How much money do you spend on being Fit??

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13

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  • black_sabbath
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    I spend nothing. My exercise bike was free. Yoga and pilates bits were a gift as was the thigh trainer. I do it in the comfort of my own home.
    Vitamins you get from food...so no supplements for me.
    As for clothing i'm at home so I wear nothing special. Jeans and t-shirts work fine.
    On occasion I go to a zumba class with a friend. But that's more fun than anything burning calories is an added bonus. That costs £4 per hour class.
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
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    I definitely spend less being fit. More dinners at home, less fast food has meant that we stick closer to our $100/wk grocery budget as a family. (A typical breakdown is 40% farmer's market/ 60% grocery.)

    The gym membership for our family is pricey ($90/month for both of us) but it's at a wellness center that is both convenient and offers everything we want (an indoor pool, staff on site, a variety of classes and equipment) so I figure if we use it, it's better than spending $20/month on a Planet Fitness membership that we find excuses not to go to (no pool, inconvenient to work/home).

    ETA: as far as clothing, I worked in retail management for years and am a total packrat, so I have a variety of clothing in every size from 12 to 20, so until I lose a significant amount of weight, I won't buy any more clothing than I do now (which is the occasional update of work pants or a 'feel good' shirt or dress a few times a year). I do hope that my feet shrink, though. I grew after having a child and gaining weight to a size 10-11.
  • peachyxoxoxo
    peachyxoxoxo Posts: 1,178 Member
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    I don't spend much...

    Protein powder: $25-50
    Other supplements: none
    Gym: free (part of my college tuition) or I workout using equipment at home
    Clothes: less than $100
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    I spend nothing. My exercise bike was free. Yoga and pilates bits were a gift as was the thigh trainer. I do it in the comfort of my own home.
    Vitamins you get from food...so no supplements for me.
    As for clothing i'm at home so I wear nothing special. Jeans and t-shirts work fine.
    On occasion I go to a zumba class with a friend. But that's more fun than anything burning calories is an added bonus. That costs £4 per hour class.

    There's no "like" button. So, "LIKE".
  • sgthaggard
    sgthaggard Posts: 581 Member
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    A gym membership and that's it. Even that was optional.
  • Chameleone
    Chameleone Posts: 281 Member
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    I've spent less than $60 on hand weights and dvd's
    Other than that the most expensive things have been having to by the right kind of low calorie bread and switching to almond milk and all that.
    The healthier alternative is not always cheap...
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    Compared to most people, I don't think I spend that much. I spent $80 for 10 pole classes right now, and then I have to buy workout gear and running gear, but those are pretty small expenses. I buy cheaper clothing or clothing on sale. I think my only big purchases were my Nike running shoes ($50 at the outlet store) and I'm planning on buying a hydration pack in July since I'm training for a half and I really can't run any further without food and water with me.

    I'm on a very tight budget. Honestly, even the pole classes and hydration pack are tough, and I'm dipping into savings and birthday money to get them. But they're some of the few luxuries I afford myself and they're things I genuinely enjoy.
  • chocolateandvodka
    chocolateandvodka Posts: 1,856 Member
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    I spend nothing. My exercise bike was free. Yoga and pilates bits were a gift as was the thigh trainer. I do it in the comfort of my own home.
    Vitamins you get from food...so no supplements for me.
    As for clothing i'm at home so I wear nothing special. Jeans and t-shirts work fine.
    On occasion I go to a zumba class with a friend. But that's more fun than anything burning calories is an added bonus. That costs £4 per hour class.

    There's no "like" button. So, "LIKE".

    jeans and t shirt, or regular yoga pants, pj's, old shirts, etc DO work just fine for the beginning stages of training. However, when you start running 5-10k's and swimming laps, and benching 458lbs then at some point you find out that wearing the proper shoes and clothes really does make a difference.

    for me, it happened when i suddenly realized i'd reached "that point" after my workouts started lapsing into 2 hours long every time. so i splurged on a couple of things. now i'm just fat and spoiled.
  • margojr4
    margojr4 Posts: 259 Member
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    I find that my health and fitness are priceless - cant seem to put a dollar amount on it :wink:

    BUT if I were, I've only made money by not spending so much on food or health costs (rates lowered), walking instead of driving (saving gas) etc.

