I feel guilty for joining a gym

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  • Alice_Liddell
    Alice_Liddell Posts: 78
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    I understand how you feel. I don't work (for mental health reasons), so I feel guilty that I dropped 300 dollars a month on the registration and a month of personal training with my gym, and forty dollars a month for the membership. Like you, we're not struggling for money in the least, but I wasn't the one who made the money, you know? My husband is always telling me that it is OUR money, not HIS, but it's hard to feel like that when I'm not contributing.

    That said, I go to the gym. I work out. I work with my trainer (but only for two more weeks :sad: ). And I love it. Once I step into the gym, I don't feel guilty, I feel grateful. Grateful that we can afford it, grateful that my husband is kind enough to "allow" it (I'm not saying he tells me what I can and can't do, you know. Just that, well, I want him to be happy, and if I am doing something that he is unhappy with, I like to change that. I would hope that he'd do the same for me), grateful that I have the opportunity to get in shape and stay that way. I have the membership for a year. After that, I may just buy some home equipment to cut costs, but who knows? I might keep going. And I'm not going to feel guilty.

    We all need one or two things that are OURS, that we can do for ourselves, and there is no shame in being a little selfish sometimes. :smile:
  • iuali81
    iuali81 Posts: 47 Member
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    I did not have to sign a contract, so it's just month to month. I think I'm going to give it a try and see if it's worth the money. If it's not, I will quit and find some place cheaper to go. Maybe after a couple months there I will feel more comfortable about going to the gym on my own and knowing what to do. I feel like that's a fair compromise. For the person that asked, yes, I did discuss this with my husband. He's not against me doing it. It's my own guilt that's making me feel this way!
  • getfitdiva
    getfitdiva Posts: 1,148 Member
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    Mommies always feel guilty about devoting time for their health and body. It needs to end. I started working out when my kids were very young and now they are 4 & 6 and I work full-time. Although I love spending family time I was exhausted all the time, sleep deprived, and unhappy with myself.

    Once I incorporated a schedule to make working out a priority it turned out benefiting the whole family. I was able to release any of the stress that comes from juggling a tight schedule with work, home duties, and making family time. The results are now they have an energetic wife and mommy that is so much more fun to be around and now I can keep up with my hectic schedule and energetic kids.
  • jedibunny
    jedibunny Posts: 321
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    I completely empathize with the feeling of guilt, though probably for other reasons... we aren't exactly in a happy place with money (hello student loans) and I grew up with two struggling parents who tried to pretend everything was ok (which became really easy to see through by age ~7). Because of this I look at money more conservatively than many, and felt like I couldn't afford a gym. Then I realized that I tended to splurge on other things "when I could" (i.e., when I got a paycheck and my bills were somewhat settled), and then found out that PF has a $20/month reciprocal membership. That sealed the deal for me.

    Now 2 months later I'm realizing exactly why PF charges so little. They have cardio equipment and weights and strength machines, like any gym... they have "perks" for Black Card holders (the $20 vs. their lesser $10 fee) which includes recriprocity, the ability to bring a guest every time, and lower fees for purchased beverages from the cooler... but they don't have a LOT of things you'd expect. Towels. Rentable locker space. Classes (aside from the "free unlimited training" which is essentially signing up for someone to show you how to use a machine). An indoor track. A pool. etc. Now I'm wondering whether I can justify paying more for an additional class or a different gym, even though PF does what I need it to do, which is get me off my @$$ and out of the house so I can at least do a little cardio in the morning.

    Aaaaanyway - what cgwatson said - I'm assuming that your initial fees are for the training sessions, and that's what I'm missing in my current setup, and that's what I think I'd pay for if I could afford it. Therefore: if you can afford it,do it! I'll also echo the "investment in you" sentiment.

    and a big thank you to the person who mentioned groupon! I'll be looking at that myself.

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