What's your biggest waste of money related to fitness?

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  • n1terunner
    n1terunner Posts: 76 Member
    I ran a couple of ellipticals into the ground. I should have been running outside and bought a bike with the money. Live and learn.
  • AmberSpamber
    AmberSpamber Posts: 391 Member
    ladyteapot wrote: »
    This is disappointing..I wanted a Fitbit :/ reviews seem to be bad
    @Spencerport I'm with you on the graze thing ..awful!

    I am on my second and love it. Not all reviews are bad.
  • ladyteapot
    ladyteapot Posts: 54 Member
    I did by a generic fitness tracker watch thing but I never used it ..I think I'd use a Fitbit
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    ladyteapot wrote: »
    This is disappointing..I wanted a Fitbit :/ reviews seem to be bad
    @Spencerport I'm with you on the graze thing ..awful!

    Do some research on it...you need to determine if you would actually benefit from its features. For me personally, it would be a waste of money as I don't do a lot of step based activity. It can also be beneficial to see how active or not active you really are...a lot of people seem to have issues judging this...for those type of people a Fitbit might be worth it as well.

    You just have to determine if the features will actually fit with what you are doing and whether or not it provides the actual data you're looking to obtain.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    edited November 2016
    I bought a treadmill 9 years ago, got pregnant and barely used it for the next 6 years, but for the last 3 years I've used it regularly (and continue to) so I no longer consider it a waste of money. Don't tell my husband, but I'd love to upgrade it to a nicer one :)

    I joined the YMCA a year ago and it's pricey, but I think it's worth it.

    My husband gave me a Jawbone (he got for free) and I loved it. I decided to upgrade and wasted $150! The upgrade was a complete waste of money - that stupid Jawbone broke 3 times within 6 months before I finally gave up and switched to a Fitbit. So far I've had the Fitbit for a year and it hasn't broken yet :)

    There have been several pairs of running shoes I've wasted money on. Ones I've purchased online and didn't feel like bothering with returning. At $50-$100 per pair, it's not insignificant :( Hopefully, after donating someone gets some use out of them.

    Oh yeah, I bought a really nice step (for step-aerobics), but never use it. Along with some fitness DVDs that I never use either... well, I used them a few times. I keep meaning to try and sell them...

  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    lolis_DD wrote: »
    The number disappointed with the Fitbit are rather surprising. I've only heard good things about them.

    I love mine, too. I have the One and I clip it on my bra. I think if I had a type that I wore on my wrist, I would find it annoying.

    I have the One also, I have had it for over 3 years and never had a problem with it. I don't know how much it helps me lose weight, but it does make me move so I can get more steps.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    By far, bigger fitness equipment. We had a bowflex, which ended up never being utilized, as well as an indoor cycle. Both turned out to be a waste of money, as neither got used.
  • Alidecker
    Alidecker Posts: 1,262 Member
    I have wasted some money on running shoes that end up not being comfortable, but I do wear them still...just not to do any real workout in.

    I have spend a lot of money to lose weight and get fit, I can't think of much that was a complete waste. My gym membership is used a lot and it's pretty cheap at $20/month. My personal trainer was well worth the money for me. Clothes is a necessity, but I probably have more than I really need...So I will go with that :)
  • Rachel0778
    Rachel0778 Posts: 1,701 Member
    The Wii Fit was the biggest waste of money ever. I got a better workout from the sports games that came with the Wii (not that they were stellar workouts either).
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    I guess I'm lucky because I can't think of anything... I use my gym and yoga memberships, I use all of the equipment that I've purchased...