    With all my savings, I have put towards my retirement fund as I expect to live a long healthy life!!!!
  • IcyClear612
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    Not that much

    I am on a budget, so I have to think twice before I buy anything, other then food, I only pay 15 bucks a month for vitamins. I use netflix for workout tapes and I have zumba and biggest loser on WII.

    much less then eating crap and paying 10 bucks a meal
  • angieroo2
    angieroo2 Posts: 973 Member
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    Let's see:

    $110 on shoes
    $400 on gym membership
    $100 on gym clothes (I'm guessing. I had absolutely none when I started)
    $20 on free weights
    $15 on yoga mat (that I gave to my mom)

    I still say it's worth the initial investment. I can already see an improvement in my health.
  • carpar1
    carpar1 Posts: 211 Member
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    Workout DVD's-$300
    Shoes-$75
    HRM-$50
    Hand Weights-$75
  • jaymek92
    jaymek92 Posts: 309 Member
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    I spend nothing on my gym membership or Crossfit. I spend like $30 a year on vitamins and maybe $75 on protein?
    I buy new running shoes every 3 or 4 months at 70-110 a pop, so around $300 there, and another $150-200 on clothes and socks.
    I live with my parents still, so they do buy most of my food, but I put in around $50 a month since they don't buy much vegetarian or healthy food.
    So, in total, around $1200.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
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    About $120 on vitamins per year (multi, calcium, and iron)
    $6000 on food (groceries for 2 people, plus protein bars and eating out)
    $180 on protein powder
    $120 on running shoes
    last year I spent about $100 on workout clothes but I plan to use them for a while
    plus $140 on dance shoes/tights if that counts as fitness stuff
    I also spent $50 on a hydration belt for my long runs - also a great investment.
    The workout DVDs I use are either on netflix or were gifts, outdoor running is free.

    So almost $7000, including food; $300 of which won't need to be re-purchased fo a while.

    Honestly that doesn't seem like too much considering I got my second job (as a professional dancer) because I'm fit and I don't spend any money on doctor visits, lost time from work, medications, etc.

    ETA: completely forgot about race entries! Probably $200/year :wink:
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    My biggest expense is my gym membership - £30 a month. I use it more in winter than in summer. It covers use of the weights, cardio equipment, swimming pool and various fitness classes.

    I buy a protein powder (£11 a month).
    Running shoes (£30 every three months)
    Bits and pieces for my bike (maybe £20 a month?)

    Leggings / capris and t-shirts - maybe £20 -£30 every few months.

    Race entries - maybe £100 a year.

    So, all in all about £60 a month I guess. £720 a year.

    I could get by with just running shoes and clothes, but I like doing the other stuff.

    I spend less on food than I used to, and my food wastage is lower. I no longer drink, so save more than my fitness expenses in not buying alcohol... I reckon I spend less on food, fitness and other elements of healthy living than I used to spend on food, booze and chocolates... :-)

    And of course my fitness activities double as leisure / entertainment. so I save there.
  • skuzinsk
    skuzinsk Posts: 2
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    $35 for a good bike helmet and $10 to replace a bike tire. That's it. Plus I've saved money on groceries overall because I started doing all my own bread making, making my own stock from whole chickens, and buying a lot more produce (which is much, much cheaper than the stuff in the center aisles). I have eaten out maybe five times in about eight months. I have an iPod that I use for workouts at home and in the beginning I did use my sister's and boyfriend's Wiis (Wii fitness), but I use those mainly for entertainment now and other practical purposes. I guess the net fitness cost would be negative at this point.

    A lot of the best fitness is simply about moving your own body weight at a certain level of exertion to get both strength and cardio training, and maybe finding an exercise buddy for motivation. Special equipment or special clothing or measurement devices are nice but not essential. I think that for most people you could incur less than $300 in "start-up" costs if not nearly zero costs. Any costs you incur would pay themselves off fairly quickly in money saved from not eating out, not visiting the doctor or needing prescription medications as much, etc. For anyone thinking of getting started, fitness does not need to be pricey.
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
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    Per month :

    Gym membership - £15.99
    Vitamins - £4.99
    Probiotics - £11.99
    Specialist foods(as in health store bought) - £60
  • Stefanie7125
    Stefanie7125 Posts: 462 Member
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    Running shoes - $10
    Rebounder - $35
    Hand weights -Free! (used to belong to my brother)
    Resistance tubes - $15
    Cycling machine - Free again!! (It was a gift)
    Total = $60

    I also have a Netflix account that I use for workout videos, but we use it for so many other things I don't really count it. I don't make a lot of money (so I can't afford a gym membership or a lot of home workout equipment), but it's not hard to lose weight on a budget.


    Where do you get a decent pair of running shoes for $10? I need to shop there!!
  • Bsp120167
    Bsp120167 Posts: 68 Member
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    Didn't realize Netflix had workout DVDs. Will have to check that out!
  • Neecy_Pooh
    Neecy_Pooh Posts: 122
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    YMCA Membership - $120 per month
    Running shoes - 2 pairs a year/$150-$200 depending on sales
    5k Races and other events registration fees - $200/year
    Whey Protein and other supplements - $800/Year
    DVDs - $300/varies yearly
    Workout Clothes - About $300 - $400/year
    Fat Percentage Analyzer - $65/Once
    HRM - $55/Once
    Pedometer - $25/Once

    I think that is everything. : ) It's so much better paying for things for your health than to spend all that on junkfood, beer and cigarettes!!