[Rosinante]

I've made an appointment for an induction session at a gym next week.

Over the last few years I've made I think 4 starts and stops at gyms. They've varied between the tatty and the swish but you have to pay just to ask a question (more or less).

Now I'm in a new city, I've achieved some weightloss, I want to add in the exercise.

Do any of you kind and experienced exercisers have any suggestions for a 'gym for idiots' questionlist I could put together? What are the sort of things I should look out for/ask about/expect?

Thankyou.

Supplementary: I'm currently losing weight on +/-1500, exercise a brisk walk 4/7 days. Should I up the calories when I do more serious exercise or leave well enough alone? I'm losing at an average of -2.5 a week, and it was upping my calories from 1200 to 1500 that broke through a 2 week stall.

Thanks again.

[GradPhase]

Hours of operation are very important, as well as when their busiest hours are. My gym had great week day hours, but their weekend hours were awful!! Also, the times that best fit in to my schedule were the WORST times to be at my gym - so be sure to visit it during "your" time. Be sure to check out the locker rooms thoroughly for cleanliness, especially the shower floors (though you should wear flip flops anyway if you ever do use it!) it's a good tell-tale sign in my opinion of their hygiene standards. Those were my two biggest hard learned lessons one pricey - rarely used gym membership later! Hopefully more good tips will be coming your way (and my way!) soon!

[LittleMoonRabbit]

Ask if you can have a trial run. The last gym I joined gave me one week of access for free to try it out. If they don't do that, ask them for a tour. Look for signs of wear and tear on the machines. Avoid gyms where all the machines are covered in lots of dust and grime- it probably means there isn't much maintenance work being done to them. Check out the selection of free weights. Ask about the costs for personal trainers and classes- sometimes those things are included in the cost of the membership. Ask about contract details- if you need to cancel a contract, what would it take to get out of it. Try to get a feel for how the staff is- are they helpful, are they receptive to your questions... do you see any of them in the workout room helping other members? Do they have a pool? Do they have a running track?

When weighing your options, you'll have to decide what's most important to you, and what you would like to get out of your membership.