memberships and classes are expensive!

coolkat17
coolkat17 Posts: 23 Member
edited September 27 in Fitness and Exercise
I have been looking at gyms and classes but its more than a fiver a time!! Not really wanting to sign up for a year(although it is probably needed!!)

Going down the route of free exercise - which the dogs will love!

Replies

  • Painten
    Painten Posts: 499 Member
    Gym memeberships are really expensive here too and till recently there weren't classes either but now there is a class at our local community centre once a week. It's all about moving anyway free or not.
  • raefost
    raefost Posts: 31 Member
    I agree, and I don't care what they say, paying up front doesn't mean you'll go! Some gyms will let you access classes with out joining but you do need to book well in advance, might be worth looking into. I've taken advantage of our sons xbox connect and have stared using an exercise game on there as well as my daughters dance game. both make be break out into a sweat which is probably more to do with my lack of fitness. Im also aiming to get our chubby spaniel slimmer too. like dog like owner!
    Good luck with it all
  • fitniknik
    fitniknik Posts: 713 Member
    I have some free weights, a ball, a bike and cheap elliptical. All purchased on money I saved not having a gym membership. I have them all in my basement. I also have a TV down there so Occasionally I will pick up a cheap work out dvd from walmart or wherever and do "classes" in my basement! Otherwise I try to go outside and work out. So far so good! I hate hate hate being in a gym!
  • Charli666
    Charli666 Posts: 407
    I just bit the bullet and signed up for a year with a council gym - its about £30 a month, i also jog, and use the wii at home, its expensive, but the way i see it, bigger clothes are expensive, unhealthy foods (takeaways) are expensive, healthcare for weight related issues is expensive (even just the cost of prescriptions!). so in the long run i figure i'm saving money!

    Definately jogging/walking are great, if you have a wii or xbox there are loads of great exercise games for these, and a few semi ok ones for playstation 2 also.

    Good luck
  • nickyevans
    nickyevans Posts: 216 Member
    We signed up at a DW gym as they only do a 6 month contract, there are loads of classes to do. Although it is not what I would call cheap for £38 a month I get to use the gym and private pool and I do around 7 classes a week. Given the average cost of classes near me being £4 a time I am saving around £74 a month being a member of a gym just on classes, that doesn't include the time I spend in the pool and spa or the general use of the machines a few times a week.
  • annrum
    annrum Posts: 144
    Depending on where you are - I'm assuming UK from the use of 'fiver' ;) you could check your local council to see what facilities they offer. I know my local council has swimming baths that are £3.20 with their leisure card and the leisure card is something like £16 for the year. They run gyms as well which are no contract and around £30/month, which if you can make full use of is a lot cheaper than most commercial gyms. Given you're subsidising these with your council tax, may as well make use of them! :)
  • wannabefit4life
    wannabefit4life Posts: 56
    Have you checked out your local YMCA? They have decent prices and offer a variety of classes at no additional cost.
  • aangrisani
    aangrisani Posts: 92
    download Nike Training Club on your ipod or iphone. It has many different workouts for different purposes (cardio, fat burn, muscle, trim etc). They range from 30-45 mins. and its a free app
  • Mightytaco84
    Mightytaco84 Posts: 76 Member
    We have a membership at the YMCA though we make too much so we have to pay the full amount. A lot of times Groupon or LivingSocial will have some good deals. I just bought 5 Yoga classes for 19 bucks yesterday.
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 983 Member
    I gave up my gym memebrship at the end of last year, because I hadn't used it for the whole year....!

    When I did that, the gym manager told me that I couldn't possibly achieve any weight loss goal without being a memebr of a gym.

    That's when I made the commitment to myself, that I would lose more than I ever lost when I was a member...!

    I bought a treadmill in January (which I haven't used as much as I should have!, and have got hold of quite a few exercise DVDs - Turbo Jam, 30 Day Shred, No More Trouble Zones.

