Unless you are highly motivated, joining a fitness club can be a great way to improve fitness especially if you need motivating, but which one? However, until you now what your goal is it will be difficult so you need to work out what you hope to achieve by joining a club. If you choose your club well you will probably be a member for a long time; the reverse is also true.

Probably the most important consideration is the location, those clubs that are have the best attendance are either located close to home or work, anywhere outside of this and you will probably make excuses as to why you cannot go.

You must be comfortable with your trainer and be happy that they are professional and have sufficient experience to train you. Your instructor will need to know if you have physical limitations and if that is the case if he or she is qualified to train you.

Test the staff out by asking them questions about the club and services as this will tell you professional and keen they are to have you as a member. If the fitness club you are looking at has its own professional physiotherapist and dietician for example, you can bet the club is serious about their commitment to members.

You also need to know that their opening times are extensive as if they are short you may find the club becomes very busy or it might be difficult for you to fit in with their schedule. So if the prospective fitness club does have classes you enjoy, why not ask for a taster session to see if it is what you want.

It is also important to ensure the club has enough exercise and weight training equipment to meet the demand as there is nothing more frustrating than queuing for an item of equipment. The more modern fitness facilities available these days are world apart from training equipment a few years ago; machines are much safer and easier to use but look out for damaged or broken machines as these should really be fixed within a week.

Most clubs are also a venue for social interaction so take time to drop by and meet the members of the club before you enroll because other members can be your buddies in the near future and should be considered. Checking the cost of membership is probably the last thing you need to do but you also need to find out if they increase it regularly every year and if there are any other costs they haven't told you about.

To get a good idea of the fitness clubs available in your area, you should try two or three to see which one ‘feels' right and meets your needs. Although all of this may sound like a great deal of effort to go to, you won't want to do this every year, so it is important to find a club you want to stay at.