    My mom was the queen of health gimmicks (ab roller, thighmaster, gazelle glider, weight watchers, etc.) and I swore I would never end up like that.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    I use all of the exercise equipment I've bought, so I guess it's "fitness monitors" for me (I have too many of them!) - 1 fitness band, 1 GPS watch (old one), & 2 heart rate monitor watches (old ones).
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    Re the Fitbit: I am a little skeptical of most trackers because I just don't trust that companies with limited resources can just crank out complicated measuring devices.

    i tested the microchip for a very early version of [product i'm not going to name]. may have been proof-of-concept/prototype work, actually. i will say that it wasn't fitbit, though.

    granted, i'm nowhere near being an exercise physiologist so i made it clear all i could do was accept their equations the way they were defined, and test the inputs/results plus the general functionality - flow paths and downstream logic and such. but just thinking about the reasons why i had to be so clear about what i was NOT testing and what my pass/fail results could NOT be said to imply . . . that got me thinking about all the 'how would you even' implications in that grey zone.

    that was more than a decade ago though. i know the product's on the market and they're not interested in having me test from my bedroom anymore, so i assume they have to have a much more formal qa process in place by this point. but, yeah. i'm pretty sceptical too. i don't think they lie, precisely. but i take it as given that they probably give only a very ballpark kind of idea.
  • steph2strong
    steph2strong Posts: 426 Member
    My Orange Theory Fitness Membership. The workouts I do at home in own gym are so much better, every time I went I was so disappointed and ended up doing a second workout at home. But i wanted to like it because so many others did, eventually though I just stopped going because i was sick of being disappointed. Took me several months before I actually cancelled my membership, such a waste.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    canadianlbs wrote: »
    i don't think they lie, precisely. but i take it as given that they probably give only a very ballpark kind of idea.

    Step trackers only claim to give you a ballpark idea.

    Here's a typical disclaimer that comes with many of them:

    Garmin activity trackers are intended to be tools to provide you with information to encourage an active and healthy lifestyle. Garmin activity trackers rely on sensors that track your movement and other metrics. The data and information provided by these devices is intended to be a close estimation of your activity and metrics tracked, but may not be completely accurate, including step, sleep, distance, heart rate and calorie data. Garmin activity trackers are not medical devices, and the data provided by them is not intended to be utilized for medical purposes and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Garmin recommends you consult your doctor before engaging in any exercise routine.

    So they're not lying, precisely or otherwise.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    Not too much wasted on exercise related stuff.

    Apart from various gym memberships that I didn't use much in the past, the only things I can think of right now are a pair of Harbinger rubber fat grips, a pair of wide Spud Inc. lifting straps and a pair of used Rogue farmer's walk handles that I haven't used since I bought them. Cost less than $200 for them altogether.

    Don't like the feel of the fat grips and don't really need them to increase my grip strength. I've got other lifting straps that are more comfortable than the Spuds but it's good to have them for back up. And, don't walk w/enough wt yet to make use of the handles; using a trap bar for than now instead but they're there to use when I do need them.

    So, the only wasted $ really is the $30 or so that I paid for the grips.
  • Gimsteinn
    Gimsteinn Posts: 7,678 Member
    The biggest waste of them all...

    1. Herbalife with herbalife trainers who had no idea what they where doing...
    2. And let's not forget about the stupid waist trainer.. talk about over hyped and a dangerous thing!
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
    Gym membership. Several, actually. I never went consistently to make it worth the money. I have gotten my money's worth from my used powercage & weight set up.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    Swimmingpool aquarobics pass. I love aquarobics but I ended up with ear infection after ear infection.
    6 months of yoga membership - long story - loved/love yoga, just not with that particular place.

    Both a case of life experience and shrugged it off
  • grapaj
    grapaj Posts: 136 Member
    deluxmary2000 wrote: »
    I have a whole basement set-up of squat rack, bench, oly bar, and weights... but I figured out I really just prefer going to the gym for some reason. So it's a bit wasted, although I do use it when I can't make it to my gym.

    Also I once completely wasted $60 on P90X dvds that I hated and used once. But I bought them at a yardsale and was able to resell and get my money back.

    My husband wants to get us a home gym setup because he hates the gym - the hours he can go it's packed. I go at 5:30am and it's gloriously vacant. And my kids and dog don't find me.

    He thinks if/when we get a home gym I will stop lifting at the gym. Sssssshhhhh - but.....he's wrong.
  • grapaj
    grapaj Posts: 136 Member
    canadianlbs wrote: »

    and, for me . . . signing up for classes. any classes, any venue, any activity. i just freckin' hate them. they suck every vestige of joy out of me.

