Food for Thought
By Mark Dale
Working in the health club industry for the past 12 years I have heard almost every excuse as to why people, in this example- women, can not or will not join a “gym.” Every generation has explained to me, sometimes in great depth, why it is not for them. Whether I am touring a prospective member around one of our clubs, casually chatting in a restaurant or even talking with women in my own family, they have all expressed to me why a membership to a health club may not be for them. Ladies, let’s get a few things straightened out.
Of the hundreds of reasons I have heard, I would like to address the three I have heard most often and, hopefully, clear up any misconceptions people may have.
1) “I don’t want everyone looking at me.”
The reason heard most often! There are two types of people working out in health clubs; the ones who want to be watched and the ones who do not. It truly is that simple. It’s like going snow skiing for the first time. People are watching the skiers trying to land full flips off of ramps and the ones thrashing through moguls at warp speeds in day-glow apparel with a
Rastafarian beanie complete with fake dreadlocks coming out of the back; not the beginner falling 10 times down the bunny slope. The same principle is true in any health club. The people, who want to be noticed, try to be noticed. Trying something new for the first time is always frightening, especially when you could embarrass yourself. Our personal trainers work with all new members to acclimate them to the equipment, the classes and the health club in general. We would never sign someone up and say, “Good Luck, You are on your own!”
2) “I just can’t find the time.”
Bad news, I work here fulltime and I can’t find the time either. I have to make the time. Extra time is so hard to come by in 2010; even people who are retired are “swamped.” Take my word though, if you make time for exercise in your life, EVERY OTHER ASPECT of it is so much better. Exercise truly is the best kept secret. I won’t sugarcoat it; it does take determination and commitment; but it’s so worth it in the end! I can remember hearing as a child that “the harder thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing”; I can’t think of any example that fits that quote better than exercise.
3) “I don’t want to sign a contract.”
Okay, signing a contract is part of it. We do offer “short-term” memberships to help overcome that hurdle but there is a point to consider here. Why wouldn’t you want to commit to one year of a healthier lifestyle? People subscribe to 12 issues of Shape, Women’s Health, etc. Why not subscribe to 12 months of doing what the magazine preaches? Better yet, why not make it part of your everyday life? Our hope is to turn that 12-month sign-up into a lifelong member. I know that life has a way of taking over all of your free time (see #2 above when that happens), and we offer membership freezes to help combat that as well, but we need to look at this exercise idea as a lifelong promise to ourselves. In the end, our significant others will thank us, our children and grandchildren will thank us and most importantly, we ourselves will be happier. I have always stressed that the words “Happy” and “Healthy” are
synonymous.
Between our 6 locations (Leonardtown, Wildewood, Lexington Park, Lusby, Prince Frederick and Owings), we offer over 1,000 Group Exercise & Spinning Classes every month. These classes and the instructors who teach them are what truly set us apart from other health clubs. They come free with all memberships and we believe that once you try one, we’ll have you hooked to try more! Come in and see what we can do for you; there’s no time like the present for a positive change.
About Mark Dale
Mark Dale is the General Manager and Personal Trainer at the World Gym Wildwood location.
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