Want to save a little money? Stop going to the health club! Americans need more exercise but paying to go to an exercise gym is a huge waste.
Some 41 million Americans apparently have accounts with health clubs and gyms of various sorts, according to the Wall Street Journal. Many of those accounts are opened in January to try to get rid of the extra holiday poundage we all accumulate.
What amazes me is that people love to join a gym. They just don’t like to go much. Sign up, sure! Even go for a few weeks like clockwork. Then, gradually, the urge to go withers. How many times have you taken the pledge to get back in shape and started out with a plan only to see it sidetracked by…life?
Here’s the reality: Most health clubs know you will do this. Almost none of them are set up to get paid only when you actually come through the door — or they discourage it by setting the price high. They will, frankly, go out of business if they count on you coming back regularly. You mean to, they wish you would — my cardiologist wishes I would! — but we know it won’t happen. If nothing else, it’s embarrassing to be in there with all the “regular” Venus and Adonis types who seem to live their lives with workout music in the background. And I certainly don’t need a mirror showing what I carry around.
Sometimes the club wants you to sign a contract for a long-term membership. But increasingly common is to set-up a monthly payment conveniently deducted from your credit card or bank account — cancel anytime! Isn’t that nice? No long-term commitment.
Health clubs don’t need the hard-sell. They realize you mean to come back if you like the facility. You have every intention of doing it. So why not sign up for the automatic payment which you can — cancel anytime! Isn’t that great?
Not really. You won’t cancel it will you? You don’t have the heart. If you cancel that deduction, it’s like admitting you failed at getting back in shape, you aren’t going to live up to that New Year’s resolution. So instead of actually working out, you pay a fine every month as a sort of punishment. At least your bank account is losing weight!
Cancel it and don’t sign up for those programs again. Find your local YMCA or local community equivalent and go there. Go to the public parks and run or walk — seriously! That’s what they’re for.
What’s the next hardest thing to getting in shape? Making money. Save yours.
