The first thing you need to do is make a visit to all the places you are considering at the sort of time you would expect to go along to workout. If it looks very busy, your workout time can be longer, but if this is true of everywhere you consider, ask about how each gym helps people keep their time commitment to an acceptable level. Does hot water stay hot when a club is busy - even the biggest centres can suffer in this respect? How clean do the staff keep the changing rooms and the gym itself?

Are the majority of the members men or women or is it an even mix? If the majority is either way, for all the efforts o staff and club management, the way the gym operates will be very different to both a balance or the other mix. The same can apply for a different balance of ages in a gym. Do you like what you see, the feel, the noise, the lifestyle that you see in the place you are considering to join? If the thought of actually including getting fit is new, ask about some of the short term options for membership.

Once you have decided on a place you like, be prepared for the hard sell . The average retention rate for all types of fitness centre is still around 50% - this simply mean that (usually measured over a year) one in every two people who join a gym do not renew their membership. The statistics for those who join a club and go no more than a handful of times are only ever whispered off the record , people who spend something like £500 for nothing - the problem does not lie wholly with clubs. If there is a short term option, when monthly (non contracted) membership is not available, take it. It is a change in lifestyle and it will take getting used to. Not everyone gets the exercise rush and devotes their lives to marathon running and if its your golf that you want to improve, you need all around fitness and lots more flexibility. Think sophisticated exercise and you will have direction.

Ask about programming, how a gym specifically caters for individual requirements. This is where the problems with retention (of members) goes back to the clubs. Starting to get fit after doing nothing and you will need a core from which to build. That means some aerobic work and conditioning your body, building strength into your joints not just into your muscles. This is nothing to do with building yourself up. When you condition , you build tone into your body - not size. Once you have a base, you can start work on specifics, maybe helping prevent an old injury or problem from flaring up again. Or you can work on some substantial improvements in flexibility. The problem is that instructors can have limited knowledge and experience, they want to try and ensure that the gym is well used throughout (to prevent one section of the gym from being overused ).

A (fitness) programme is all about repetition - just like practising your golf game. As golfers, the vast majority of us don t spend the time on the range we should, because it can be boring and its also when we can practise bad habits. You can be given the same thing to do even with a change of programme, something which should happen (even if you don t ask for it) every seven to eight weeks. When you join, ask about specifics, understand that you have to build a base from which to work, then ensure you are confident that you are going to be properly looked after.

The last question you need to be happy with is the cost. Expect £35-50 a month for one of the major chains, and the bottom of this range for private clubs. Monthly membership fees are the norm and anywhere that asks you to sign up for a full year - forget it. Then there is the question of a joining fee.

Joining a Health club is not like becoming a member of an established golf club where there is years of investment and history. There is no history to the Health and Fitness Industry and all that expensive machinery, often replaced every two or three years, has a substantial resale value. There is also no real expectation that you will continue to use the same Fitness club for the sort of duration that you would be a member of a golf club. So, if you are asked for in excess of £100 as joining fee, you might want to consider whether that club is worth joining. There will be administration to set up your standing order or other payment method and you will receive a membership card - £25.00 is probably the most you should pay.

What about Personal Trainers? If you want to make quick, guaranteed (with the right PT) progress, then a PT is the answer. Its like having your golf professional overseeing and advising throughout any practice you do. The right PT is presentable, knows when to chat, when to talk expertly, is always on time, makes every workout feel of real progress, is reassuring and a praise provider as required. A good PT will never have your workout card to hand - your requirements will be memorised and will rarely be the same workout from session to session.

That is what the best offer. Ask for references. Look for presentation as a person, not meaning that they exude fitness (and wear too much lycra) but more that they are positive whenever you train and that you feel comfortable, even at your first meeting. Qualifications can be a list as long as your arm - and mean nothing if your prospective PT cannot communicate all the knowledge they have accumulated. Its really how much they inspire you which governs how well you progress.

So what does a PT cost? There is lots of competition so prices vary and as a norm, the costs have come down. Gyms and Fitness Centres do advertise PT as part of membership but do check out if the services offered are individual and consistent. You can get a very good PT for £15.00 per hour and you can pay £40.00. You should be asked to book for a number of sessions, once your relationship has started, and you may well find that the more you book, the better the value. At a club, even if you are a member and the club has a PT who uses the gym, you may well be paying a use fee to the gym, on top of your subscription.

PT at your home has its advantages. A PT should evaluate what space you propose to use and give you an honest answer. There is no use fee at home and despite a lack of sparkling equipment (unless you choose to buy some kit - see Part II), with just a few dumbbells and an exercise mat, a good PT will be able to make many of the changes you want in your lifestyle. When it comes to aerobic work, your PT should take you out in the fresh air, to your nearest park or open land. If one part of staying away from a gym does your motivation wonders, its being able to workout outside. Even if it is raining or cold, there is something special and very satisfying after 40 minutes outdoors. Forget nightmares of schools sports and remember that a PT has a status symbol value (to be shown off!) and take it from there!

Instructors want to become PTs - its much more rewarding (financially and personally) than being staff at a club. If you have the time, consider asking an instructor you like if they would help you in their time off. Or, find a selection of working PTs and become a Personnel Manager. Younger does mean less experience but this can give more enthusiasm and if you find a PT you like, one who makes all those goals as easy as is possible, recommend them you will.

The choice is yours. If you have invested in say a treadmill, or some other fitness kit at your home, then having a PT might be a preferred option. If you like pampering, then you will probably choose one of the numerous large centres with state of the art gyms and leisure facilities. Should you have a sporting or fitness background which has lapsed , there are gyms where effort is valued and respected or you might just start swimming or running. Whatever you want in the way of a fitter life, you can have it and enjoy the benefits - you just have to go for it.