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'There are no excuses'

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By HAROLD VALENTINE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

NORTHDALE - The name says it all - Anytime Fitness means those looking for a workout can do so 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at the exercise club.

Owner Jim Burke said because access is 24 hours, the club stresses safety with an electronic key for members, recording cameras inside and out of the building, and plenty of buttons and telephones with a direct line to 9-1-1.

"There are no excuses," manager Sara Zimmerman said about members looking to work out.
Zimmerman said she and Burke know "pretty much" everybody who comes to exercise. Because members come at different parts of the day and night, she said folks never have to wait to use the resources, which include cardiovascular machines, weights, showers, a tanning bed and a masseuse set to be available in the future.
Zimmerman said round-the-clock availability yields a relatively private workout at the club, which opened in September.

"Members here just want a place they feel comfortable," she said. "They're not here to slam weights and check out girls and guys."

Member Tom Mangan works out with his co-worker and friend Arthur Khan at Anytime Fitness. Mangan said with his afternoon and evening work hours, 24-hour access allows him to exercise in the mornings on some days and at midnight during others.

"It just works for us," Mangan said. "The big thing is the 24-hour access."

Burke said his Northdale location of the national chain works because about 200,000 well-educated people who "earn a good living" reside within a five-mile radius of the business at 15457 N. Dale Mabry Highway.

Members can work out at many Anytime Fitness locations, including several other clubs in the Tampa Bay area.

Burke's location sits behind the stores fronting North Dale Mabry. "It's a little bit tougher back here," he said.

Burke said many couples exercise together and keep each other on their toes. For February, Zimmerman said the $60 enrollment fee likely will be waived for couples interested in a one-year contract. With a one-year contract, members pay $39.99; monthly members pay $48.99.
Zimmerman said the club offers discounts for teachers, the military, law enforcement and firefighters.

ANYTIME FITNESS

ADDRESS: 15457 N. Dale Mabry Highway
HOURS: open 24-7

CONTACT: (813) 264-1861 or anytimefitness.com

Reporter Harold Valentine can be reached at (813) 865-1526 or hvalentine@tampatrib.com.

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