Do you ever find yourself wanting to go to the gym but are afraid of actually going to the gym? There’s no need to be, the gym is a safe space to meet goals. However, sometimes it takes a little more than just telling yourself it’s a judgment-free zone to feel confident.

A well- packed  gym bag  is an effective way to maximize your time in any fitness center and minimize  the aggravation the comes from having to just make do. Before you  head  to the gym, make sure your bag contains the following tools to help you with your fitness goals.

• In January, you're faced with a new year - a fresh, clean calendar, endless opportunity in front of you, and that annual promise to exercise more. But as we're now trudging through fall, and the newness has long since worn off, where can you pull that motivation to visit the health club from?

  Here are our best five tips:

  1. Create your own "newness." Spice things up with some new digs, kicks, tunes - whatever it takes. Shiny new workout clothes and shoes make it easier to get up and out the door, and a fresh playlist will keep you moving even longer on our the treadmills or in class.

  2. Schedule it. Write it in red in your planner. Highlight your exercise slots in Outlook. Set reminders and alarms, and treat your workout time with as much importance as a meeting with your most important client. 

  3. Blog it out. Start a blog and round up a few followers. Commit to blog about your workout times for the rest of 2015. Give yourself a push through the holidays. With friends, family members and cyberspace followers hanging on your every word, you'll be less likely to skip a day....and definitely not an entire week. 

  4. Bribe yourself. Write down your goals and your rewards. Is a 14-day streak worth a splurge at your favorite store? Maybe you'll meet your month's goal and invest in new earbuds. Think of what motivates you most and don't allow yourself to have it until you meet that fitness goal.

  5. Buddy up and challenge each other. Just like in school, the buddy system is a great safety net. Commit to each other and share your personal goals. Having someone to keep you accountable works wonders. You can even create a contest between you. Skip a workout? Pay the cheat jar $5. At the end of the month, the victor with the most workouts keeps the cash. 

  And if you need even more ideas and motivation to exercise, contact us! We're here to help you make the most of each workout and achieve your fittest, healthiest you all year long.

   

You know that it is time (or way past time to join a gym). You are ready to get your body back in shape.  You know that the best way to do that is to join a gym. However, it is so intimidating to actually step inside one and find a place that you feel comfortable.

Over the years, exercise recommendations have continually changed. For awhile, it was 20 minutes of aerobic exercise a day, but then doctors decided you could split that up into two 10 minute sessions. Then, they decided just walking 40 minutes a day was the best course of action. Now, after a long-term intensive study, scientists have discovered that those who really sweat it out in their fitness programs are the ones who will see the most benefit long-term.

Come check out all the exciting things we have going on this summer here at Merritt Athletic Clubs at Cranbrook! We have summer dance camps that will be starting up; we have numerous programs that will be running such as our new biggest loser event called "The 6 Weeks Summer Slim Down", and our new group fitness schedule that we will be kicking off in July. We will be offering a Zumba party at the end of the month of July so if you enjoy dancing this is something you definitely do not want to miss out on. Also we are always looking for new ideas to do at the club so if you have something in mind please let us know, and we will do everything we can to make it happen! When you are in please introduce yourself to our staff here at Merritt so we can get to know you much better. We have Kai Kroeller who is the club manager, John Alban who is the assistant club manager, Vernell Silas and Chris Gajewski in the sales department, and Robin Coady on the front desk. Please give a huge Merritt welcome also to Briauna Snowden who will be starting in July as our new club advisor. Thank you and we hope to be seeing you around the club all summer long!