Jill Fier

According to the federal government, a clear majority of Americans are overweight or obese.

Maybe that’s why health and fitness stories can be found in nearly every newspaper published and nearly every news program broadcasted every day.

Brookings citizens are not immune to that increased interest in physical fitness, and many of their weight-loss options come with a hefty price.

At least three gyms in town offer a place to focus on your body, but membership is by no means free.

All offer membership options based on number of people joining and how long memberships are for. Although all gyms offer many options for payment, all figures will be a one-year membership for one person.

The Powershop Gym in downtown Brookings charges $433 for a single annual membership.

Dakota Wellness in the Village Square Mall charges $360 for a full year, and the Wellness Center charges $384, but it also requires a $40 joining fee (but don’t forget it’s free for those with student I.D.’s).

Gym memberships are not the only health-related costs that seem to be popping up everywhere now-a-days.

Diets, from the South Beach diet to Weight Watchers to the Atkins low-carb diet, are new buzz words in the media.

Margaret Siegel, a Nikken Independent Wellness Consultant, said fad diets can often have the opposite of the desired slimming affect on your body.

“Everyone’s body responds different to diets. If diets are not a permanent lifestyle change, your body is going to yo-yo,” she said, referring to the common weight gain people experience when they end a diet.

Warren Anderson, whose wife owns Nature’s Paradise Health Food Store on Sixth Street, said that the low carb diet has been around for years, but interest has spiked recently.

Atkins Advantage bars are priced between $0.99 and $1.99 at Nature’s Paradise, and the store also offers other health food options like soy products and vitamins.

Wal-mart also features diet food products like Atkins and SlimFast. The store also featured four different Atkins-related books ranging in price from $10.88 to $17.47.

All in all, staying in shape can be done affordably if you use your head and think creatively. The next time you put on a few pounds, don’t go broke trying to lose it all.