Health-and-Fitness online information.

LOOKING for a way to get healthy and improve your social life? Joining a health and fitness center is a great way to start! Think about it. Hundreds of people, all gathered for the same purpose (usually), with a common goal of working out and staying healthy. The gym is perhaps the best place to meet people who share your interest in healthy living.

"A gym is a good place to meet people," says Los Angeles clinical psychologist Dr. Gaff Elizabeth Wyatt, a sex therapist, researcher and professor of psychiatry and bio-behavioral science at UCLA. "It increases the likelihood that you might find someone with similar interests, and for that reason, it's better than a bar."

Even if you're married, you can still improve your relationship at the gym. You don't have to be single to reap the benefits of spending time together, working out and sharing an essential part of your lives. Michael and Tracie Dugan of Studio City, Calif., have been married since 1994 and discovered early on that they both have a passion for working out. The couple exercise together at least once a week, and separately four or five times a week. Their daughter, Brooke, also is very active.

And while not everyone at the gym is looking to socialize, the industry's latest trend is to make the gym a place that people don't want to leave. You've got juice bars, saunas, Jacuzzis, full-service spas with massage therapy and even cafes. For many, going to the gym has become more of a lifestyle experience than a way to improve and maintain good health.

# posted by Medical Information : 12:45 AM