BBB Offers Tips for Considering Fitness Options

Each year, many of us set New Year’s resolutions related to improving our health and fitness. If your plans include joining a health club, purchasing exercise equipment or other weight loss methods, your BBB offers tips to help you determine the best option to meet your needs.

- Determine your fitness goals. Do you want to build endurance? Increase strength? Become a better tennis player? -  Decide how you will accomplish those goals. Aerobic exercise? Weight training? Yoga?

- Consider your budget. What amount can you comfortably devote to physical fitness each month?

- Choose an exercise outlet that you will stick with. Would you enjoy working out at the gym? Do you prefer the convenience of exercising at home?  When considering a fitness facility to meet your fitness goals, the options may be overwhelming — everything from specialized high-tech weight-training facilities to all-purpose gyms. To select a facility that will meet your needs:

- Check out the facilities. Visit different clubs on a day and time you plan to use it to see how crowded it is, the cleanliness and condition of the work-out area and equipment, the atmosphere and the clientele. Do you like the equipment, classes, amenities and staff members?

- Talk to members. Are they satisfied? Have they experienced any problems? How were problems resolved?

- Interview the staff. Are they friendly and helpful? Ask about their qualifications, certification, education and experience. - Review the contract. Walk away from clubs that pressure you to sign a contract on the spot. Take a sample contract home and read it thoroughly. Does it list all the services and facilities and hours of operation? Is everything the salesperson promised in the contract? What is included in the monthly fee? What costs extra? What are your cancellation rights if you move, become injured or the club closes? 

- Do your homework. Does the facility meet state bonding and licensing requirements? The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulates health clubs; call 1-800-HELP-FLA or visit www.800helpfla.com for information. Be sure to check with your BBB for a Reliability Report on the club before making a decision. If you prefer to work out in the privacy of your own home, there are numerous options available. But be skeptical of claims you will lose several pounds or inches in a short period of time (i.e. “lose 10 pounds in 10 days”). When selecting exercise equipment for your home, keep these tips in mind: - Question claims for products that help you “spot” reduce. Toning and losing weight in one particular part of your body, such as trimming your hips or losing a “spare tire,” require sensible eating and regular exercise that works the entire body.

- Be skeptical of before-and-after photos or testimonials. “Satisfied” customers’ results may not be typical; and just because it worked for them doesn’t mean it will work for you. Additionally, they may have been using the equipment in conjunction with diet and other exercise. 

- Do the math. Calculate the total price when you see statements like “three easy payments of…” or “only $49.95 a month.” Does this cost include shipping and handling, sales tax or set-up fees?

- Get the details on warranties, guarantees or return policies. Does a “30-day money-back guarantee” sound as good when you have to pay the shipping to return a bulky piece of exercise equipment? You may be able to get a great deal on equipment at a yard sale or through a classified ad, but be careful—they usually aren’t returnable and don’t carry the warranties that new equipment does.

- Do your homework. Call the company to see how easily you can reach a company representative. Were they helpful? Check with your BBB for a Reliability Report on the company selling the equipment. Some dieters peg their hopes on pills, patches or creams that promise to “burn,” “block,” “flush” or otherwise eliminate fat from their system. - Be wary of claims that promise immediate, effortless or guaranteed weight loss. If it were really that easy, wouldn’t we all be thin?

- Watch for buzzwords in advertisements. Words like “breakthrough,” “secret,” “exclusive” or “miraculous” are not scientific terms and often appear in misleading promotions for fraudulent products.

- Be skeptical of self-proclaimed health advisors and vaguely worded testimonials. Talk to your personal physician, a qualified nutritionist or a registered dietitian. A testimonial, even by a physician, should not serve as a substitute for scientific proof of a products efficacy.

- Do your homework. Check with your BBB for a Reliability Report on the company selling the product. Does the merchant actually live up to their promise of “satisfaction, or your money back?”  Remember that there’s no such thing as a no-work, no-sweat way to shape up, keep fit or lose weight. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. For additional information and advice you can trust, start with bbb.org.