When saving money we usually have to let go of luxuries. While the gym has become a necessity for many, it is actually a luxury. Necessary is the activity that is done in this luxury. What you need is exercise, which can be done even without a gym.
When making a budget plan, we usually take a look at our monthly subscriptions because those are what we can afford to let go without affecting much. One such thing is your gym membership. Let’s talk about the reasons to let go of your gym membership.
Unused for Months
If you haven’t been using it for a while, then you already know that you need to cancel your membership. All you are doing is either holding onto hope or are lazy to actually go and cancel your membership.
Too Busy to Be Regular
If you aren’t regular and skip more than 50% of the time, then you are not making much use of your membership. You might want to attend regularly, but your schedule might not permit. If that is the case, then ditching the membership for a while might be a good idea.
Workout for Free
When you don’t have a fixed schedule and aren’t sure when you will be able to of if you will even have time to, it makes more sense to workout at home rather than a gym. If your gym isn’t open 24×7, then you will have to be confined to the time it is available for, and that usually includes your office hours.
Here are some daily activities that can help you exercise, stay active, and stay fit:
- Take your dog for a walk
- Mow your yard
- Work in your garden
- Do daily household chores
- Play with your children
These daily exercises or chores are good for keeping us fit and helping us stay healthy. Here are some ways to get the proper exercise done:
- Follow along with an exercise video from YouTube to get a great workout routine for free. The trainer on the video can also act as your training buddy. Most of the workout videos are designed for you to feel like you have company.
- Hit your local park. Local parks have basic exercise areas built. You will have a bench, a fixed cycle, a pull-up bar, and other basic machine structures. You can use them to engage your muscles.
- Go on a run. You can always get one of your friends or family member to come along with you. If that’s not possible, then you can join a runner’s group so that you will have company while running.
- Join a cycling group.
Final Thoughts
A lot of times, people think that to be healthier you have to spend more money, but couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are many things that can be done and changes that can be brought about to stay healthy without having to burn holes in your pocket.
Agree that many gym memberships go unused, but for certain types of exercise — I love dance-based exercise — memberships can be much more economical than paying per class. In addition, when thinking about what to cut, I would advocate leaving anything health-related bottom of the list for cuts, if for no other reason than sometimes people are more mindful and committed when they have money on the line, and memberships put money on the line. If you’re trying to save and still keep the membership, you can also look at coupon sites like Groupon, or buying during sale periods (New Year’s, Memorial Day, winter when gyms might be slow).
I do agree with your point, Caroline, thanks for the input. When there is money on the line, it can work as a motivation. For special classes like dance, of course, it is more economical to get a membership because there is a specialist involved, but that isn’t the case with gyms unless you hire a personal trainer.
Also, many gym subscriptions are spur of the moment sign-ups and often go unused. So, if the membership isn’t being used at all, then canceling it is a rather good idea because if paying for the subscription for months hasn’t motivated someone to actually go workout, then there is a slim chance that it is going to now.
Good tip about using coupon sites. 🙂