By Sophia Pappas
A quick run on the treadmill could cost you more than a few calories.
At L.A. Fitness, at Michigan Road and 106th Street in Carmel, gym members have reported that personal items such as cash, wallets, iPhones and jewelry have been stolen in recent weeks from the men’s locker room.
L.A. Fitness Operations Manager Chris Brady said these issues could have been prevented if people had taken precautions.
“Over 90 percent of these problems can be avoided,” Brady said. “It’s about common sense.”
L.A. Fitness provides free lockers in its locker rooms – users need to bring only their own lock.
“You just need a $3 or $4 lock and all of your things will be safe,” Brady said.
The gym also provides small four-inch-by-four-inch wallet cubbies with coded locks. There are 30 of these upstairs by the elliptical machines and 30 downstairs by the check-in desk. These boxes are also free for members to use.
Brady advises all gym members to use these small boxes for their wallets and keys while they work out.
“Leaving your locker unlocked is just asking for someone to steal your things,” Brady said. “It’s like a woman leaving her purse on the passenger seat with her car unlocked.”
Last year, L.A. Fitness also combatted a problem with car break-ins. Most of these happened when women left their purses and wallets in plain view, or in their trunk, which is a common place for thieves to find cash and credit cards.
“We have more than 2,000 people check into the gym every day,” Brady said. “You have to be careful.”
Brady said L.A. Fitness calls the Carmel Police Department whenever a theft is reported, and police have been very helpful in identifying the thieves. The car break-ins were resolved by officers making frequent drive-bys in front of the gym and through the parking lot.