daily basis? Find out if they’ll explain how the equipment works, and what the correct ways are to use it. And, make sure they’ll give you the help you’ll need for as long as you need it. What’s the membership fee and are classes included?  Can you pay on a per-visit basis? Many clubs and centers have a 30-day introductory offer that allows you to try them out before you make a commitment.

The YMCA 
Your local YMCA usually offers many of the same workout options that fitness centers and health clubs do, plus I’ve never known a “Y” that doesn’t have a pool. And, they also have special membership programs for families and couples.

Just for Women
Over the last several years, there has been an increase in fitness centers that specifically cater to women. They offer “circuit” workouts that combine cardio and strength training (usually about 30 minutes). One of the big attractions is that they have full-time trainers on staff that will guide your through your workout, or you can participate in a scheduled session. These centers are popular with women because they’re less intimidating than bigger clubs, and they tend to have a diverse membership made up of women from all walks of life.

No matter where you decide to start your exercise program, it has to feel right for you. The biggest factor to overcome is the initial intimidation of walking into any gym, club, or health center. Remember, no one was born knowing how to work out. And once you start, you’ll be taking a big step towards improving your health and your life.

In upcoming blogs, I’ll discuss some other topics that will help in your workouts like maintaining your motivation by getting a partner to come along and the pluses and minuses of using a personal trainer.