Cherry Hill, NJ Health and Fitness

When we work out alone, this is how it goes: we can’t figure out the machines, do a wimpy walk on the treadmill, go home, and eat Funyons. Today’s Groupon brings back the buddy system before letting you loose on the gym. For $29, you get an hour-long personal training session and fitness assessment (a $35 value) and a one-month membership (a $75 value) at Optimal Sport Health Clubs. Your personal training session pairs you up with an expert trainer to evaluate your fitness level, help you set personal goals, briefly exchange Dungeons and Dragons anecdotes, and get you started on a proper workout. You'll get an entire month to put your training into practice with unlimited access to Optimal's equipment and group fitness classes at any of its three locations: Philadelphia Curtis Center, Newtown, and Burlington, NJ. Plus, if you decide you want to join Optimal Sport Health Club after your Groupon month is up, your initiation fee is waived.Follow @Groupon_Says on Twitter.

Cherry Hill Health & Racquet Club's fitness facilities sprawl over 160,000 square feet, giving a friendly, family-oriented venue to quench appetites for exercise and recreation. Transform modest arms into muscle-stuffed torso extensions by lifting one, or even two, of Cherry Hill's 20,000 pounds of free weights. Others can bolster their endurance on one of the club's 65 cardio machines—each equipped with its own digital entertainment system—or by hitting the tennis court with less entertaining analog friends. Destroy opponents and calories in racquetball, or take to the club's full-size hardwood court to compete in fast-paced basketball, tactical volleyball, or interminable flexed-arm-hang competitions.

At Pennsylvania Center for Dental Excellence, Dr. Leonard Tau—an American Dental Association member and one of Philadelphia magazine's Top Dentists of 2010—places special emphasis on patient comfort. Patients can indicate their preferences among myriad amenities, such as massage chairs and paraffin wax treatments, as they nibble and sip complimentary refreshments in the waiting room. During treatments, blanketed patients snuggle into massage chairs, unwind with music on loaner iPods, and watch DVDs on a flat-screen TV that obviates the need to bring a dentist to the movie theater.

As the morning begins, a row of toddlers takes turns tumbling feet over head while their parents guide them into the correct movement. Later, school-age kids sit in a circle, legs stretched before them as they try to touch their toes. The trained staff of My Gym Children's Fitness Center imbue kids with life skills through music, physical activities, and games. Many classes incorporate physical exercises with social and developmental skills, while summer camps are also available seasonally. All classes take place in a well-padded room, led by staff trained in child development and fluent in Muppet.

For some, hearing “boot camp” conjures up images of red-faced drill sergeants and grueling obstacle courses. At Ambler Bootcamp, nationally certified personal trainer Blair Baxter tries to keep the mood a bit lighter. His supportive approach to fitness is visible during indoor camps and personal-training sessions, where his fun mix of cardio, strength training, and core exercises help keep muscles and minds engaged. To implement these workouts, he rolls out dumbbells, kettlebells, ropes, and TRX suspension-training gear—which encourages stretching—as well as a poster of a kitten hanging from a tree.