Are you considering joining a gym?
While joining a gym is a great idea for the right person, it’s not a good fit for everyone.
Fifty percent of the people who join a gym quit in the first six months.
Before committing, be sure that joining a gym is right for you.
My story
Last year, as an end of the year gift, Rachel gave me a one-month membership to the gym.
I loved it, and made it a point to take advantage of the month long membership.
At the end of the month, encouraged by my success, I took advantage of a holiday offer and purchased a one-year membership, for which I paid in full.
Life happened, and I made it to the gym less than 12 times in the entire year.
The cost of each visit to the gym averaged about thirty dollars per session.
If this had been the first time I had joined a gym, I might get a pass.
But no, this is at least the third time I have joined a gym, each time determined that this time I will actually use the membership for which I paid.
While I love the idea of going to the gym, in reality, my free time is minimal, and what little free time I have I don’t want to use going to the gym.
I’ve had to accept that as tantalizing as it is, joining a gym isn’t right for me.
Before you make a long-term commitment, and plunk down hundreds of dollars, know if joining a gym is right for you.
Do you have the time, or can you make the time, to actually go to the gym?
To me, this is the biggest factor in deciding if joining a gym is the right decision for you.
Decide, before joining a gym, when you plan on going.
Before work, after work, maybe on Saturday morning?
Our days are cram packed. If you join a gym thinking you will go when time permits, rethink joining.
Time won’t magically open up in your schedule.
Can you realistically make a date with yourself and keep it?
If not, you will end up paying for a membership that you don’t have time to use.
Is the gym in a convenient location?
Convenience is the key.
Most often, if something is not convenient, it’s the first thing we abandon.
Make sure the gym you choose is close enough to your work or home to make getting there easy and convenient.
Can you financially afford the cost of the membership?
How are you planning on paying for the membership?
There are typically a variety of options.
If you are paying monthly, make sure the fee won’t become a financial hardship.
(Having a zero-based budget helps you know what you can and cannot afford!)
Please don’t incur debt to join a gym. If joining causes a financial hardship, it’s not worth the cost.
Will you find a way to work out, even if you don’t join a gym?
Joining a gym is not a motivator to work out.
If you’re already motivated to work out, joining a gym provides the place to make that happen.
If you won’t work out unless you join a gym, chances are you won’t work out even if you do!
Are you comfortable working out around people you don’t know?
There will be people and there will be germs.
While you may be able to avoid large crowds by going early or late, it’s a sure bet that you will be working out around other people doing the same.
As for germs, they will be found in the cleanest of clean gyms. It goes with the territory.
If that makes you uncomfortable, the gym is not right for you.
If you’re still unsure if joining a gym is right for you, join for a trial period.
It needs to be more than a month, the honeymoon phase, and less than six months, the point by which fifty percent of the people quit.
Three months is a sweet spot.
Consider a long-term membership only if you are still going consistently after three months.
If your interest is already waning, don’t pay for a long-term membership.
Find another way to get in shape.
Is joining a gym right for you?
Are you able to honestly answer yes to the above questions?
If so, then joining a gym is probably a good investment for you.
For the rest of us, our health is better served by finding another way to get in shape.
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