1. Will you receive a personally-tailored programme suitable for your body & your goals? Or will you be given an "off the shelf ? programme that is given to anyone with the same goals as you. We all have different bodies, requirements and needs and an off the shelf programme will not address these - one tailored to your body will.

2. What qualifications do the gym staff hold? Your programme should be designed by a fully qualified personal trainer with recognised industry certifications and qualifications not by a gym instructor who - although is qualified to design basic gym programmes and show you how to use the machines - does not have the required expertise to tailor a programme for your body & unique needs.

3. What equipment does the gym have? Is it full of fixed resistance machines and cardio equipment with a small free weights area and small matt space for stretching and stability ball work? Or is there a large matt area with lots of stability balls, free weights, lots of cardio equipment and only a few resistance machines? Given the choice, the second option is better than the first. With fully qualified trainers advising you on how to use stability balls safely - these are a much better option than using fixed resistance machines, which de-train crucial stabiliser muscles and can cause faulty movement patterns.

4. Does the gym provide advice on other areas of health & fitness? Exercise is only a small part of the equation. Your club should acknowledge this and help you address more areas of your health & fitness other than just exercise - these can include nutrition advice & consultations, massage therapy services, relaxation & meditation classes, corrective programmes for postural problems and many more.

5. Is your gym more concerned with getting in new members than taking care of its existing ones? You can tell this by the offers to new members that are always being advertised and whether you could join the gym for cheaper now than you could when you joined. And an even simpler way - if your gym doesn't ask for feedback, respond to feedback and care about what its members think, they are not providing good customer service because they do not know what their customers want. Gyms should be doing their utmost to keep you there by providing everything you need to keep yourself in good health not focusing all their efforts on continually getting new members in the doors because of a high turnover of members that they don't keep happy.