When you're checking out a health club, it's important to ask about their medical emergency response plan. The American Heart Association has recommended that health clubs and gyms have a written and practiced plan in place, but a study has found that most do not.

In a survey of 122 health clubs in Ohio, 60% had no written medical emergency response plan, and 92% failed to conduct quarterly emergency response drills. AHA also recommends that staff members should be certified in CPA, know how to recognize and respond to conditions such as chest pain, low blood sugar, or dizziness, and have a plan for who stays with the patient until the emergency medical response team arrives.

The survey also found that many gyms do not pre-screen members for heart disease. Yet there has been a dramatic increase in the number of health and fitness club members over the age of 35, with the fastest-growing segment in the over-55 age group. Furthermore, 17% of the clubs reported at least one heart attack or sudden death at their facility during the past 5 years.