Did you know that? Curves is the largest fitness franchise with 10,000 locations worldwide, according to their website. Curves first began in 1992, in Harlingen, Texas. Curves for Women locations is in 42 countries, including Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Japan and Australia, to name only a few. Curves estimates that they have more than 4 million members.

Gary Heavin is the founder of Curves. After dropping out of a pre-med degree program he could no longer afford, he took over a struggling health club. The rest, as we say, is history. Within a few short years, Heavin owned 17 fitness centers. Through trial and error, Heavin determined that the average person doesn’t prevail at typical fitness center. Heavin began to develop fitness centers that had a relaxed environment that encouraged productive socializing among members and a variety of exercise options.

At Curves, members engage in 30-minute workout routines modeled after traditional circuit training, with a variety of equipment stations placed in a circle. Members spend a set amount of time at one station before moving on to the next. Members change stations at the same time and move in the same direction, and they are able to converse with fellow members on either side of them.

It’s a simple formula and it has made the Curve for Women fitness centers enormously popular.

There are many reasons for deciding that exercising at home is better than joining a fitness clubs is best for you. For instance, if you have young children to look after, working out at home may be your preferred option.

If that is the case, exercise instruction videos may offer sufficient motivation and encouragement. Try to rotate several exercise videos so that you do not become bored with the routine. The more variation there is in your workouts the more results you’ll see, as the body will, unfortunately, adapt to the stress of exercise and you will find yourself getting diminishing returns over time.

However, exercising at a local fitness club may help you stay even more motivated. In visiting fitness clubsfor your daily workouts, you are likely to find others following a similar schedule as yours. Forging connections with others at the club can help you stay motivated.

Perhaps you have a friend who is also interested in achieving fitness goals. Consider working out together. Not only will exercise be more fun as a shared experience with your friend, but you can offer each other support and encouragement, especially on days when you just don’t feel like going. It’s a gentle but powerful form of accountability to share these common goals and encourage each other.

Can’t make it to a fitness club? Surrounded by friends who are not encouraging? You can always turn to cyberspace. Here is an extensive listing of Google Groups focused on weight loss and fitness.