Tag Archives: gym

Membership Sales Up at Dubai Gym After Offensive Advertising Campaign

What do a gym and the Holocaust have in common? According to at the Circuit Factory, a gym in Dubai, they are both a great place to burn calories.

Whoa, wait a second! That’s incredibly insensitive and not funny. However, that did not stop the company’s marketing team from posting pictures of Auschwitz, a famous Nazi death camp in Poland, with the words “Kiss your calories goodbye” on their Facebook page. Around 3,000,000 people died at Auschwitz during World War II.

Obviously, many people were offended and upset when these images appeared on Facebook on Tuesday morning. One user said he was “shocked [at] the level of ignorance.” The company quickly took the images down and then made a statement on Twitter: “Apologies for the insane poster campaign that was put up this morning… The creative guy has been told where to go.”

It seems that the Circuit Factory really does regret the campaign. It appears that they have fired the creative guy who posted the pictures and have released the following statement from Phil Parkinson, who runs the company.

“I am mortified and extremely sorry and it was wrong,” Parkinson said. “I should not have put that campaign up. I am very sorry about that.”
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Posted on January 12, 2024 by Health Buzz

Planet Fitness is Biggest Loser 13 Contestants’ New Home

The first big product placement of tonight’s premier of season 13 of The Biggest Loser is for Planet Fitness. Gone are the days of sweating off the pounds in a 24 Hour Fitness outfitted gym. Contestants and viewers a like better get used to seeing Planet Fitness, a cost effective chain that made headlines in 2006 for terminating a member’s contract for grunting too loudly.

Planet Fitness markets itself as a “Judgement Free Zone”, and offers fitness equipment and personal trainers at its over 400 locations around the U.S. Planet Fitness’ membership cost is a huge selling point. Working out shouldn’t be expensive, and at $10 a month, it’s appealing to those trying to save a little green.

@Mrod31183 tweeted: “Did the deed. Left Lifetime for Planet Fitness, much better deal with not a much overhead. Great facility here in the hills as well.”

Some aren’t convinced, though. While Planet Fitness may be perfectly acceptable if you have Bob or Dolvett pushing you along the way, many aren’t fans of the lack of services.

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Posted on January 3, 2024 by Kelly

How to Find the Best Gym Membership Deal for the New Year

Your mailbox and email are probably stuffed full of gym flyers and ads promising the best deal on memberships to get you in shape for the New Year. While this time is probably the best time of year to get a screaming deal on a gym membership, you still want to be vigilent about making sure you know exactly what you’re signing up for so you aren’t hit with huge fees in a contract you can’t get out of later in the year.

You have more control over your membership and what you pay than you think, you just have to know what to ask for and what options are available to you. Bigger box gyms are usually locked into their membership rates, but have a lot of different membership options to choose from. Many gyms will have memberships with limited hours of access to the gym- like mid-day hours where it is less busy- for discounted prices. While this may mean you can only enter the facility during certain business hours, if it fits with your schedule, it’s worth discount. Don’t believe that the contract the membership sales person shows you is the best option for your situation. Ask for the cheapest most basic membership they offer, and work from there. Don’t forget to ask about senior options, military discounts, and student discounts if they apply to you.

Be sure to also ask about any specials they may be running as well. It’s New Years, which means most gyms will have some sort of special offer running. Whether it is zero enrollment fee, which can save you upwards of $100, or a few free months with a year contract, see what they can do for you.

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Posted on December 31, 2023 by Kelly

How Beyonce Keeps Her Body Bootylicious

Beyonce is known for several reasons, including her high-energy songs, fantastic acting and performing, and most definitely for her bootylicious body. The singer has always had curves and legs that inspire me to get my booty into the gym. When I am not really feeling like doing a workout, I can just blast one of her songs on my iPod and motivation instantly strikes.

So how does this gorgeous woman stay in such great shape? It takes a lot of dedication for Beyonce to look the way she does. When she is getting ready to go on tour, she spends nine hours every day working on the choreography for her shows while wearing 5-inch stilettos. She goes to the gym five times a week with her personal trainer. Like I said, the girl is definitely motivated.

If you are like me, you are wondering how she stays so motivated. Beyonce has a painting of an Oscar award at her gym so she can literally run towards one of her many goals.

“I look at it, and I’m OK, I have to stay in shape,” Beyonce said.

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Posted on July 2, 2023 by Health Buzz

Pick the Perfect Pair of Shoes for Your Workout

Usually when people pick out a pair of shoes, they go for two things: the right size and a look that they like. While this may work for a sexy pair of heels or some casual sneaks to wear with jeans, when it comes to fitness shoes, they aren’t a fashion statement: they are a piece of fitness equipment.

Just like when you invest in equipment for your home gym, everyone’s needs are different. Someone who works out in a gym is going to need different shoes than someone who prefers to run trails in the sunshine, or someone who prefers a game of pick up basketball is going to have different needs than someone who taking a Zumba class.

There are a lot of different kinds of shoes you can choose to workout in, but choosing the right type can mean the difference between a comfortable, effective workout, or pain and overuse injuries.

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Posted on June 23, 2023 by Kelly

Treadmill vs. Road Running: Choosing the Best Way to Run for You

As a runner, there’s nothing more wonderful than a cool morning, a gentle breeze, and some scenery. I love to run outside. Because of where I live, I typically run on pavement in neighborhoods. Sometimes I manage to run through parks and even along rivers during my weekly training. When everything is in sync, there’s noting better, but that’s just one runner’s opinion.