    Right now, I'm rotating Turbo Jam and No More Trouble Zones - and this week started c25k to make use of the treadmill...!
  • 6Pk2Go
    6Pk2Go Posts: 105
    Walking with the dog has the added benefit of being good for the soul :smile: If you want to incorporate strength training I'd highly recommend a dvd such as Jackie Warner's Power Circuit or Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. These are effective and you only need to buy the video (typically less than $15) plus 2 sets of hand weights (light and heavy - typically less than $20) then you have unlimited classes at your disposal and to suit your schedule.
  • aangrisani
    aangrisani Posts: 92
    Have you checked out your local YMCA? They have decent prices and offer a variety of classes at no additional cost.

    I agree, the YMCA in my town has the cheapest cost for a gym with classes. Looking for a gym with no classess.. the Planet fitness by me is having a promotion of $10 a month. Check out there specials if you have a PF
  • Samantha76
    Samantha76 Posts: 59 Member
    I know that if you are tight with money or just don't have much, (I know I don't) if you go to your local YMCA they may be able to work out a cheaper plan for you. Thats what I did, they will go by your budget and what is workable for you, I have a family of 4 and I am paying just over 30 a month, much more managable then there full price. Just a thought for anyone out there.
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 983 Member
    download Nike Training Club on your ipod or iphone. It has many different workouts for different purposes (cardio, fat burn, muscle, trim etc). They range from 30-45 mins. and its a free app

    I found Nike Training Club at the beginning of my weight loss to be an absolute killer....!!!
    If you're not really fit, I would start with something a bit more gentler - No More Trouble Zones for strength training & Turbo Jam for cardio.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    They are! I go to classes I pay per class for £3.50 an hour, which is ok.
  • MissConfidence
    MissConfidence Posts: 441
    I agree, I would join a gym too if it wasn't so expensive. Especially for things that I can't do at home - swim, lift a variety of weights, and of course look at myself at every possible angle as I sweat and bend...

    BUT! Weight-related illnesses are much more expensive than a gym membership. So figure that if one stays unhealthy, at some point they will spend big money - either before or after...

    With that said, there are great at home workouts that you can do with very minimal equipment needed. And walking alone (paired with healthy eating) is how my dad lost 30 kilos, so that's proven... Any way, best of luck to you!! :)
  • coolkat17
    coolkat17 Posts: 23 Member
    thanks i am going to go down route of local ymca - the website hasn't been updated for 2 years so i guess they may well offer more... the centre has a little red heart which means its a fitness centre.

    I wish i could get a friend to come with me to make it more of a social matter too!!!!
  • jeffrodgers1
    jeffrodgers1 Posts: 991 Member
    This is going to be a little rant... please don't take offense to it. My goal is to get you thinking about your health and its costs. Anyways... here goes.

    I have always found Gym Memberships to be a waste of money. You sign up with the best of intentions and then you slip into old habits. Excuses become easy for not going...After all it's out of site, out of mind. I don't want to have to drive there, it's always so busy, I want to catch my show first, yadda... yadda... yadda. Most gym memberships go unused. And the fitness clubs bank on it.

    You don't need a Gym membership to get exercise. There are other ways...I didn't really start dropping pounds until I made the life altering commitment to purchase a brand new treadmill. By the same token, that was my most expensive purchase($479 at Canadian Tire). Do you want to know where I put that treadmill? Right smack in the middle of my living room. I couldn't ignore it, and couldn't deny it's presence. It was a constant reminder. Having a TV in front of it, gave me something to free my mind, while I enslaved my body. A lack of time stopped being an excuse and I couldn't very well ignore it either could I? The other investment I made was a WII fit... nothing like having fun, and receiving encouragement while you exercise. And when you weigh 320+lbs. Any exercise helps... even minimalist Wii Fit Yoga.

