Gym membership in the U.S. hit a record high in 2025, according to the Health & Fitness Association, giving consumers more workout options — and more choices to sort through when picking the right fitness space.

Amid today’s wellness renaissance, many gyms and fitness clubs can cost hundreds of dollars per month, depending on the level of access and amenities offered.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Kenny Santucci — New York City fitness trainer, gym owner and host of the “Strong New York” podcast — revealed the attributes of a great gym.

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“A lot of people traditionally look at gyms [as if] they have to have all the bells and whistles,” he said. “Spa, bathrooms, all these things. For me, a gym is a gym. I go there for the equipment, I go for the culture, I go for the look and feel of the place.”

He added, “You can have an incredible gym [that’s] a garage gym, and you can have an incredible gym [that] somebody could have built for $10 million.”

Amid today’s wellness renaissance, many gyms and fitness clubs can cost hundreds of dollars per month, depending on the level of access and amenities offered. A New York City fitness trainer (not pictured) has a different view of what makes the best gyms.

Santucci, who visits new gyms across the country and posts his experiences on social media, said he looks for a balance between aesthetics and equipment quality, as well as “great people.”

“I think you could go and get in a sweat or a workout anywhere — but if the people are great, that’s what creates that great culture,” he said.

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“If you ask the average person who goes to most big-box gyms, the things they tell you they love about the gym are, ‘Oh, I love the showers. They have really nice towels.’ It’s nothing that actually pertains to the gym, and I believe that people should go to the gym to progress and get better,” he added.

With these goals in mind, Santucci revealed some of his top-rated gyms in the U.S.

Life Time Fitness

Life Time is a chain of luxury health clubs in the U.S., offering amenities like indoor courts, swimming pools, saunas and group fitness classes.

Santucci applauded the gym’s founder and CEO, Bahram Akradi, for being a “very hands-on owner and operator,” overseeing hundreds of gyms across the country.

The facade of an upscale Lifetime gym is shown in Walnut Creek, California, on April 8, 2025. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

“[Bahran’s] mentality and belief system around the fitness space, I absolutely love,” he said.

“I give a lot of credit to the guys who are owners and operators,” Santucci added. “They’re in the space, they’re making sure things are going really well. I think if you’re going to be in the gym business, you should be one of those people.”

Anatomy Gyms (Florida)

Santucci also shouted out Marc Megna, co-founder and co-CEO of Florida-based Anatomy Fitness for building a must-visit space.

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“It’s an incredible culture there, and I think that’s what they really push at that gym,” he said.

“The way the gym’s set up, the cleanliness of it, the aesthetics – you walk in that place, and you want to train … and those are things you can’t just buy … You have to live it, love it and be involved in the day-to-day operations.”

Powerhouse (New York/New Jersey)

In a newer recommendation, Santucci said he’s enjoyed stopping into Powerhouse Gym in New York City.

The New York- and New Jersey-based gym focuses on weight training and bodybuilding, including a powerlifting room and boxing rig at its locations.

“I just started going there, once or twice a week,” he said. “I really love the people and the culture.”

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The Training Lab (NYC)

For more of a group fitness and Hyrox training experience, Santucci recommends The Training Lab in New York City. (Hyrox is a global fitness racing brand and training system with affiliated gyms and training clubs.)

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“The guys over at Training Lab are incredible,” he told Fox News Digital. “Another owner-operator who’s involved in the business, who partakes in everything. I think they’re another great gym.”

“If you’re looking for group training, Training Lab’s a great space.”

Participants compete in the burpee broad jumps event during the Hyrox fitness race at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Bangkok on March 21, 2026. (Amaury Paul/AFP)

The price of wellness

While some premier gym memberships can cost upward of $300 a month, Santucci said it isn’t necessary to spend a lot to get results, although it may result in more of an “experience.”

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“We need to restructure the way we think about health and wellness,” he said. “People aren’t going out as much anymore. They’re not spending as much on alcohol.

“It’s all what you prioritize. I prioritize fitness,” he went on. “I belong to multiple gyms. I have a membership to TMPL Gym here in [New York City]. I have a membership to Renzo Gracie’s. That’s what I like to do with my money.”

