There seems to be a great chasm between those who workout and those who do not. But does anyone really know why that is?

Often surrounded by people who don’t love working out as much as I do (admittedly, I’m an enthusiast), I’ve asked myself this question many times but to no avail. It seems that the path to fitness is narrow and few find it, but I wish that wasn’t so as exercise is such an essential part of a long, healthy life. Not to mention it can be a blast once you find your groove!

Perhaps there are some insider secrets that ‘insiders’ wrongly assume ‘outsiders’ already know. This slideshow is my humble attempt to “crack the code” and unveil those tips, tricks and secrets so that everyone can find their way to fitness and establish a routine that truly sticks.

Today marks the first day of fall! Before you clock out for the weekend take some time for a healthy dose of news. This week’s HealthBuzz consists of hot headlines from DIR and our partner sites, including Shape, IVillage, and Fitday, as well as some delicious banana recipes from Undressed Skeleton and Thinin10.

Don’t wait until the last day of the week to hear from us! Follow us on Twitter and Pinterest! Also, don’t forget to ‘Like Us’ on Facebook for the chance to win a year’s supply of guacamole from Wholly Guacamole!

Choose the Right Gym For You (So You’ll Actually Use the Membership)

With the fall and holiday season quickly approaching, gyms will be filling up with people wanting to maintain their health and figure for social gatherings and special events. Gyms can be uncomfortable and expensive and there is nothing like wasting money on a membership that you don’t use! Let us help you choose the right gym with this helpful guide.

Seven Fall Activities For the Whole Family

September 21 is the official day of fall! What better way to enjoy the weather then with your family? Stephanie Mansour from Step It Up With Steph shares seven fall activities for the whole family. There is even a healthy recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds! Fall has never been so healthy before.
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I’m sure you’ve heard of gyms that are for women only, but have you ever heard of one that not only bans men but “skinny” women as well?

While going to the gym may be simple for some, it can be a much harder task for others. I don’t necessarily mean reasons due to lack of motivation or lack of time. What I’m talking about is lack of confidence and security.

Body Exchange, a gym chain in Canada, has banned all males and skinny females from using their gym. Their reasoning? To create a “safe-haven” for overweight women where they can workout without feeling insecure or uncomfortable. They want their plus-size clientele to have a place where they can relate and challenge themselves without wondering if the fitness gurus/everyday gym goers surrounding them are judging them or not.
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Let me start this post with a disclaimer:

I am not perfect.

I am, however, a professional. I take what I do, as a personal trainer, very seriously. If someone has trusted you with his or her health, fitness and general well being you absolutely should take it seriously.

The problem is many personal trainers do not.

I can’t speak for every gym, but I know the big gyms where I live don’t treat or pay trainers well. When you’re not treated well it doesn’t translate to the best experience for your client. Or many personal trainers are training while they learn to be something else. This isn’t a bad thing, however, it can affect the trainer’s focus. And then there are athletes and body builders who train to support their sport, using their training techniques on clients who have very different goals.

If you’re currently working with a personal trainer, or are considering working with one, here are the things you need to know that a personal trainer SHOULDN’T be doing.
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The gym locker room – a room segregated by gender for changing clothes and filled with lockers for storage and safe-keeping of personal belongings. Some may include amenities such as showers, saunas and bathroom stalls. This description might be similar to the one found in a gym’s membership booklet or even the dictionary. But in reality, a better use of words to describe the place would be creepy, embarrassing, awkward and sometimes horrific. In this installment of Tales from the FitCrypt, gossip is all about the OMG locker room horror stories.

On a normal day in the locker room, you’ll definitely see a few not-so-modest people walking around in nothing but their birthday suit (like you didn’t already know). What some of you, and I mean you ladies, might not know about is how men are using the hair dryers on their side of the locker room. It’s not for the hair on their heads if you couldn’t guess, but for drying the hair on their private parts. In order to make sure they’re getting the job done right, many will prop one leg up on the nearest bench, exposing everything they have to offer. While trying to dig up some locker room dirt, this story not only came up first but was also given to me by several sources. I now know what’s at the top of the men’s locker room complaints!
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