Five Alternatives to an Expensive Gym Membership

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Christmas is upon us and New Years is right around the corner. Every year millions of people make the New Years resolution to lose weight, get in better shape, improve their health, etc… But with a slumping economy, falling US Dollar, poor performing stock market, high oil, gas and natural gas prices, rising healthcare costs, and the mortgage crisis – it is a wonder anyone has a dime to spare on getting fit.

That is why we have come up with these Five Alternatives to an Expensive Gym Membership:

1. Eat Better – We know it sounds simple, but changing your diet can have a huge effect on your health, even without exercise. It is a little known fact that eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive. It can actually lower your weekly food bill! Packing a simple lunch of chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli costs about half of what you would pay for a typically lunchtime meal at a restaurant. Whole-wheat pasta is good for you and can feed an entire family for under five dollars. Even those food-to-your-door diet systems like MedFast often cost less per meal than eating out. There are plenty of low-cost, healthy food recipes online if you do a bit of searching.
2. Don’t Be a Picky Parker – We are all guilty of doing this: Driving straight to the first row in the parking lot, hoping to get lucky, and weaving your way through the rows, maybe waiting for ten minutes while some oblivious driver puts on her lipstick before pulling out of her spot… All just to save ourselves about one minute of walking. Not only does going straight to the part of the lot that has open spots take away stress (which in itself is a huge health benefit) but you get that extra exercise, and will probably even get into the mall quicker.
3. Let The Pros Train You At Home – That sounds expensive doesn’t it? We don’t mean you should hire Billy Blanks to teach you TaeBo in your living room. Save that $100 a month on fitness classes and instead buy a few inexpensive $10 fitness videos. You can probably even get previously-watched DVDs from Amazon.com for about $5 a piece. That’s twenty videos for the cost of one month of fitness classes or personal training sessions.
4. Take Advantage of Free Trials – Almost every gym is going to have a free trial of some sort. Most of the time it is one week. Multiply that by the number of gyms within driving distance and you probably have a good month or two of free workouts. A word of warning though: If you are the type of person to fold under sales pressure this isn’t the best idea. Fitness center sales staff are trained to convert you into a paying member. You have to know how to stand your ground, but if you can do that it will save you a lot of money.
5. One Thing at a Time – Instead of making the resolution to “get in better shape” it would be easier, less expensive and probably more effective to be specific. Telling yourself you are going to “lose weight” or “get into shape” usually results in a rush to the nearest GNC for gimmicks that don’t work, an expensive grocery list for foods you won’t eat, and a contractual membership at a gym that you may not use for long. Contrary to what many of us feel when we get inspired – getting locked into a contract or spending lots of money is not going to motivate anyone for more than a few months. Fitness is a lifestyle. And lifestyles are built upon one good habit at a time. For instance, make this year’s resolution about eating wheat bread instead of white bread. Make it about doing the second item on the list. Make it about taking five minutes every day at a certain time (set your watch alarm) to stop working, close your eyes and breath deeply. Gradually grow into simple, easy-to-do, good habits – THAT is the most inexpensive and effective alternative to costly gym memberships.

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