While some premier gym memberships can cost upward of $300 a month, Santucci emphasized that it isn’t necessary to spend a lot to get results. (iStock)

Santucci said what he’s paying for goes beyond the equipment — pointing to the staff, community and overall atmosphere as part of the value.

“If you want that elevated experience, you’re going to pay for that just like you would at a hotel or a restaurant or anything else,” he said.

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The expert suggested that wellness has recently become a “third form of hygiene.”

“It’s like you take a shower, you brush your teeth and you go to the gym,” he said. “I think those are three non-negotiables for almost everybody on a daily basis when it comes to your hygiene.”

This is part one of a series examining the challenges confronting the NATO alliance.

NATO has become a “bloated architecture” too dependent on American military power, former senior national security advisor Keith Kellogg told Fox News Digital.

As President Donald Trump pressures NATO allies to spend more on defense — ordering the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany and signaling possible cuts in Spain and Italy — a deeper concern is emerging inside the alliance: despite years of rising European defense budgets, NATO still depends heavily on American military power, from missile defense and intelligence to logistics and nuclear deterrence. 

The growing gap between political commitments and real military capability is now fueling calls for structural changes inside the alliance as NATO confronts mounting threats from Russia and instability in the Middle East.

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NATO’s imbalance is not theoretical — and it is not new, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg told Fox News Digital, “I told the president… maybe you ought to talk about a tiered relationship with NATO,” Kellogg described conversations with Trump in his first term about the alliance’s future. “…we need to develop a new, for lack of a better term, a new NATO a new defensive alignment with  Europe.“

Kellogg added the alliance has expanded politically but not militarily — creating what he sees as a growing gap between commitments and real capability.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, President Donald Trump and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose during the NATO Heads of State and Government summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. (Ben Stansall/Pool/Reuters)

“You started with 12, and you went to 32, and in the process, I think you diluted the impact,” he argued, calling today’s NATO “a very bloated architecture.”

“They haven’t put the money into defense. Their defense industry and defense forces have atrophied. When you look at the Brits right now, they could barely deploy forces: they have two aircraft carriers, both under maintenance. Their brigades are like one out of six that work. And you just look at the capability, it’s just not there. So I think we need to realize that and say, well, we need something different,” Kellogg, who is the co-chair of the Center for American Security at the America First Foreign Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital.

But not everyone agrees the alliance is losing relevance.

“It has never been more relevant,” said John R. Deni, a research professor at the U.S. Army War College, who says NATO remains central to U.S. national security.

“The reason for that is twofold,” he said. “One, it’s our comparative advantage versus the Chinese and the Russians… they don’t have anything like this.”

“And the second reason… NATO underwrites the security and stability of our most important trade and investment relationship,” he added, referring to economic ties between North America and Europe.

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NATO chiefs of defense hold a meeting in Brussels on Aug. 20, 2025, with screens displaying allied leaders joining remotely to discuss Ukraine. (Fox News)

Dependence: Design or Weakness?

By around 2010, the United States accounted for roughly 65% to 70% of NATO defense spending, according to analysis provided by Barak Seener from the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank.

“They’ve always been dependent on the U.S.,” Kellogg said of the European allies.

“The allies overall rely upon one another for deterrence and defense by design,” Deni said, explaining that alliances exist to “pool their resources” and “aggregate their individual strengths.”

Deni pointed to ground forces as a clear example of what the U.S. gains from the alliance, noting that “there are far more allied mechanized infantry forces on the ground than there are Americans.”

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Still, he acknowledged that reliance has at times gone too far.

“In the past… it was fair to say that the European allies were overly reliant upon the Americans for conventional defense,” he said, pointing to the 2000s.

That, he said, was partly driven by U.S. priorities — as Washington pushed European allies to focus on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq rather than territorial defense.

A Polish Army soldier sits in a tank as a NATO flag flies behind during the NATO Noble Jump VJTF exercises on June 18, 2015, in Zagan, Poland. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Seener describes NATO as “formally collective, but functionally asymmetric,” with the U.S. providing a disproportionate share of “high-end capabilities.”

That asymmetry is most visible in nuclear deterrence.

Seener said the U.S. provides the overwhelming majority of NATO’s nuclear arsenal — including intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched systems and strategic bombers — meaning deterrence ultimately relies on the assumption of U.S. retaliation.

