Over the weekend, we got in a discussion with a couple we met at home fitness equipment store about gyms. They had recently joined a high-end health club, which they were generally happy with.

Prior to joining the upscale club, they had belonged to one of those corporate mega gyms. Many of you know the type: huge facilities, more equipment than you could ever think about using, 24 hours (or at least early morning to late night hours), etc.

They hated it. It wasn’t so much the blaring music (though that didn’t help matters), but rather the fact they felt like the gym was constantly trying to sell supplements and other nutritional “plans”.

We understand that supplements can add greatly to a gym’s bottom line and, from a business sense, selling supplements is a good strategy. However, the overwhelming majority (we’re talking in the area of 95%) of people going to a gym do not need any supplements, except perhaps a multi-vitamin. Worse yet, supplements (especially the protein mixes and the sports drinks) are a source of extra calories and consuming them defeats the purpose of going to the gym in the first place. Not to mention that the fact that a bottle of water and a balanced diet of non-processed foods is considerably more beneficial.

If your gym constantly pushes supplements and you have a choice of going elsewhere, do so. There are several community gyms that, though smaller in size, are quite good. (We’ve often seen Precor machines at these facilities.) YMCA’s are also a good bet. There are also many smaller, private gyms that are well run. Look around, your choices may surprise you.