#1 thought for a lot of people, right? Well, here's a little secret - there are a lot of people here who aren't in that great of shape and many of them have no idea what they're doing! If they do know what they're doing now, it's a good bet they didn't know what they were doing when they first stepped through our doors. Everybody here was a beginner at some point. They're now doing things that they found they liked, are comfortable with, and perhaps helped them see results - or, they're just doing what we showed them when they first joined.

We're here to help. We'll show you how the cardio equipment works, we'll walk you through some strength/resistance exercises, we'll direct you to the best classes for you to take, and we'll help you recognize that this is something you can do. So, really, you are exactly like many of the people here at Health Unlimited. You're looking to feel better, look better, ache less, fit into your clothes more comfortably, improve your health, and manage some stress. This is the place for you!

Again, you're like a lot of us. Intermittent, stop-and-start exercise habits seem to be the norm. There are a number of reasons for this including: exercise choices that don’t really fit who we are; unrealistic expectations; being too aggressive, or not aggressive enough; and a short-term mindset. We’ll often choose the type of exercise that we’ve been told is the “best” to do to lose weight/get in shape/look better, etc., but that method might not be right for us. Yes, jogging is a great form of exercise that can burn massive amounts of calories and have a profound impact on your health but if you hate running or simply can’t run, for whatever reason, then clearly jogging is not the right exercise for you. You won’t stick with it in the long run (pun intended) and you’ll probably end up hating “exercise”. Likewise, if you start out thinking you’ll shed a ton of weight or build a bunch of muscle in a relatively short period of time, you’ll quickly be disappointed and frustrated and you won’t continue. Sometimes we get really motivated and go all-out for a couple of weeks, get sore and tired, and decide we don’t like “exercise” and quit. Or, we actually aren’t aggressive enough. Worried that we might hurt ourselves, we “take it easy” at first and “go slow” but then fail to progress the workouts over time. Instead of over-doing it, we end up under-doing it, don’t see/feel the results we hoped we would, get frustrated, and quit.

Your goal isn’t to “exercise” – it’s to become an exerciser. This is long-term thinking that is focused more on building the habits and routines that will help you see results over time. Focus on the process. Put a check mark on the calendar when you exercise, no matter what form of exercise you did. Work on building a streak of exercise days or weeks. Concentrate on being consistent and progressing over time and choose forms of exercise that you might actually enjoy, or at least not hate:) The only right way to exercise is the way that YOU will do, not the way others think you should do it.

20% of our memberships are Senior Memberships (age 62+). We have fifty members over the age of 80 and many, many over the age of 50! Fitness is the Fountain of Youth - strength, stamina, stronger bones, healthier joints, better mobility, more energy, and better overall functional ability are all possible at any age. As one well-known doctor said, "If exercise were a pill, it would be the most widely prescribed medication in the world." Regular physical activity is the most important thing you can do for your physical and mental health. Not only are there things you can do here; there are things you need to do here. Take classes, some geared specifically to more mature exercisers like Fit Over 50, Strong-n-Balanced, and Arthritis Plus (in the pool). Use a large variety of equipment, that we'll show you how to use effectively and safely. Socialize, with others who are doing the same thing as you - taking control of their health and fitness and feeling younger every day! Be motivated by being around others, no matter what their ages.

Not to worry – we’re here to help. As part of your membership, you receive two equipment orientation sessions to walk through the equipment, learn how it all works, learn the best way to do certain exercises, and generally get comfortable with equipment that can seem confusing or intimidating but, in reality, is pretty simple once you’ve been shown by someone. It’s likely, after going through these sessions, that you’ll forget half the stuff we tell you a few weeks later😊 Again, not to worry, we always have staff around to fill in the gaps in your memory, show you something new to do, or answer any questions you might have about the equipment and classes you might want to use.

We know that sticking with an exercise routine, and being consistent over time, is a difficult thing for many people to do, especially if they start out with a short-term mindset. We know that a long-term mindset is a key to becoming a regular exerciser (again, as we said above, your goal isn’t to “exercise”, your goal is to become “an exerciser”). Another key to sticking with exercise is being a part of a community of other like-minded exercisers and that is something we have always striven to be here at Health Unlimited, a community. What is it they say, “you are the average of the 5-people you surround yourself with”? Surround yourself with other exercisers and you’re more like to become an exerciser. This is what happens at a club in which people are committed to themselves and their community. So, we encourage you to commit because we know that a) exercise is so important for your physical and mental health and b) sticking with it can be tough and we don’t want to see any of our members give up on their goals too quickly or easily.

At Health Unlimited, you have options. We can teach you to squat correctly so it doesn’t hurt your knees and you actually get stronger and move better. You can get in the pool and water walk, if walking outside or on a treadmill is an issue. Our shallow lanes are set up for water walkers – they are the same depth the entire length of the pool. You’ll see all kinds of individuals in there exercising for overall health and fitness, rehabbing knee and hip replacements, taking it easy on their painful joints, or enjoying the benefits of weight-less exercise. We have equipment, like upper body ergometers and recumbent steppers, that come directly from the rehab/physical therapy world and which allow members with limited mobility to continue their exercise programs. We have options for your limitations – ask us how we can help!