    A gym membership is expensive, but not the end all. You have choices. Compare the $479 treadmill I have owned for three years, to a gym membership (assume say $500 a year for a gym membership? or courses? both of which you may not use to full potential) Thats a $1000+ discrepancy which has purchased me some nice exercise equipment (skipping ropes, DVD's, workout clothes, free weights, marathon entries, shoes etc)

    The next thing I will give you to ponder...

    You say that classes and memberships are expensive... You are correct. But so too is health care. As we age, and our condition declines, health care gets more expensive....You can't just pay to be healthy. It takes work...and the longer we wait, the more it costs you (and the less able you are to do the work) Are you in for a few bucks and some effort now? Or significantly more money later and not be able to fully enjoy your quality of life?(think walkers, motorized scooters, canes) .

    Bottom line get the exercise you need, and don't confuse exercise with gym memberships being expensive as a reason not to exercise. The best exercise you can get is the exercise you will DO!

    Anyways, my 2 cents... Rant Over... Exercise is important. Apologize for ranting. Have a Great Day!
  • Pangea250
    Pangea250 Posts: 965 Member
    I didn't really start dropping pounds until I made the life altering commitment to purchase a brand new treadmill. By the same token, that was my most expensive purchase($479 at Canadian Tire). Do you want to know where I put that treadmill? Right smack in the middle of my living room. I couldn't ignore it, and couldn't deny it's presence. It was a constant reminder. Having a TV in front of it, gave me something to free my mind, while I enslaved my body.
    LOL, that's where mine is too! Funny, I've had it for just over a month and my ex-husband (we get along) asked me if I was using it for a shoe rack yet. He had one before we were married and I guess it functioned as a depository for his shoes. Which he has a lot of. But I digress. Anyway, I was happy to be able to tell him that I use it nearly every day!
  • fitniknik
    fitniknik Posts: 713 Member
    This is going to be a little rant... please don't take offense to it. My goal is to get you thinking about your health and its costs. Anyways... here goes.

    I have always found Gym Memberships to be a waste of money. You sign up with the best of intentions and then you slip into old habits. Excuses become easy for not going...After all it's out of site, out of mind. I don't want to have to drive there, it's always so busy, I want to catch my show first, yadda... yadda... yadda. Most gym memberships go unused. And the fitness clubs bank on it.

    You don't need a Gym membership to get exercise. There are other ways...I didn't really start dropping pounds until I made the life altering commitment to purchase a brand new treadmill. By the same token, that was my most expensive purchase($479 at Canadian Tire). Do you want to know where I put that treadmill? Right smack in the middle of my living room. I couldn't ignore it, and couldn't deny it's presence. It was a constant reminder. Having a TV in front of it, gave me something to free my mind, while I enslaved my body. A lack of time stopped being an excuse and I couldn't very well ignore it either could I? The other investment I made was a WII fit... nothing like having fun, and receiving encouragement while you exercise. And when you weigh 320+lbs. Any exercise helps... even minimalist Wii Fit Yoga.

    A gym membership is expensive, but not the end all. You have choices. Compare the $479 treadmill I have owned for three years, to a gym membership (assume say $500 a year for a gym membership? or courses? both of which you may not use to full potential) Thats a $1000+ discrepancy which has purchased me some nice exercise equipment (skipping ropes, DVD's, workout clothes, free weights, marathon entries, shoes etc)

    The next thing I will give you to ponder...

    You say that classes and memberships are expensive... You are correct. But so too is health care. As we age, and our condition declines, health care gets more expensive....You can't just pay to be healthy. It takes work...and the longer we wait, the more it costs you (and the less able you are to do the work) Are you in for a few bucks and some effort now? Or significantly more money later and not be able to fully enjoy your quality of life?(think walkers, motorized scooters, canes) .

    Bottom line get the exercise you need, and don't confuse exercise with gym memberships being expensive as a reason not to exercise. The best exercise you can get is the exercise you will DO!

    Anyways, my 2 cents... Rant Over... Exercise is important. Apologize for ranting. Have a Great Day!



    This is exactly what Im saying!!! WTG Jeff!
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