Should I cancel my gym membership?

Erikalynne18
Erikalynne18 Posts: 558 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Now before you automatically say "no!" hear me out please :)

I am moving in 2 months to a different province. I currently have a YMCA membership that is costing me over $50 a month. I plan to get a membership through school when I move so the current membership will be cancelled regardless. But I am thinking of cancelling it now. Reason being, it's $50 a month and I rarely use it enough to get $50 worth. I am currently doing the 30 Day Shred at home and I walk everyday outside plus the c25k app. I would much rather be active outdoors also than sitting in an air-conditioned gym. I love the outdoors! :) I basically only go there to do strength training but lately it seems whenever I go it is very busy and I am left waiting to use a machine or waiting for room to work out with the weights. And unfortunately going earlier in the day isn't possible :/

So I'm debating cancelling the membership until I move in August and getting a new one when I move (at 1/2 the price too!).

Thoughts? :)

Replies

  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    You won't hear "no" from me. I quit the gym a year ago, and haven't looked back. I bought weights for home, and run outside. I exercise a lot more consistently now than I did with a membership.
  • ang523
    ang523 Posts: 3 Member
    I think you are fine to cancel- I am also using 30 DS and running. Haven't had a gym membership in years! Always seems like a good idea but they are so expensive! Plus I love being outdoors too. Sounds like you have a good plan! Good luck to you!
  • TravelDog14
    TravelDog14 Posts: 317 Member
    Cancel.
    I've never belonged to any gym.
    With weights at home and a high end treadmill along with runs and walks outside I'm fine without a membership.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    in your case i would say cancel - you have another plan in place and you will rejoin the gym (at a lower price) in a few months. sounds like a great plan!
  • Shetchncn1
    Shetchncn1 Posts: 260 Member
    Yeah - cancel it!
  • Erikalynne18
    Erikalynne18 Posts: 558 Member
    Well I actually LIKE doing strength training, but it just seems kind of pointless when I do some cardio to warm up and get my heart rate up... and then have to wait for machines or room :/ and heart rate goes down.....

    I also have a skipping rope, an adult hula hoop and 5 lbs weights at home that I use with the 30DS. But I usually use heavier weights at the gym so I hope my muscles don't suffer for cancelling! But that $50 would be great to put away!
  • Alison12121
    Alison12121 Posts: 198 Member
    Cancel! If you're really not getting much out of it, why waste money? You're already doing a great job working out at home anyway. I canceled mine because I wasn't using it too. I decided to start working out at home so I can't use the excuse of not feeling like driving to the gym to skip a workout.

    Ironically, I work out more now than I did when I had a gym membership. I walk my dog, do Turbo Fire at home for cardio, and ChaLEAN Extreme for strength training. I have a pair of BowFlex SelecTech dumbbells that I use with that program and I love them. (If you're interested, they're on sale for $299 on Amazon).
  • Erikalynne18
    Erikalynne18 Posts: 558 Member
    Okay I think I might call and cancel :) Just need to find the papers I signed that says about cancelling......
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    We had a membership at a wonderful gym but dropped it when we moved to an apartment complex with a good workout area. The only thing I miss sometimes is the indoor, heated pool and hot tub.
  • SJackson50
    SJackson50 Posts: 282 Member
    Cancel.
    I've never belonged to any gym.
    With weights at home and a high end treadmill along with runs and walks outside I'm fine without a membership.

    ^^Ditto!
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,535 Member
    Use your 50bucks savings to pick up some heavier dumbbells at a garage sale. You are moving anyway. Just don't get used to "spending" your "gym" money cuz after you move, you'll want to reconsider your cost. Also, check around in new neighborhood. Smaller local gyms that just offer weights & machines can usually run around $20-bucks a month. Or alternatively, local community colleges....I know, huh? Yea, you can sign up for college & get the gym price plus a few college credit to boot. Done it, plus it was cheaper than a fancy gym with a bunch of stuff I didn't need, lol. AND they had showers, too.
  • curleegirl68
    curleegirl68 Posts: 53 Member
    I would cancel, I have my membership on Freeze because I've been doing Jazzercise and my own fitness program at home.
  • Erikalynne18
    Erikalynne18 Posts: 558 Member
    Just called... good thing too! I need to cancel by tomorrow to stop the payment coming out on the 15th. Heading to the gym to cancel I guess. Thanks for the supportive answers everyone! :) Definitely not giving up though! :D
  • MaintainCats
    MaintainCats Posts: 222 Member
    I vote go for it. Of course I haven't ever stepped foot in a gym so I may not be the best person to ask ;-)
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
    If you can buy at least some weights to use home - and you can always build up a library of weight plates as you go - and you're not injured, there's no reason to go to a gym. If all your parts are healthy, you can do better cardio at home with metabolic circuits.

    I only go because it would be too expensive to replicate the accommodations I have to use (cable machine, rower, bike, pool).
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,469 Member
    That sounds really frustrating about the strength training! I've had a similar problem at my gym, but I'm sticking with it for now. However, I spent quite a few months without a gym membership recently, and I just did strength training at home. I used "Body By You" for bodyweight exercises and also used some home weights. Maybe you could do something like that?
  • eowynmn
    eowynmn Posts: 165 Member
    It sounds like you should. A lot of people put memberships on hold for the summer, and since you are moving in two months - why waste the 100$ if you are doing 30DS.
  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
    I'd say do what works for you. If you can stay committed to your program without the gym, definitely cancel and use the money elsewhere. For me, the membership to a fitness club is completely worth every dime as I am lousy at self-motivation when it comes to exercise.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Get your own weights and then you won't need the gym, then!
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
    If you have something else to make up for working out to keep you committed, why not cancel it?

    I use my membership quite often, because of the funky hours that my schedule entails, so having the membership is awesome for me. If I didn't use it, though, and I were paying $50/month for it, hells to the yes I'd cancel it. That's $50 you could be using for other things.
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    I'm considering canceling mine. On the road all the time, and my TRX is working out fine for resistance training.
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
    I would say cancel, unless they have an outdoor pool that you can use. Hey, it's summer time and you never can tell if you might be able to use that. Other than that, for such a short period of time, go ahead.
  • _JoeV
    _JoeV Posts: 1
    Here is a calculator that I found helpful... http://www.fitrated.com/gym-cost-calculator/

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