My son, Bode, has just started school, and so it’s finally time to get serious about my fitness goals. There are no more excuses! I’m not much of a gym rat, but it’s time to find a regular gym. So I visited the Rosedale Club to give it a try. 

First impressions
It’s stylish, modern and includes a coffee and snack bar. My entire house could fit into the bathroom, but esthetics aside, the vibe is unpretentious and welcoming.  

The facility
The 18,000-square-foot facility includes a group exercise space, cycling theatre, turf zone, weight and cardio room, lounge and more.   

Instructor
Co-owner and my trainer for the day Mike Clements has a background in hockey and weightlifting. He has a physical education degree with a major in sports science, is a certified Ontario Kinesiology Association member and worked in New Brunswick for two years in spinal cord rehabilitation. 

Classes
Many classes are offered here from barre to functional training, Pilates, bootcamp, rowing, cycling and yoga. The classes are included in the gym membership. 

Equipment
This is the only gym in Canada to have a complete line of the latest Technogym equipment, a.k.a. the same machines that have been used in the athletes’ village for the past five Summer Olympics. 

What is Technogym? It is a European line of fitness machines that offers a unique design and interface for users. Members download the MyWellness app that will sync to every piece of equipment in the gym. Their profile will be linked and each machine will track the user’s progress and sends out a weekly progress report. It also tracks when the user has a personal best, or when activity is below normal. 

The session
Clements took me through a full fitness evaluation starting with a health and fitness questionnaire, followed by a semi-dietary analysis and a full body composition analysis to determine my current weight, body fat and viceral fat percentage, lean tissue percentage, metabolic age and rate. The personalized fitness assessment was eye opening, and Clements understood my individual limitations and goals. I also didn’t have to explain what diastasis recti was (separation of abdominal muscles after having a giant baby).    

Favourite part
The high-tech equipment and one-on-one analysis were very appealing to me. I learned so much! For example, most people make the mistake of thinking diet is all about the calories, when in fact it is where you’re getting your calories from.