A NATO official told Fox News Digital that, “The U.S. nuclear deterrent cannot be replaced, but it is clear that Europe needs to step up. There’s no question. There needs to be a better balance when it comes to our defense and security. Both because we see the vital role the U.S. plays around the world and the resources that it demands, and also because it is only fair.”

“The good news,” the official added, “is that the Allies are doing exactly that. They are stepping up, working together — and with the U.S. — to ensure we collectively have what we need to deter and defend one billion people living across the Euro-Atlantic area.”

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Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters of the U.S. Army 12th Combat Aviation Brigade fly over a Lithuanian Vilkas infantry fighting vehicle during the Allied Spirit 25 military exercise near Hohenfels, Germany, on March 12, 2025.

The Systems NATO Cannot Replace

Beyond nuclear weapons, the dependence runs through the alliance’s operational backbone.

Seener pointed to U.S.-provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — as well as logistics and command systems — as essential to NATO operations.

“Without U.S. intelligence and surveillance, NATO loses situational awareness and early warning capabilities,” Seener said, adding, “So that means that Russia, for example, can attack Europe. And theoretically, if there’s no NATO and the U.S. is not involved, Europe would not be aware, or it would take it too long to be able to defend itself.”

Kellogg also says that much of Europe’s military capability falls short of top-tier systems.

“For the most part, their equipment, if you had to grade it A, B, C, D, E, F, they’re kind of like B players or C players,” he said. “It’s not the first line of work.”

He pointed to air and missile defense as a key gap, noting that while European countries rely on U.S.-made systems such as Patriot and THAAD, “they don’t have a system that’s comparable.”

Kellogg attributed that to years of underinvestment, saying European defense industries “have atrophied,” adding that the United States is also now “relearning that as well.”

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President Donald Trump and Poland’s President Andrzej Duda talk during a working lunch at the NATO leaders summit in Watford, Britain, on Dec. 4, 2019. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Deni said the picture today is more mixed.

“Alliance defense spending has been up… and has spiked far more after 2022,” he said, pointing to Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 as a turning point.

But he cautioned that capability gains take time, noting that many improvements are still years away from full deployment.

Deni pointed to recent European purchases of U.S. systems as evidence of growing capability, noting that countries including Poland, Romania, Norway and Denmark are acquiring the F-35 fighter jet from the U.S.

“You can’t build an F-35 overnight,” he said, adding that many of these improvements will take years to fully materialize.

A NATO official told Fox News Digital the alliance “needs to move further and faster” to meet growing threats, pointing to new capability targets agreed by defense ministers in June 2025.

Keith Kellogg speaks during the Warsaw Security Forum on Sept. 30, 2025, in Poland. (Marek Antoni Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The official said priorities include air and missile defense, long-range weapons, logistics and large land forces, noting that while details remain classified, plans call for a fivefold increase in air and missile defense, “thousands more” armored vehicles and tanks, and “millions more” artillery shells. NATO also aims to double key enabling capabilities such as logistics, transportation and medical support.

The official added that allies are increasing investments in warships, aircraft, drones, long-range missiles, as well as space and cyber capabilities, while boosting readiness and modernizing command and control.

“These targets are now included in national plans,” the official said, adding that allies must demonstrate how they will meet them through sustained defense spending and capability development.

The NATO official also noted that European allies lead multinational forces across Central and Eastern Europe, while the U.S. and Canada serve as framework nations in Poland and Latvia, alongside ongoing air policing missions and NATO’s KFOR operation in Kosovo.

A Swedish Air Force JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft takes off from southern Sweden on April 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Scanpix/Patric Soderstrom, File)

What happens if the U.S. is stretched?

Kellogg’s warning is direct: NATO’s deterrence depends on U.S. presence.

“The one you always have to worry about… is Russia,” Kellogg, who was Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia in 2025, said.

If U.S. forces are tied down elsewhere, NATO could face serious strain — particularly in areas like intelligence and logistics.

For Kellogg, the danger is delay. “We won’t know until it happens,” he said. “And then you won’t be able to respond to it.”

Deni, however, said the alliance remains a strategic asset — not a liability.

