This time of year many people join gyms, sign up for membership contracts and vow to go "every day!", BUT will YOU join one and will you still be using your membership one year from now, that is what I care about! so, some tips to make sure you do!
BEFORE you join:
1. Visit and work out at least once at any gym you're interested in joining. If possible, get a free pass or a short membership that will let you visit for a week or two. That will give you the chance to find out whether the location, hours, and class schedule work for you.
2. Ask about all the fees, including sign-up fees. Find out whether the monthly rate they give you is an introductory rate or the permanent rate. Ask whether you can have a discount if you pay in a lump sum, instead of monthly. Ask your friends if any of their gyms have referral discounts. It's a good time of year to spot some bargains among gyms that are hoping to sign up everybody who has made a New Year's resolution to exercise. Don't be afraid to try a little negotiating if you know that a competitor is offering a better deal.
3. If you're uncertain whether a certain gym is right for you, resist the urge to fall for demands that you must sign up immediately to get this "once-in-a-lifetime, limited, bargain-basement" offer. If you haven't had time to understand the terms of the agreement, you may sign up for something you'll later regret. If the gym is a reputable business, it'll want you as a customer whether you sign up right this second or think it over for a few days.
4. Look around for other discounts. Some employers will subsidize part of their employees' gym memberships. A few doctors have even jumped on that bandwagon, arranging discounts for their patients to help keep them healthy.
5. Make sure you understand the terms of your contract, including its length and the terms of its renewal. Some may renew automatically, on a monthly or annual basis. Ask also whether you can cancel the contract before it ends and whether you would pay any penalties for doing so. Think twice about any contract that lasts longer than a year. Your life may change a lot in 12 months, making any one gym less attractive.
6. Once you get in the routine of going, keep going. You'll get the most out of your membership if you become a regular user. If you want a little motivation, figure out what you're paying on average for each visit. Then, when you're tempted to sit on the couch and watch TV, you can remind yourself just how much money you're wasting by skipping a session.
7. Use the free stuff that frequently comes with a membership. Often you'll get a few sessions with a personal trainer. Try out all the classes. Make a little time to relax in the sauna. The more you get out of the experience, the more you'll be motivated to keep coming back.
8. Lastly, ask yourself whether an all-purpose gym is the right place for you. Gyms can be great for aerobic equipment, group classes, and weight training. If you'd rather devote yourself to yoga, swimming, or karate, you may be better off spending your money specifically on those pursuits. If you do what you love, you'll be more motivated to keep it up.
OK, now you have joined the gym. Good for you, but how do get from having signed on the dotted line to being a 'regular'?
At the gym I go to, every January I notice faces of new people and see them at every class every day of the first week or two of the month, then I see them a few days the next week, then maybe once or twice the 4th week and by February, they are all but gone. It's a shame.
Do you know why this happens? Because the person tries to do TOO MUCH TOO SOON! While it is admireable to want the weight off NOW and to vow to "do it" this time....the reality is that change is hard and the best way to do it is gradually, almost sneaking change up on yourself and then suddenly you are different!
I advise those seeking my help to go about their transformation slowly but gradually! Yes, you are paying full dues for the month of January, February and March to the gym and want to get the most out of your money, BUT if you committ to going 2 times the first week and again the second week, and to only doing 5-10 minutes on the treadmill--but DO IT. And then in the 3rd week increasing it by 5 minutes and adding one day.....and so on, by the end of Feruary you can be going consistently 3-4 times a week and realistically be up to 30 minutes of cardio or more, but IF today you get winded walking down the driveway, how realistic is it to think you can attend a step class for one hour EVERY DAY this week?
If you are mostly inactive now, vow to stop using the scooter for your quick errands.
Vow to park 2-3 parking spaces further way and walk more.
Probably the most important thing that you could do at this point is to get a pedometer and wear it! See what YOUR steps are (if you have 100+ to lose, your count will probably be under 2000 a day), and then make it a game with yourself to try to do a few more steps tomorrow than you did today, and keep going until you get to 10,000 a day consistently by the END of the year, not by tomorrow!
You MAY want to even consider NOT joining that gym until May when at that point you will be ready to use it!
It is not important how quickly you realize your goal, it matters that you realize it and live healthy!!
It would be great if you send me an email your starting pedometer reading and let me cheer you all on to the finish line! You can also sign up for FREE daily emails on from me at http://www.juliahavey.com/ you will get daily support, money saving offers and more!
Carpe Diet!
Julia Havey
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