1Hello everyone, and welcome to the "Fit for Life" Health Centre,
2a place which, as the name suggests, is not just for short-term solutions,
3but rather, intends to put you on a sensible and achievable footing for the rest of your life.
4And that's how we're different.
5For example, we could immediately put you on a harsh exercise program,
6expecting you to work out every day, but such a plan would see you quickly lose interest.
7That's why the initial step is a one-and-a-half-hour consultation,
8in which your lifestyle, current situation, and long-term goals, are all thoroughly analysed.
9Now, an important part of this consultation involves analysing what you eat.
10There's no point exercising here, and losing weight, then putting it all back on, later.
11You will need to show self-control and discipline in your diet, and we'll work on that.
12Similarly, we'll put you on an exercise regime suitable for your level of fitness,
13so that will involve a test, where we will take you through some activities,
14then measure your heart rate and blood pressure to determine how fit you are.
15This will be monitored during every subsequent consultation,
16along with your exercise schedule,
17and that occurs monthly, and not half-yearly, as with many other centres.
18As to our actual exercise machines and programs,
19you will have to decide whether it is muscle mass,
20stamina, or general fitness, that you want to develop.
21Think about which of these three you want to target,
22and we'll design a specific program for you,
23but remember, bulging muscles aren't necessarily suitable for everyone.
24Sometimes it's better to think in terms of two simple concepts:
25muscle definition and stamina;
26or, if you are female, being fit and healthy, in both mind and body.
27Now, if you're going to work out at this gym,
28you'll need to think about your reasons for exercising,
29so let's consider that in more detail.
30Muscle mass is certainly popular with the guys, probably seeking, to impress the girls,
31and with muscles comes the confidence to do that, right?
32Well, for that, you'll need our high-stress weight units, where pumping iron is all the rage.
33Moving on to other benefits, one of the main ones is beating the tension of life, right,
34and the longer the exercise is, the greater the rewards in this respect.
35Thus, playing squash can certainly help, and so can swimming,
36but what's much better, as every jogger will tell you, is their activity,
37so we have ample jogging machines, and they're always popular.
38They can provide good fitness too, as can the yoga classes;
39however, again, let's not forget playing squash,
40which, I would say, is the optimum way to improve your general wellbeing.
41Such an active, energetic game, plus the competitive element,
42drives you forward into high levels of health and fitness.
43These, of course, are the ultimate purposes of being here,
44but remember, the centre is full of like-minded people,
45all of whom are interesting to meet, and valuable sources of information.
46The yoga classes have a pre- and post-meeting session,
47so you'll certainly meet others there,
48although they'll all be yoga enthusiasts,
49which limits the range somewhat.
50But whether doing yoga, swimming, or exercising, everyone showers, right,
51so those facilities are where you'll hear all sorts of interesting conversations, and really get to know people
52not like the front-desk area,
53which is mostly empty as patrons go immediately inside to do their exercise.
54Of course, the front desk can answer all your questions,
55and has information brochures, and such like,
56but for knowing more about a greater variety of subjects and community concerns,
57look at the notice board in the yoga studio,
58where there's a huge array of papers, leaflets, and articles, all for you to read and consider.