Heather Johnson describes her fitness and rehab journey after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a racquetball accident. This is a guest author contribution

This is the worst thing that could have happened to me, I thought, after the doc took one look at my knee and confirmed that I would need surgery to reconstruct my torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A nasty fall on the racquet ball court put me out of action for a few weeks, and an MRI said knee surgery was required. Three months later, the fitness routine I had put together boosted my fitness level and improved my stamina while allowing me total use of my knee again. There seems to be some fitness found in therapy.

I certainly didn’t think my injury was serious enough to merit a surgery, not when there was no swelling and just the minimum amount of pain. I nursed my injured knee with ice and rest for the first few weeks but the MRI proved surgery would be required.

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If you are a beginner like myself or a seasoned gym rat, choosing a gym is an important decision to be made and there are lots of things to consider. As the saying goes, “location, location, location”, but it’s more than just that. There are costs involved, contracts to be signed, hours of operation and if you’re a mom, what about the child care options. There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a gym, and it should be done only after careful consideration.

I’m on a journey towards a healthy lifestyle filled with vibrancy and vitality. Most recently, I have made the decision and committed to a gym membership after serious contemplating. Exercise was the missing piece to my puzzle.

Significant changes over the last several months in my eating and lifestyle choices have been made but until now I was not mentally ready to join a gym.

The year was 1981 and Olivia Newton John zoomed to the top of the music charts with her song, Let’s Get Physical which inspired everyone to join a gym, sign up for gym class and wear spandex. Me, I was in Grade nine and (mandatory) gym class later ended ended for me in 1985. Not to mention, Participation.

Folks, it’s now 2008!

During my recent tours of various fitness facilities, the following are the top considerations I had to make before signing my contract

10 Things to Consider When Choosing A Gym

1 Atmosphere You’re going to spend a good portion of your time and money here so make sure it feels right to you. When a friend and I started looking for a gym I felt incredibly intimidated by one such gym with the amount of grunting, groaning and amount of posturing that went on in front of some of the mirrors. Make sure you get good vibes and feel comfortable the moment you walk into the door. Think of it this way, why would you spend your time or money going somewhere that you don’t enjoy? If you don’t consider this, your money will be wasted.

2 People A gym is like any other business, it’s there to make money. No matter how good the product is, it’s the people that can make or break a business. What is their interaction with others when you check out the gym(s) to make your choice? Are there many staff around when you need to ask questions? Can you connect with them or are they unapproachable? Do they have the qualifications? I actually interviewed the manager of the gym we chose and discovered she had been with this company for 25 years! She showed passion, enthusiasm and genuine interest in us when we met.

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Diesel Crew does some great chain training here. Chains provide an unstable environment for lifting as well as changing the resistance by putting more load on your muscles when they’re in their strongest part of the movement. Jim Smith is the author of Combat Core Conditioning, the most advanced torso strength training manual I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

Jim “Smitty” Smith is a strength coach and cofounder of the Diesel Crew. Jim dedicates himself to studying, developing and enhancing athletic performance through the utilization of conventional and non-conventional training protocols, including; powerlifting, weightlifting, strongman, odd-objects, Russian kettlebells and grip strength methodologies. This distinctive and comprehensive approach has helped athletes of all skills levels attain their goals and “Achieve Beyond Potential.” Jim is an active student of strength athletics and is always seeking new ways to innovate and provide a unique perspective for gaining muscle, rehabbing injuries, improving performance and building better athletics. Jim is a contributor to Mens Health magazine.

Get Smitty’s free report on Combat Core Exercise!

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I’ve realized that exercise will increase my weight loss and help get my body get into better condition. I finally decided that it was time to step out of my comfort zone

If I was going to be true to this experience, I had to go to the gym.

Remember, I haven’t exercised since 1985 and the hardbodies at the gym became more and more intimidating as I visualized myself in that situation.

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Rounding out our day of strong women, this Barbie Barbell video of her deadlifting 282 pounds. Earlier we featured Barbie’s world record bench press which she performed at age 17 16 and a body weight of 112 pounds.

This is one strong woman.

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