Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The Gym and Saving Money

I finally did it. After months of talking about it I cancelled my gym membership.
Now why would a self professed fitness buff get rid of their gym membership?
Frankly. Because I rarely use it.
Despite my best intentions I just never go. When I first started cycling I figured I would use the gym to build my strength for cycling fitness, drop in a few indoor spin classes etc. Then when I was triathlon training I justified the gym membership because I did about 50% of my swim training there. I kept saying that I'd start a strength training routine but with 10-20 hours a week of swim/ bike/ running, I just never got into a good weight lifting schedule. Then with pregnancy plans looming I've told myself I'll get in for Yoga/ Pilates/ or Zoomba classes. Something to make up for my decreased cardio routines.
But let's face it. I just never go. When I do drop into the gym I watch the people like Zombies running on the treadmill and I wonder why they do that when it's a gorgeous 70 degrees outside and you can have fantastic views of your neighborhood, the mountains, etc while you log miles. Standing in line for your turn on the treadmill or Elyptical just seems ridiculous with miles of trails and canals a few yards away. Spin class is fun but I found a spin gym that I enjoy much more so I rarely attend spin at my gym. The pool always feels over/ or under chlorinated and I have to be careful not to show up when the water aerobics classes have taken over the pool. I found that I enjoy the neighborhood park pool much better and the fact that it is outdoors makes it that much better. I've found that when I do workout I enjoy getting outdoors in the glorious Phoenix weather (it's fantastic 7-8 months out of the year) much more then dragging myself to the gym.
So to save $25 bucks a month on something I very rarely use I made the plunge and cancelled the membership.
On a side note, Josh and I are on baby step 3 of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. So saving money is a huge priority. Especially with planning for baby expenses.

1 comment:

  1. Yay!! I remember cancelling our gym membership...why Is It so hard even if you don't go!?!

    Yay for Dave Ramsey, I'm so glad yall are on the band wagon!! :-)

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