by Adam Dawson
Time to stir up some controversy.
I’ve always heard this saying, “you can’t put a price on your health.” And I’ve always thought it was bunk. When I was in my 20s, health came naturally. Even when my diet was out of whack, my body was resilient. I was rarely sick, needed very little health care, and stayed in reasonably good shape without too much work, or expense.
I think Emily and I have both realized that the thirties will be a different story altogether. Fitness faux pas have much swifter and more drastic consequences for us. Our nutrition choices seem to have a huge impact on our immediate health and well being. So suddenly, the saying that you can’t put a price on your health makes more and more sense to me.
That said, as I mentioned in the last post, we’ve both decided to join a gym this year. Emily actually joined in the fall but I was reluctant due to my own laziness and the expense of the membership. And it is definitely expensive, but my take is that it will be worth it in the long run. In my own family, I’ve seen the future consequences of a life of unhealthy choices. So we decided that we will just have to make whatever budget changes are necessary to make it work. Although the bill is high, between a small company reimbursement and some other offsetting budget changes (less eating out, less trips to the movies, less junk food), the net impact on budget won’t be that great. I could have found a cheaper solution, but I think there’s also a really huge benefit that the more expensive gym we chose is somewhere Emily and I can go together, with a range of activities suitable for both of us. It’s actually pretty fun to spend this quality time together, and we can also encourage and reinforce our healthy habits.
So – your turn. Does a gym membership fit into your debt payoff budget? What price is a membership worth to you?
My opinion is that it is absolutely a good investment…. if you follow through! (Stating the obvious here)
If the nicer gym with more varied activities keeps your interest and motivation high, then seems worth it. If you end up not going, may as well stick to the cheaper gym. 🙂
Can totally relate to the “resilience factor” changing with age!
I think it is definitely worth it if you make use of it. I dropped mine after not using it for a couple months. We have a free gym at my work place that doesn’t have all the resources of a large, paid gym membership, but for how little I use it, it serves my purposes 🙂
I am just starting my journey to being debt free. One thing I did NOT give up was my gym membership. I take advantage of it regularly andworking out helps me relieve stress from my life. For me it was worth giving up other things in order to keep my gym.
good luck to you!!
We pay about $50/month for both of us to belong to our neighborhood gym. It’s fairly no frills, but was primarily chosen for its proximity. If this gym were instead a fancypants gym, we would probably still pay it because we’re less likely to go to a gym if its not really convenient.
I suggest keeping a log of how many times you go to the gym and calculate its cost per use. If you find that you really aren’t taking full advantage, you could be cheaper to pay the drop in rate. If one isn’t advertised, ask the front desk.
Also, numbers please! I love to hear the nitty gritty on how much its costing, if there was an origination fee, an annual “equipment” charge, etc.
My hubby and I signed for a gym membership last year and we were ok in the beginning, but the last few months, we really didn’t go. That’s $70 a month down the drain. But if you go, it’s worth it and you should go, I mean I should go, I mean I’m going to go.
If you use it, then keep it. If you find yourself making excuses and not going, either suck it up and go, or be real with yourself and drop it. Good Luck!
You have to do what is right for you and Emily. If that is what motivates you, then the cost is worth it. Critics can obviously say there are plenty of free ways to get in exercise with little or no equipment. However, if knowing you are paying for the membership is what keeps you motivated, then it is a good investment. Just make sure you keep going and discontinue the membership if your attendance wanes. I have a few friends that enjoyed their yoga or Pilates classes so much, they now instructors earning side income. Go get it!
I am coming to my mid 30’s and my body and metabolism is no longer resilient to what I eat.
I have a gym at work and they deduct $8.00/paycheck or $16.00/month.
It has everything you need, weights, machines, treadmills, shower, etc. Only thing it doesn’t have is a pool or sauna. The problem is actually walking down a flight of stairs and going!
I noticed a pattern of going for a couple months and then not going for a couple months and that’s been a consistent pattern. Need to go… need to go….
I found to get into an exercise habit that the gym was brilliant and while I used it regularly it was a really good investment. The caveat for me was not a gym with a great range of activities/equipment, but one that was close enough to be convenient to use all the time. Once I had been doing that a while and built up some confidence, I felt an urge to ‘graduate’ outdoors and into more independent forms of exercise – not free, but pretty inexpensive. My health insurance actually contributed a small amount to the membership as well. Worth checking!
It depends on a few things to know if the cost is worth it. As many of the posts mentioned, make sure you use it as much as possible to get your money’s worth. Also to consider is the cost for the gym compared to what else you could use that money for.
I personally don’t have a gym membership. 1) I can’t bear to part with the money even though it would only cost me $20 month for a membership through my work. 2) I don’t like to exercise by myself. Just thinking about running on a treadmill or lifting weights bores me even if there is music and/or tv’s.
For me, I like the group sports. I’ve managed to find some pickup soccer and basketball games during the week. Non-competitive and just some people who like to play the sport. I get my exercise (LOTS of running) a few days of the week. And I walk my dog almost every night for an hour.
AND, if I wanted to do more muscle building, then I would just do that at home. There are TONS of websites that can help you create a good exercise program depending on what your goal is (bulking up, trimming down, etc).
