GYM DANDY PICKING THE RIGHT PLACE FOR YOUR GOALS AND PERSONALITY SHOULDN'T BE AN EXERCISE IN FRUSTRATION.Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer Meg Feola prefers working out in the company of other women. And women only. That's one of the reasons the 49-year-old stay-at-home mom joined the Curves franchise near her home in Calabasas three years ago. ``Women are a really good support system,'' Feola said as she did biceps curls The biceps curl is any of a number of weight training exercises which target the biceps brachii muscle in order to develop one or more of the following attributes:
adj. 1. Determined by, arising from, or marked by whim or caprice. See Synonyms at arbitrary. 2. Erratic in behavior or degree of unpredictability: a whimsical personality. mural mural Painting applied to and made integral with the surface of a wall or ceiling. Its roots can be found in the universal desire that led prehistoric peoples to create cave paintings—the desire to decorate their surroundings and express their ideas and beliefs. of a woman armed with shopping bags. But Feola had other equally compelling reasons for joining. And local experts said it's important for gym shoppers to make a wish-list and do their homework, especially during this frantic season of New Year's resolutions A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until the set . ``I wanted small,'' Feola said. ``When you walk into a big gym, nobody knows your name. I walk in here, and everyone knows me, which is nice.'' Knowing exactly what she wanted made it easy for Feola. Whether it's a woman's salon such as Curves or a state-of-the-art sports facility such as Spectrum, gyms can vary drastically from site to site. Celebrity trainer Kathy Kaehler said it's always a good idea to start by pinning down a location or two that offer maximum convenience. Then it's critical for gym shoppers to drop by for a visit before committing to an iron-clad yearly contract, although some gyms now offer more flexible month-to-month memberships to stay competitive. ``If the gym is too far away ... you will find every excuse not to go,'' said Kaehler, who also is a fitness columnist for the L.A. Daily News. ``Find a gym that is close to home or close to work. This way you have no excuse.'' A gym's business hours BUSINESS HOURS. The time of the day during which business is transacted. In respect to the time of presentment and demand of bills and notes, business hours generally range through the whole day down to the hours of rest in the evening, except when the paper is payable it a bank or by a are another important consideration, experts said. ``A lot of people who work like to go to the gym at 8 or 9 o'clock at night,'' said Ivy Larson, co-author co·au·thor or co-au·thor n. A collaborating or joint author. tr.v. co·au·thored, co·au·thor·ing, co·au·thors To be a collaborating or joint author of: "He and a colleague . . . of the in-home ``Fitter, Firmer, Faster'' fitness and nutrition program. ``If the gym closes early, why bother?'' She said shoppers should check to make sure a gym is open at the time they're most likely to exercise, and they should drop in to scope out the traffic scene and access to amenities at that hour, checking everything from the most popular machines to lines in the locker room. Sweating the details ``See what the locker room setup is,'' Kaehler suggested. ``You will use the gym more often ... if they have lockers and showers. This way you can get ready for work there instead of going back home.'' Gym-goers with little kids should inquire in·quire also en·quire v. in·quired, in·quir·ing, in·quires v.intr. 1. To seek information by asking a question: inquired about prices. 2. about day care, a service that many gyms offer during special hours. ``It would be almost impossible for me to join a gym unless it offered child care, and then you have to ask yourself, is it quality? You want to know the person taking care of your child is certified See certification. ,'' Larson said. A gym tour also sheds light on the crowds who work out in the facility. ``Sometimes they're dressed to impress, other times they just wear sweat pants and a sweat shirt. But if you dress differently, you might feel out of place,'' Larson said. Such fashion questions don't seem to concern the women who work out at the Curves in Calabasas. ``There's no mirrors, you don't have to wear makeup if you don't want to, and there are no men,'' franchisee Sharon De Vestern said. ``My members don't want men looking at their butts. I'm not kidding -- this is what my members tell me.'' Mary Ann Panopoulos doesn't let men ogling her derriere stop her from heading over to Gold's Gym Gold's Gym International, Inc. is an international chain of co-ed fitness centers (commonly referred to as "gyms") originally started in California by Joe Gold. Each gym features a wide array of exercise equipment and personal trainers to assist clients. on the weekends for some laps around the pool. ``Everybody, even if they belong to this gym, should do something else,'' said Panopoulos, who manages the Curves in Calabasas. ``Like when you're (a kid), you play jump rope jump rope or skip rope Children's game in which players hold a rope (jump rope) at each end and twirl it in a circle, while one or more players jump over it each time it reaches its lowest point. one day and play ball the next. You're cross-training because your muscles do get used to a workout Workout Informal repayment or loan forgiveness arrangement between a borrower and creditors. workout 1. The process of a debtor's meeting a loan commitment by satisfying altered repayment terms. , so you have to change it up a bit.'' Experts agree the appeal of full-scale health clubs is the variety of workouts, from the latest machines and cardio Cardio is the medical term used to reference the heart. From Greek kardia: heart. The Greek spelling using k is the reason for the usage of K in EKG (electrocardiogram). classes to racquetball racquetball, sport played indoors by two or four players, combining elements of court handball and such racket games as squash racquets. It is played on a standard handball court 40 ft (12.2 m) long, 20 ft (6. courts -- as is the case with Warner Center's L.A. Fitness. Since the new year, the club has been averaging six new members each day. ``January is a hot month for us,'' says Joseph Rogero, a sales counselor at the club. ``We have people walk in wanting to lose weight or get in shape. We show them the equipment and that we have racquetball, volleyball volleyball, outdoor or indoor ball and net game played on a level court. An upright net, 3 ft (or 1 m) high, the top of which stands 8 ft (2.43 m) from the ground for men, 7 ft 4 1/8 in (2. , tennis and swimming. And they usually sign on the spot.'' January is a big month for the $15.9 billion U.S. health club industry, accounting for 12.4 percent of all new memberships, the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association reports. Weighing your options Among the factors concerning those who have resolved to lose weight or get fit is the cost of belonging to a gym, which runs the gamut See color gamut. gamut - The gamut of a monitor is the set of colours it can display. There are some colours which can't be made up of a mixture of red, green and blue phosphor emissions and so can't be displayed by any monitor. from affordable to hundreds of dollars a month. ``Just remember: You get what you pay for,'' Larson said. ``The cheaper the membership, the more crowded it will be, and you won't have as many classes to choose from.'' Another pointer: ``See if they have staff that will tell you how to use all the equipment ... kind of like a private training session,'' Kaehler said. ``If they say they don't, use that as a membership deal-breaker.'' If they do, go ahead and close the deal, she said. ``Make sure you read all the fine print,'' she added. ``Look for how they are going to bill you, how many months you are signing up for ... when and how you will be notified when it is time to renew. Make sure you are getting what you want.'' Sandra Barrera, (818) 713-3728 sandra.barrera@dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Curves of Calabasas, owner Sharon De Vestern, right, offers workout suggestions to club member Babette Perry. (2 -- 5 -- color) no caption (people doing different forms of exercise) Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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