When I joined the fitness club I was paired with a personal trainer to help me reach my goals. He did a physical assessment which told me my body fat percentage (measured by using calipers at the waist, thigh and tricep), weight, flexibility and “real age” of my body. My real age was very depressing because I look 15-20 years younger than I am, but my body is 6 years older than my actual age; the majority of the 6 years is based on my weight. So if I lose weight I can lose years—much cheaper than plastic surgery!

I also joined myfitnesspal.com, a free online calorie counter, diet and exercise journal so I could track my calories in and calories out. According to a nutritionist I went to a few years ago, I should never let my daily calories fall below 1200 or my body would store fat, thinking I was starving. So I set my goal at 1200 calories per day for food. I didn’t set a goal for exercise, just determined to make an effort to exercise and go to the club at least 5 days a week. My husband and I started going to the club and exercising on the machines. We also joined fitness classes that meet M-W-F each week and we play squash for an hour (burns 850 calories per hour) every time we go. I’ve also been on the treadmill a couple of times on my own. All that for 1 pound of weight loss and a 1% increase in body fat. Depressing.

So this week I whined to my trainer that I was ready to toss it all. It was just too hard for me to lose weight because I’m only 5′1″. I could stay home and eat ice cream and do this good! So he suggested that maybe I’m working too hard when I exercise. Maybe instead of burning fat—which is what I want to do— I’m burning muscle. I’ve been using my heart rate monitor and I’m rarely in the fat burning zone shown on the machines, I’m always way above. So he said those zones are only estimates and that everyone is different. He suggested that I get tested to find out my true maximum heart rate, the level of exercise at which I’m actually burning fat, and my actual resting metabolism (how many calories I burn at rest). By taking the test I won’t be guessing any more on how much I can eat and how hard I can exercise to lose fat. So I agreed to have the test done. I don’t want to keep spinning my wheels.

Tomorrow I have the metabolism and cardio test. I have to fast 12 hours before. I’m really looking forward to seeing how close the tables on the machines are to my actual max heart rate using the 220-your age formula. Check back tomorrow and I’ll tell you all about the test and how I did.

In order to track my progress I weighed myself when I got home from the initial assessment to see if my home scales matched the weight and body fat percentage he calculated—which they did. (My scale measures both weight and body fat.) I was surprised, I always assumed the calibrations were voodoo!

What we were looking for was a club:

• that had group classes
• with a pool or lap pool
• that offered personal training
• that was clean and the equipment wasn’t worn out or old
• that was open 24/7 so guests weren’t all forced into the same block of time
• that wasn’t too expensive
• that we could get out of contract if it didn’t work out
• that was close enough that we would go
• that had an energetic atmosphere (we’re mood catchers and we need energy from others to keep us going)

We checked out LA Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Planet Fitness, Gold’s Gym and Lifetime Fitness.

LA Fitness had the pool, classes and trainers—but was old and dirty looking. Anytime Fitness had the equipment and trainers, but no classes, pool or energy. Planet fitness was basically a weight lifters gym, and totally dead. Gold’s Gym was OK, but just didn’t pull us in. Lifetime Fitness seemed to have everything we were looking for. So we got a one week free trial membership and a free personal trainer session to help us make our decision.

The facility is HUGE. It looks like an exercise mall more than a gym. There are 4 squash courts, 4 basketball courts, hundreds of treadmills, bikes, elipticals, and stair climbers, an olympic size pool indoors and out, a 6 lane lap pool, showers, spa, yoga, pilates, and on and on. We took total advantage of the trial membership and went 5 of the 7 days the week of Christmas. The trainer took us through our paces and I discovered I was really out of shape for endurance. We played squash every visit (we used to play racquetball, but they have squash because it burns more calories). We used some of the hundreds of weight machines and checked out the classes. We shot baskets on the basketball court. There were always lots of people there and we felt the energy level would be a real plus and keep us going—so we joined on Dec. 27. I decided we would come back on Jan 1 with renewed interest and efforts at getting/staying in shape and enjoying our new lifestyle.

HA! We we’re the only ones that made that decision. When we came back on Jan 1, we couldn’t find a parking spot. The place was packed wall to wall with people and trainers. And worst of all were the kids! Kids everywhere!!!! I felt like I had joined a nursery. Kids running in the halls. Two of the basketball courts dedicated to kids play. Squash courts taken by kids. By kids I mean 6-10 year olds. The kids under 6 were in a special area, but you had to watch out for them until they got to that area. Kids in the pool— the water looked like a choppy wake. How much pee in that pool?

On Friday the first week in January, we learned that once is a month is parents’ night out and parents are dropping kids off like flies. There were hundreds of them. Taking up all the courts and the pools. The second week starts the kids programs and courts and pools are shut down for kids classes. One night we saw a half of a basketball court dedicated to one fat kid and his trainer! How can one kid get a whole half a basketball court when guys are literally standing in line 10 deep for pick-up games?

I’ve also discovered that just about everything there cost extra. If you can’t do it alone, it cost extra. Classes are extra, lessons are extra. Pilates is not included. Cafeteria cost an arm and a leg. Personal trainers are $100/hour. Everything in the club is geared toward selling something once you get in the door. Heart rate monitors, fitness evaluations out the wazoo, lessons, training, even group exercise classes. But babysitting is free. Also, a lot of what you can do alone is off limits if there is a class. Certain areas of the gym are blocked off for classes which greatly cuts down on the available machines.

The website is terrible and hard to figure out how to use. There are so few classes each day it’s hard to find one at a time you can attend, unless you want to go at 9 pm when the kids are at home asleep.

We are going to give it a couple of months and see if the crowd falls off. If not, we’ll be looking again and know a lot better what not to get into.

You’ll find information on weight training, personal training, and cardio for all ages. We have exercises you can do at home on your own for general health or rehab of an injury or illness.

Whatever the level of fitness you’re seeking, we have something for you! You can find information by category or by using the search box at the top of each page. We have tags to help you find related articles. When we find good resources to help you learn more, we provide links to their site to help you in your quest for good health.

For more information about fitness

For more information on nutrition contact the following organizations:

Steps to a HealthierUS, HHS
Internet address: http://www.healthierus.gov

Weight Control Information Network, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, HHS
Internet address: http://win.niddk.nih.gov

Food and Nutrition Information Center, USDA
Internet address: http://www.nutrition.gov

MyPyramid.gov, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Internet address: http://www.mypyramid.gov

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Internet address: http://www.fitness.gov

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Information Center (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health, HHS
Internet address: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov

Food and Drug Administration (FDA), HHS
Internet address: http://www.fda.gov

American Society of Bariatric Physicians
Internet address: http://www.asbp.org/siterun_data/

International Food Information Council
Internet address: http://www.ific.org