In the end, I think it’s what motivates you to exercise. Does the fact that you spent the money motivate you to go? Then get a gym membership. Does playing sports motivate you? Find a league you like or organize/join some pickup games. Love the outdoors but not so much sports? Walking/Jogging, hiking, biking, golf :), etc. As long as you do something and watch the calories that go into you.
Prior to moving, my husband and I used his work gym – the membership was $10/month for both of us and it was across the street from where we lived. It had all of the machines and resources we needed and was actually a pretty impressive gym. Since moving, we ditched a gym membership in place of bikes. We love riding our bikes, we even use them to go to the store. We have both lost a considerable amount of weight using our bikes. We use our bikes more regularly than we used our previous gym membership.
Like everyone else said, if you are dedicated to using a gym that is more expensive than other options, then it is worth it. However, if you just don’t make it as often as you should to justify the price tag, I think you should cut it.
Good luck!
If you actually go, then it’s worth it.
I’m one of those people who have tried just about every kind of machine, sport, class, gym, etc. Most were abandoned because I didn’t use it or didn’t attend. I’ve learned that I just plain don’t like gyms, don’t like team sports, don’t like getting wet, and am not coordinated enough for Zumba. Also, the motivation just isn’t there to change my clothes and drive to an offsite location after or before work to workout.
So I’ve decided to combine my commute and my workout time in one. I take a bus that lets me off 2 miles from work, and then I walk the rest of the way. Same in reverse on the way home. I like walking, and I don’t have to schedule time outside of my commute/workday to get it done. As long as I have comfortable shoes, a warm coat, and my podcasts I’m good. Plus I have given up my parking pass which is saving me ~$100/month. Win-win.
I hope you can find some sort of activity and schedule that works for you.
Wow- Sara sounds very similar to me! I love the idea of team sports but am too uncoordinated to actually enjoy playing them. Ditto for things like Zumba. I tried a learn to run clinic – which was good – but I got super busy and missed 2 weeks and found it very hard to catch back up. So now I’ve finally found a local bootcamp class that is perfect. She’s positive and motivating – I’m with a group, but can go at my pace – and it doesn’t take much coordination.
Honestly though? I wouldn’t do it if I was seriously in debt. Just my two cents.
Exercise, classes and gym membership is important to me. I do well if I can mix it up, and as a female I think other people downplay too much the value of a gym. (Prevents having to walk alone in the dark or always find a partner – which I don’t really like and find to be a PITA. I just want to be able to get a good work out when the mood strikes – whether it be when it is dark out or if it is 110F degrees outside. Thank you gym!!). That said, I don’t believe in paying more than necessary for it. College and community classes are great and very inexpensive (my aerobics classes are $2.50 a pop).
My gym membership is $15 per month. I don’t need the frills. I mostly go for the elliptical machine so have been going round on round on this. I even bought a less expensive machine. At the end of the day, I am not going to be able to reasonably afford a really good machine and I am not going to want to devote the space to such a monstrosity. So $15/month gym is a good compromise. More importantly, I didn’t sign a contract so can quit at any time. If you pay more and actually use it and value it, it is what it is. It is just amazing to me how many people pay upwards of $100/month but get stuck in contracts or just don’t have the guts to quit (if they can get out of it). It’s easy to delude yourself that you will get back to it next month, I guess?
I HATE this time of year – gym gets jam packed. I get so frustrated with the New Years crowd. They will all clear out in a month or two.
Anything and everything carefully budgeted is OK even when paying down debt. I would personally pay debt first but I am a debt hater. Even a small amount bothers me so, who am I to judge other people’s choices? If you guys are comfortable with spending money on a gym, if you think that is worth it, you should go with it. Simple as that!
Hi! What do you consider to be pricey? My husband and I are down to $8K in debt (we started with $46K and have been snowballing it for 18 months now). Even though we’re still in debt, we pay $130 a month for the two of us to work out at a small TRX fitness studio. I feel that it is pricey, but we both go to at least five classes a week each, and sometimes he squeezes in up to 8 classes in a week. We could belong to a regular gym for $40 a month (total), but when I had that membership I never went! I think your pricey gym is a fine option as long as you’re actually going!
I don’t currently have a membership, but probably spend more on bikes, tires etc. You should definitely do something. The last couple of memberships I’ve had were not long term contracts, so if I moved or didn’t go – I cancelled it. Places like Planet Fitness have everything you need and cost under $20 month per person. You can always cancel. My last gym ended up just being inconvenient, but when I had a gym at work I used it almost every day.
If you actually go, then perhaps it’s worth it. I wouldn’t have gotten a gym membership in the first place if I was in debt, but that’s just me. Perhaps you could keep track of how many times you go, so at the end of each month you can see how much each visit cost you.
The gym wasn’t for me. I tried it, for longer than I should, and then gave it up. I saved myself some money every month, and found ways to get exercise in other ways. Since I weigh less now than I did then, I say it was the right decision. For me.
Gym membership if you don’t have the luxury of having a home gym is definitely worth the monthly payment. There’s no price on your own present and future health.
Are you going to report on your health progress as well on this blog?
Go for it – but remember health is like 70-80% nutrition and the rest fitness. Don’t forget your diet!