Many runners run outdoors on the pavement. However, there are also a lot of runners who actually prefer the treadmill. As I’ve had my fair share of terrain experience, I can safely say that neither is necessarily better, but they are very different.

Road Running

Road running naturally creates many benefits for the training athlete. Because of the uneven surface the outdoors provides, the body gets a complete workout. Stabilizing muscles have to work harder out on the road as the runner has to shift to adapt to the changes. Road running will also bring its share of climate obstacles. Wind will provide great resistance training and heat and cold can also help the runner prepare for any given race day condition. Another major bonus of road running is that it burns more calories than treadmill running as it is more intense and demands more energy from the leg muscles.

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Posted on June 22, 2023 by Lacy

Elliptical vs. Treadmill Workouts: Which is Right for You?

Whenever I ask people what their favorite way to get cardio in is, they usually mention two pieces of equipment: the elliptical and the treadmill. This is great because both offer a fantastic cardiovascular workout and work well for people of all kinds of fitness backgrounds. But how do these two pieces compare in regards to cost, ease of use and accessibility? Read on to see how ellipticals and treadmills  compare and how they differ- and find the piece of equipment that is perfect for you!

Cost

While both ellipticals and treadmills vary greatly in price and quality, when looking at cardio pieces that are appropriate for home use, ellipticals are typically a little bit less costly than treadmills. You have to be a savvy shopper, but know that your dollar is going to go a bit farther when buying an elliptical. While there are quite a few ellipticals on the market that are less than $1,000 and are OK for general home use, I can’t really say that about treadmills. This is because when you look at the basic machinery of the two types of equipment, a treadmill is just a little bit more complicated than an elliptical. When shopping and looking at price, also take into consideration that both pieces may need repairs under regular use, with treadmill belts usually needing a bit more love and repair than an ellitpical. Both pieces should come with warranties.

Who wins this one? The elliptical is a more cost-effective option.

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Posted on June 17, 2023 by Jennipher

Picking the Perfect Pair of Shoes for Zumba

Zumba Wear Gym Shoes on Amazon.com, $108.99

Zumba is taking over the world. It’s cheap, fun, easy and you don’t need much to join in on the Latin dance fitness craze except your body, whatever sense of rhythm you have, and the right shoes.

You don’t need those fancy high heels you may be picturing, however. Your regular gym shoes are just fine, but if you really want proper Zumba foot attire, there are a few things you should consider when picking out a new pair of kicks.

There are three basic elements to look at when purchasing any type of shoe: shock absorption, ankle support, and material and sole flexibility. Well, four, cause they have to look good, too, but that’s a given. These three elements become even more important when looking for shoes for a specific activity, which today is a kick-butt Zumba class.

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Posted on May 11, 2023 by Kelly

Exercise Trends Catering to Different Age Groups

Scarves and ponchos are among the things I would expect to boast a ‘one-size-fits-all’ label. Fitness clubs simply cannot. They are finally starting to realize that exercise classes don’t possess universal appeal and that they have to target their demographics very specifically. This is bringing about a booming trend for 2024: age-tailored exercising.

The fastest growing market, with the most expendable time and money, is the baby boomers. Men and women of this generation are dominating health clubs which is bringing about a rise in activities that appeal to them. The second largest demographic is kids, ages six to 17. As Meredith Poppler of the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association says, “Youth programming is a hot topic.” We must stop the rise of obesity now and the only way to do that, to truly eradicate obesity, is to educate and motivate our children. People are clearly understanding this message and gyms are responding with more family-friendly activities.

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Posted on February 17, 2024 by Theresa

Gym-Pact Charges Members Extra for Not Working Out

Gum pact logoYifan Zhang and Geoff Oberhofer are working to create a new system of gym memberships. Gym-Pact is a membership program that charges members higher fees if they don’t workout regularly. Zhang and Oberhofer are testing the theory that people are more motivated by short-term consequences than long-term rewards. It also creates a sense of accountability.

Gym-Pact has negotiated pilot programs with gyms in Boston. Their first partnership was for first-time customers at Bally Total Fitness, and now they’ve negotiated a group rate at Planet Fitness. Instead of a high up-front cost, the members of the Gym-Pact deal at Planet Fitness get a free membership if they workout four times per week. If not, they must pay $25.00.

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Posted on January 28, 2024 by Health Buzz

Gym Etiquette for Fitness Newbies

January always means one thing for indoor exercisers: Hoards of New Year’s resolution-ers will join gyms. If you’re new to the fitness center scene, take note that in addition to navigating your way through the treadmills and recumbent bicycles, there are some tacit rules of etiquette that health club members should try to follow, regardless of the season.

Clean up After Yourself: The same principles you learned in kindergarten apply to the inside of your fitness center. While most health clubs employ a housekeeping staff to sanitize machines, locker rooms and common areas, it makes their job easier when club members practice good manners post-workout.

Sanitize: Remember to wipe off machines when you’re done using them so that the person after you doesn’t have to run on a sweat-stained treadmill. In the locker room, remember to place your towel in the proper receptacles when you’re finished – and not just laying on the floor.

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Posted on January 11, 2024 by Maris