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A NATO military force stands guard outside the World Forum in The Hague ahead of the two-day NATO summit on June 22, 2025. (Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP)

The question, he suggests, is not whether NATO still works. It is whether allies can adapt fast enough to keep it working.

It’s been a rough start to the year for San Diego Padres star, Fernando Tatis Jr. He’s hitting a measly .248, and, somehow, STILL doesn’t have a home run this season.

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Frankly, I didn’t think it was possible for a player like Fernando Tatis to go this long without hitting a ball into the bleachers, but I was wrong. His last dinger came in the World Baseball Classic … in MARCH. Wild.

San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of Game 1 in the NL Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves in San Diego on Oct. 1, 2024. (Gregory Bull/AP)

But, we’re not here to discuss Tatis’ struggles at the dish. Unfortunately for the three-time All-Star, we’re here to take a look at his effort in the field …

… which also hasn’t been great.

Take a look!

Not the best look for Fernando Tatis here

Whooooooooooooof. Just a brutal look here for Tatis. I haven’t seen that play in a long, long time. But, we’ve all seen it before, right?

THIS YEAR’S AMERICAN LEAGUE MIGHT BE THE WORST IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HISTORY

Anyone here who played Little League certainly grew up with that exact same play. It was a staple of my childhood. There is no such thing as an innocent ground ball in Little League baseball. It doesn’t exist. The second a ball is hit, you hold your breath. There is no telling what’s gonna happen, or where the play is gonna go.

Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres kneels in pain after being hit by a pitch during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles on June 19, 2025. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)

I saw it all in my 20 years playing baseball. Well, I’d like to think I did. I’m sure I didn’t, but I did see a bunch. Some good. Most of it? Bad.

Inside-the-park home runs on balls that never left the infield? Yep. Fights? You betcha. Mercy rules? I was on the receiving end of almost all of them.

One time, I played on a team so bad that we made four errors on one play. Do you know how hard that is to do? We did it … with ease.

San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. celebrates after winning the Wild Card round against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park in the 2024 MLB playoffs. (Denis Poroy/Imagn Images)

Anyway, back to Tatis. Again, it’s just been a brutal year for the 27-year-old. No homers. Hitting in the lower .200s. I’m pretty sure I have a better OPS than him at the moment. It’s just been bad.

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And, of course, the fans are fed up.

Yikes:

Rajasthan’s Education and Panchayati Raj Department Cabinet Minister Madan Dilawar, who is often in the headlines for his controversial decisions and statements, seems to be in a new trouble. State President of Congress Party and former Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasara has accused Minister Madan Dilawar of extorting lakhs of rupees from the children who were training scouts and guides in schools by forming an organization.

He has also made allegations of arbitrarily transferring money to personal accounts and organizing camps only on paper. Also, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has been demanded to conduct a high level committee inquiry in this matter and strict action should be taken against the culprits.

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Education Minister raised questions on Govind Dotasara

On the other hand, Minister Madan Dilawar, who has come under the scanner for allegations, instead of replying to the allegations leveled against him, raised questions on the mental condition of the Congress state president Dotasara who made the allegations and has demanded former CM Ashok Gehlot to get him treated. Well, this matter is expected to gain more momentum in the coming days.

Govind Dotasara made this claim

State President of Rajasthan Congress Govind Singh Dotasara claims that in the year 2017, when there was a Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government in Rajasthan, an organization named Hindustan Scouts and Guides was formed on the lines of Bharat Scouts and Guides. Earlier this organization was working only in Udaipur district.

In the year 2024, the organization changed its place of work from Udaipur to entire Rajasthan. The president of this organization is cabinet minister Madan Dilawar. Most of the senior officials of the organization are also accused of being close to Minister Madan Dilawar.

Camps were organized only on paper – Govind Dotasara

State President of Congress Party Govind Singh Dotasara alleges that due to the influence of Minister Madan Dilawar, along with Bharat Scouts and Guides, Hindustan Scouts and Guides organization also got the job of training the scouts and guides by organizing camps.

It is alleged that Minister Madan Dilawar’s organization organized camps at many places only on paper. On paper the camp lasted for several days, while in reality it ended in just one day. Apart from this, the training money was also deposited in personal accounts instead of the institution’s. Money was taken in the name of appointments in the organization. Those people of the organization who raised their voice about the irregularities were shown the way out.