    This. Including crossfit, even. I am so antisocial when I work out - group anything makes me breakout in hives. My neighbour got the hint when I put my headphones on when she tagged along to the gym with me.

    #sorry-ish


  • aliem
    aliem Posts: 326 Member
    ladyteapot wrote: »
    This is disappointing..I wanted a Fitbit :/ reviews seem to be bad
    @Spencerport I'm with you on the graze thing ..awful!

    I really love my fitbit (Flex purchased 2 years ago). I have even spent money on some of the fancy Tori Burch bands that are crazy expensive and do not regret the purchase at all. I have purchased them for other people and they like them too (probably not to the extent that I do). For some people it works, others it doesn't. You could always get a cheap version and upgrade if you like it.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    AmberSpamber wrote: »
    ladyteapot wrote: »
    This is disappointing..I wanted a Fitbit :/ reviews seem to be bad
    @Spencerport I'm with you on the graze thing ..awful!

    I am on my second and love it. Not all reviews are bad.

    I have a One and I love it...when it works. I've had a lot of syncing issues at different times.
  • Grey_1
    Grey_1 Posts: 1,139 Member
    I'm counting myself pretty fortunate after reading this thread. I've dropped about $80US on supplements that just were not worth it, and have a decent home gym that's used often, so not much waste really.

    I look at some gym memberships, but here it seems everyone wants access to my bank account for a membership. Just.....no.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Rachel0778 wrote: »
    The Wii Fit was the biggest waste of money ever. I got a better workout from the sports games that came with the Wii (not that they were stellar workouts either).

    Ha! I love my Wii Fit. I've used it for years. And the grandkids love to play with it too when they come up.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    grapaj wrote: »
    This. Including crossfit, even.

    it's funny how women especially seem to like being 'pushed' and encouraged by others, but it's all just harassment to me. it makes me want to bite everybody in sight. i do keep it under control, but i think i've quietly rage-quit every class that i've ever signed up for.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    edited November 2016
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Step trackers only claim to give you a ballpark idea.[/i]

    exactly; as they should. when your inputs are fuzzy, so are your outputs so really it's just all about knowing how much credence to actually put on the things.

    i guess i'm a precision/minimalist kind of person and if that's all it's giving me i feel like my own brain could provide that easy enough anyway. the thing i tested was a heart rate monitor, btw. with a couple of very-early onboard bells and whistles built in. ain't no way i'd be trying to walk and think at the same time, so testing a step tracker would have been miles out of my range.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    Three years ago I started using an app called Lose It, then came here after MFP began supporting Garmin. In those three years I have honestly only made useful purchases because the forums are so full of good advice.

    Before that however I wasted money on weight loss and fitness. I used to own a bunch of workout videos I rarely used. I had a dumbbell set that only went up to ten pounds and just did random exercises with no program. An exercise ball. Did Weight Watchers twice, but didn't lose much or stick with it. The only good purchases I made were a bike that I commuted 20 miles a day on in college, a six week introductory yoga class, and belly dance lessons that were actually fun enough to show up for.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Buying a few dumbbells and workout clothes at retail prices before I realized I could find all I needed at Goodwill!
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    canadianlbs wrote: »
    i guess i'm a precision/minimalist kind of person and if that's all it's giving me i feel like my own brain could provide that easy enough anyway.

    I used to feel the same way. Now, people ask me questions about code I wrote five years ago, and I tell them I don't remember what I had for breakfast this morning.

    Our brains are absolutely amazing. But not perfect, and really good of letting go of information that isn't immediately relevant. Did I go for a walk today? Was that yesterday? When I lift, if I'm interrupted it will be very hard for me to remember which set I'm on, how many I've already done.

    Sometimes I forget to start a timer when I put my laundry in the wash. Because our machines are on another floor, the data my Garmin records in the background can always tell me when I need to go put it in the dryer. :smile:

    I'm all for using tools to help me fill in my blind spots. Like the mirrors in my car, reminders on my calendar, and even a step tracker.
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