Gyms & Fitness Centers in North York

At Regency Fitness, a staff of amicable trainers introduces new members to their 17,000-square-foot facility, stocked with TV-mounted Precor cardio machines, weight equipment, and free weights. In group fitness classes, they also help members stretch into Hatha yoga poses, amp up cardio workouts with Zumba's Latin-inspired dance-party moves, and pummel punching bags during Box Fit sessions. After workouts, steam rooms stand by to melt sore muscles and snowmen with poor judgment.

Fierce Fitness founder Meagan Mayada Hesham has taken up residency in the world of fitness for more than a decade, working as a personal trainer, dance instructor, and competitor. She has a special place in her heart for dance, however, as she started dancing in a latin troupe when she was just a kid. This early involvement eventually led her to discover and fall in love with egyptian belly dance, the form that empowered her to embrace her body, as well as pursue a career as a professional belly dancer and teacher. In her classes, Meagan aims to help other women overcome body-image issues and better themselves physically, showcasing empathy for clients no matter where they’re at in their fitness journeys. After all, she’s probably been there at one point in her life—she’s admittedly, at times, been overweight, in love with junk food, and a new mom with residual pounds.

Today, Meagan and her team encourage women to get fit during fun classes, personal-training sessions, and 12-week body-transformation programs. Students can build core strength and charm snakes into doing their chores for them with the undulating hip movements of belly-dance classes or challenge their whole physiques during total-body boot camps.

After struggling through regular yoga classes for 12 years, plus-size yogi Suzanne Gracan opened FitZonePLUS, a fitness facility designed for those deterred by traditional gyms. She and her team of instructors have designed modified yoga and Zumba classes for those less comfortable in regular classes. Yoga poses are designed for all skill levels and attainable for most through the use of props. Zumba classes are slower than average and boast simpler dance steps. Instructors help any students having particular trouble by adjusting poses to accommodate physical ability, keeping classes challenging though encouraging.