Is My Gym Membership Holding Me Back?

First of all, let me say that I am a great believer in gyms. Millions of people go there every day and many change their lives dramatically through their decision to exercise and improve their bodies, increase their confidence and enhance their overall well being. 

There are, however, a lot of people who join up to the gym with good intentions and never end up going, never even walk through the door, or who start off really motivated but soon give up. Most of these people never bother to cancel their membership or they are tied into long contracts which they are obliged to keep going even though they are not using the services.  That can add up to a large amount of money each month, a shiny new club in my town charges a monthly fee of about £130 for the full package.

So, should you havehave a gym membership...?

For those who are getting the most from your memberships and are constantly improving year in and year out by using the gym, I say carry on with what you are doing if you are happy with it and the system is working for you. For those who are either no longer using your membership, who are under utilising it or who have reached a stale training plateau (most gym members fall into one of these categories), you need to reevaluate your reasons for joining and make the decision to either keep burning your money or look for some other way of motivating yourself and achieving the goals you had when joining.

I was trying to convince a colleague of mine to come and try my Tuesday evening kettlebells class. She explained to me that although it sounded interesting, she already has a membership somewhere else and doesn't want to spend more money on the additional class (fair enough). When I asked her what she does at her current gym, she told me that she attends 2 classes per week. She doesn't use the gym or any of the other facilities that she is paying for. The classes which she does a the same ones that she has been doing for years and although she enjoys them, she still wants to improve her physique. By doing exactly the same training that she has been doing for years, this is not going to happen. 

The solution to the problem which my colleague and many others like her face is to stop paying for the facilities which you are not using and change to a pay as you go option where you just pay for the classes which you do. You wouldn't pay for everything on the menu at a restaurant just because they offer it, you just pay for what you eat. Why should the gym be any different? Most leisure centres and some gyms offer a pay as you go service and if you are not sure, it is well worth asking and negotiating. The money you save here will free you to try out other classes or activities away from the gym, give you a fresh approach to training and help you to see more results and all for a similar price to what you are paying for your all you can eat gym membership (or maybe even less). 

There are a lot of amazing independant classes, courses and bootcamps out there such as the Fitness Bug Kettlebell Classes who guarantee results, guarantee life changing experiences, guarantee something different and will treat you like an individual and not just another nameless faceless member at the buffet of exercise choices.

The fitness industry is changing... get the most from it!

Steve