Exercise is one of the two things that make weight loss effective and permanent, the other being proper nutrition. A good place to get the necessary fitness equipment you need is at a gym. Many people prefer going to the gym to exercising at home for many obvious reasons. So how do you tell a good gym from a bad one? Here are 5 extremely important things to check before joining a gym.

1. The general interest of your gym

Does the gym ask for feedback from members? Does he respond to comments and genuinely care what you, as a member, think? If not, then your gym might be more interested in getting more new members than taking care of existing members.

2. Equipment

The second thing to consider is the type of equipment that the gym has. Some gyms are packed with cardio and stationary resistance machines with only a small space for stretching exercises and stability balls. A good gym provides plenty of space with plenty of free weights, cardio equipment, stability balls, and only a small area for resistance machines.

3. Do you have qualified personnel?

Not every ‘professional’ is a professional. You need to check the qualification of the staff working in the gym you want to join. These people will be responsible for making your time in the gym worthwhile, so you want to make sure they are ‘really’ qualified and know what they are doing.

4. Do you offer customized programs?

Everyone is not the same. Your weight loss goal is not the same as the next person’s. You will need a program that is tailored to your body and your goals. Also, if you have a medical condition that will make some sort of physical challenge a concern, giving you an “out of the box” program that everyone else is given isn’t going to do it. Also, if you are paying, you want to see the real value of your hard earned money.

5. What about other areas of health and fitness?

As you probably already know, exercise isn’t all there is to losing weight. Does your gym offer other services as well? Do they really care about you? Do you receive remedial programs, massage therapy sessions, nutrition advice, etc.? these are the other things that matter. If your gym only gives you intense hours of training, you may want to try somewhere else.

These are some of the things you check before joining a gym. Of course there are others, but these will give you a starting point and a clue.

Ultimately, successful weight loss is all about good nutrition, regular physical activity, and proper motivation. Usually you need information.