Govind Dotasara made this allegation

Govind Singh Dotasara alleges that some people had raised their voice in this matter many times before, but no action was taken because Minister Madan Dilawar was the president of the organization. He has demanded from Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma to get this matter investigated by a high level committee or agency.

He says that if Minister Madan Dilawar has no role in the alleged irregularities then he himself should order an investigation. He says that if an attempt is made to whitewash this matter, the Congress party will raise its voice from the House to the court.

Education Minister denied the allegations

On the other hand, Cabinet Minister Madan Dilawar, who has come under the scanner of allegations, has not said anything directly on the allegations leveled against him. He has definitely said that the mental condition of Congress Party State President Govind Singh Dotasara, who made the allegations, is not good. He is mentally disturbed, that is why he is making such allegations.

Minister Madan Dilawar, denying the allegations, has demanded from former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot to get his party leader Govind Singh Dotasara treated by a good doctor. However, the serious allegations against Minister Madan Dilawar have now become a cause of discussion in the politics of Rajasthan.

The opposition has decided on a strategy to give prominence to this issue. Now it remains to be seen whether any investigation is conducted into the allegations after the matter heats up or not. It can definitely be said that due to this sensational and serious allegation, Bayan Veer Minister Madan Dilawar is on the back foot.

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Reference #18.f3680117.1778330864.9837705a

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Amritsar Incident News: A painful and shocking case has come to light in Amritsar, Punjab, where due to traffic diversion and road closure, a pregnant woman could not reach the hospital on time and lost the child in her womb. After this incident, there is deep anger among the family members and questions are being raised on the administration.

The victim’s husband Jugraj Singh has alleged that he was taking his pregnant wife to Sri Guru Amardas Hospital in Amritsar for treatment. However, due to the visit of the Chief Minister at that time, police were deployed everywhere and many roads were closed. Due to this, he had to travel about 20 kilometers, due to which the treatment was delayed.

Condition worsened due to road closure

According to Jugraj Singh, during this time there was a delay of about 40 to 50 minutes and his wife kept suffering from severe pain in the car. When she reached Sri Guru Amardas Hospital, the doctors told her that she had suffered a miscarriage and the child had died in the womb.

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After this incident, the victim’s family members have also shared a video on social media, which is going viral very fast. In the video, the family has alleged that due to VIP movement, common people do not get timely treatment.

Political reaction and controversy

Local leaders have also reacted on this matter. The parents of Khadur Sahib MP Amritpal Singh have also shared this video and expressed condolences to the family and termed it as administrative negligence.

At the same time, Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia has also cornered the government on this matter. He said that this incident shows a serious flaw in the system. This has become not just a sacred journey, but a journey that fills a mother’s lap.

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Maharashtra Minor Rape Case: A very serious and humiliating incident has come to light from Lakhni area of ​​Bhandara district of Maharashtra, where anger has spread in the entire area after a case of rape of a minor girl came to light. The condition of the victim and this incident that happened to her has shocked the entire society.

According to the information received, Lakhni police has arrested the accused Ratanlal alias Jageshwar Surchand Kulmate (50). This incident is said to have happened in the month of December, in which the girl had gone to the house of her neighbor Ratanlal alias Jageshwar Surchand Kulmate to buy vegetables. During this time, the accused took advantage of being alone at home and forcibly raped the girl.

The condition of the victim and the truth revealed

Not only this, the accused also threatened the girl after the incident that if she told anyone about this incident, he would kill her parents. Due to this fear, the victim kept this grief in her mind for many months.

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However, a few days ago, after there was a sudden change in the victim’s health, the family members got her medically examined. During this time, it was revealed that the victim was four months pregnant; on hearing this, the family members were shocked and deeply shocked.

Police arrested the accused

After recovering from this shock, the victim’s father lodged a complaint at Lakhni Police Station. Understanding the seriousness of the incident, the police took immediate action and arrested the accused.

There is a huge uproar due to the daily incidents in the state, whereas this incident in Bhandara has spread a wave of anger in the district. Local people demand that the government should make strict laws on such incidents and give strict punishment to the accused.

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