I Joined a Gym |
5 Comments |
On Friday of last week, I made an executive decision, I joined my wife’s gym. This is against the frugal lifestyle that Lazy Man and Money readers would expect. After all, I have a gym in my apartment complex that is free.
When it came down to it, I realized that the motivation for going to my free gym wasn’t there. The equipment isn’t the best and since it’s always there I don’t go. However, going with my wife is a different story. We’ve got the buddy system working for us. Also, the gym has Body Pump classes which have been fantastic thus far. It’s like having a personal trainer there for me. I wake with more “good soreness” than I’ve had in years of gym workouts on my own.
In the end, the price of $29 a month for a gym in Silicon Valley seems to be worth it. I don’t know if this will transform my stomach into a set of six pack abs, but it seems like a smart move in the right direction – something that I sorely need at this point.
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PropellerNext: Avoiding Inevitable Weight Gain
December 1st, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I totally agree w/ your decision. I, too, am a frugal dude, and I have a treadmill and free weights at home, but there’s something M-O-T-I-V-A-T-I-N-G about going into the gym. I get in the zone, or something. Hard to explain, but def worth the 30 bucks. Heck, I used to spend that on Snickers bars every month anyway. So, break-even!
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:09 am
Several years ago, I joined a local $10 a month gym, and hardly went.
Two years ago, I joined another $10 a month gym, and hardly went.
This past year, I bought an inexpensive multi-position weight bench and a good assortment of dumbbells (5, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30), and a few barbell weights. Just the basics. I set the bench up in my laundry / utility room, and I use it three days a week, first thing in the morning.
I found that, for me, anyway, my schedule was too erratic and trying to get to the gym after work just didn’t happen. Getting up early to go work out at the gym also didn’t happen. But having the equipment right at my disposal made it more convenient, and keeps me motivated. I bought the bench new (previous year’s model, on sale) and the weights at a sporting goods consignment shop, so my initial investment was pretty low – maybe $500 or so.
I just signed up at the same gym, but now I only make a point to go there a couple of times a week for the cardio machines – specifically the bikes and treadmills, now that the weather up in New England has turned nippy. I don’t have room at my house for any of that stuff, and at $100 a year, it would be 10 or 15 years to pay off a good piece of equipment, anyway.
I’m not saying that my way is better, of course. A lot of people don’t have room for free weights, let alone a treadmill. And some people need the motivation of having paid for the membership, or having a buddy. And some people have more erratic schedules, which makes it difficult for them to join a class. The “better way” is, ultimately, the way that works for you.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:37 pm
motivation motivation and motivation,
just having a free gym wont do anything, you need to have something that will rush you to it, in this case you dont have one for your free gym for the 29$ gym (Witch is less then i paid for a month at the gym i went to) you have that motivation. keep going!
December 4th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
I joined my gym in January and glad I did, since I let them take it out of my check per my employer, I don’t really feel the 27 dollars a month and I am not stuck in a contract
December 5th, 2008 at 11:30 am
$29 a month…that’s a steal
The average Starbucks customer does that every week…some daily…those lattes really add up