Anytime Fitness

CHESTERMERE – Okay, so it’s the second week of January, how many of you have made a New Year’s resolution and how many of you have kept it until now. Good for you if you have! Statistics show that most New Year’s resolutions last about a month to 6 weeks and then trickle off to extinction; and likely the cycle will continue the same time the following year. Most resolutions are to quit smoking or lose a few pounds. A new fitness centre in the Chestermere Station area called “Anytime Fitness” will be opening their doors within a few weeks and they will assist you with at least one of those resolutions. The owners, Aman Antal and Stephane Boily, want you to think of this as a fitness centre as opposed to a gym. Often people will think of going to the gym to build muscle and Antal and Boily want to overcome that mindset and make it a place to come to get in shape or stay fit. They opened the fitness centre to make it accessible to everyone and for anytime of the day or night. The two franchise owners hope your fitness will become a lifestyle and they are the ones providing the place to the members anytime – day or night. Yes that’s right, 24/7 access to a brand new facility with brand new state of the art equipment.
A quick tour of the unfinished facility reveals the completion is just a few weeks away. The fitness centre occupies 4 of the 6 bays of the mall and takes up 5200 square feet of space. They are in the middle of the strip mall with 2 future eateries on either side of the gym. The space is mostly open with the exception of a room separated for special classes such as a spin class or yoga. The rather large room also features a big screen TV where you can have, for example, an on-line interactive training session for a group of people. On the other side of the gym are 3 private washrooms and the administration office. Two of the washrooms are 3 piece bathrooms where after your workout, you could shower, powder up and then head off to work.
It looks like treadmills may line the front of the fitness centre with an assortment of upright bikes, recumbent bikes, elliptical cross trainers, steppers, cutting-edge strength training and cardio equipment behind. From their design drawing it appears there is plenty of room for lots of equipment. There is one other area just behind at the rear of the centre that is designated for free weights (ranging from 5 to 110 pounds) and the increasingly popular cable exercise systems.
Access to the club is protected by a state-of-the-art security system and will only be granted with the proper key/card. For the safety and security of their members there are 11 cameras throughout the facility which will be monitored and recorded from the facility itself. They will also be able to monitor any security issues and go over any incident if it occurs at the facility. In addition there a 4 personal safety device necklaces that provide for one-touch access to emergency care.
Each new member will receive a FREE personal fitness orientation, including an explanation and demonstration of basic exercise principles and a quick, safe, and effective exercise program.
Anytime Fitness is a franchise and has about 2000 locations worldwide and 1800 in North America alone. There are 3 locations in Calgary and as a member of the one in Chestermere; you have access to any one of these fitness centres through the world. If you’re a hero; meaning if you are a firefighter, policeman/policewoman, nurse or doctor you can get what they call a “Hero Membership” at a discount. Summer students could also be offered discounts.
Antal says “We want this to be the member’s fitness centre, for the members to create a club culture and have a social experience – it’s not about selling memberships; it’s about retaining the members we have”. He added “When it’s your club you’ll take care of the equipment and enjoy coming here”.
Anytime Fitness also has a Facebook page: www.facebook.com/anytimefitnessfitness. This is where they post most of the updates and launch their promos first before doing the marketing in the community. The Facebook group page is for members to interact with other members and plan any fitness class that they would like to conduct at the facility.
Another great resource is their fitness tracking website “Anytime Health”. This will be free for all members where they can track their calories, watch workout videos from other trainers, read more about fitness and nutritional topics.
They are currently operating out of the old Sears beside Safeway where they are taking membership signing and introducing you to all of the facilities features. For membership enquiries for the Chestermere Health Club call 403-918-IFIT (4348). They are taking appointments for pre-sale memberships. They will have staff during these hours: Monday – Friday: 9am – 8pm, Saturday: 9am – 4pm, Sunday: 9pm – 4pm. The new location is at #303 – 100 Marina Drive.
Whatever your reasons for working out, make a lifestyle change and join today. It just takes 21 days to make a habit and you’ll be proud of yourself for keeping that New Year’s resolution.