Cost of joining a gym

[awakenedsoul]

I've been thinking of joining a gym in order to take aqua fit classes and use the jacuzzi and sauna. Prices have really gone up! I used to get free use, because I taught yoga and pilates at several of the gyms. Our city has a pool where you can take a water class for $5.00. I think I'll start with that. I'll need to take the bus there, which is a dollar each way.
Do any of you have gym memberships that you use regularly? Is it worth it to you? I also may get a day pass and try out LA Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness. I really miss the sauna.

[fidgiegirl]

Good idea about the city pool. At least you can try it out before committing.

Dig around and look up anywhere that might have a pool or gym to see if the public can use it. For example, my alma mater has a sauna and whirlpool off the pool area. While the public can't use the cardio area of the gym, they CAN pay $4 during certain times to use the pool - which would include the sauna! Good luck!

[awakenedsoul]

Thanks fidgiegirl. That's what I want. Maybe the city pool will have a sauna. It's $4.00 to use the pool. Maybe I can do my own workout. I'll check it out tomorrow. It's right on the bus line, just about five miles from here.

[KayLR]

I belong to the Y. I use it 3x/week at least. I have full use of the facilities (gym, pool, exercise classes, cardio & weight room, sauna). We prepaid (at a discount) for the whole year when they had a special on. For hubs and me it was around $560 total.

[Spartana]

Years ago I bought a 3 year all club/all state/all hours membership to 24 Hour Fitness that initially cost $600 for 3 years ($200/year) but was only $49/year after that. So that is what I pay now - $49/year. While I'm not a big fan of 24 Hour Fitness (LA Fitness is way nicer) as it's way to crowded, it does have a lot of clubs and classes - which is what I generally do besides some weight lifting. Some have pools, some don't but most probably have saunas and Jacuzzis. I don't know what membership fees are now but I've seen they sell them thru Costco for around $350 for a 2 year membership. I use the gym a lot so even if it was higher priced it would be a good deal for me. However if you are mainly interested in just using the pool, I'd stick with the Y or one of the city Rec classes. Most cities have fairly low cost classes - both aqua exercise and swim classes, and many city gyms offer pool passes that work out to about $1/swim. You can also check out various swim clubs as many have Master's Programs for those over 25 or have low cost pool passes for open swim. I don't know if those places have aquaclasses though - maybe just swimming classes.

[awakenedsoul]

Thanks. I'm going to look into all of this. I think I can catch a class this a.m. if I hurry.

[awakenedsoul]

Spartana,
Wow. $49.00 a year is incredible! I'll check out the prices at Costco, too. I didn't know they sold gym memberships. I love Costco! I did the aqua class this morning at our city's Aquatic Center. It was good. It was much harder than I expected. I was shivering the whole time. That made it kind of stressful. I could not get warm and my teeth were chattering. But, it felt good, and the people were nice. I'm going to try the other classes at the gyms, too. I'd like to be able to go right into the sauna afterward. This place doesn't have a sauna, but my car was so hot I warmed up right away. One of the ladies there said it cured the arthritis she had in her knees. I want to do it to rehab my hip. The class was $5.00, and it's right on the bus line.

[Rachel]

Where I live it costs about $50 a month for a tiny, dirty gym with limited offerings---up to about $350 a month for a nice, clean boutique fitness gym membership with small class sizes and pleasant atmosphere. A lot of places sell "class cards" where you pay about $10-30 per class if you buy a package of 10-20 classes. Drives me crazy, because I like to work out at least 4 X a week, have almost no schedule flexibility, and cannot tolerate pounding loud "music." So, that creates some limitations. For most of last year I paid an average of $250 a month for yoga classes on the class card system (worked out to $12 per class) at a studio right near my home. That is a ***very*** large amount of money for me, but I consider fitness a necessity. I'm still looking for a more reasonable solution. When I look at these costs I try to remember the cost of a nursing home....is it worth it? It is not just worth it, it is essential.

I don't like that it is so much money, but at my age I see so many women beginning to look frail, starting to use canes, retiring early because they don't have the energy, and generally looking droopy, weak, and worn out. That is no way to live if you can avoid it---I am totally in favor of retiring early, but "having" to retire early because you are too tired to do a full day of work seems like a choice no one should be forced into.

I am upset that our health care system (which is not about health, not about care, and hardly even a system either) does not just fund good fitness training for every single adult in the country. It would save us all so much money in the long run. Nursing homes would go out of business. I really believe that.

[sweetana3]

We pay about $48 a month and it includes a parking pass to the garage across the street. Wonderful gym with regulation basketball court, regular classes, well trained instructors, clean clean clean.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I am upset that our health care system (which is not about health, not about care, and hardly even a system either) does not just fund good fitness training for every single adult in the country. It would save us all so much money in the long run.

I find wanting to exercise indoors to be a little batty frankly, why not go outside and get some sunshine with your exercise? At least if you live in California I guess. :)


Nursing homes would go out of business. I really believe that.

I really don't. I mean I'm sure exercise might help, but I'd like more evidence it could prevent something like Alzheimers for instance. Because I think that's really the type of stuff your dealing with in nursing homes much of the time (as opposed to just retirement homes). Half the patients or more are probalby not all there mentally. So show me that exercising all your life guarantees you won't get Alzheimers even if you live to 95 and despite genetic predisposition (which does of course exist). People are often disabled in late middle age because of unhealthy lifestyle choices, true old age though, is a different matter, a much tougher opponent.

[Spartana]

I find wanting to exercise indoors to be a little batty frankly, why not go outside and get some sunshine with your exercise? At least if you live in California I guess. :)
Melanoma baby!

Oh and heat and need for sunscreen (just got back from a long run and bike ride and it was not pleasant). Doing anything else in the heat and endless sunshine can be hard. So I like going to a gym to use their A/C, their weights, machines, classes, pool, spa, sauna, oogle the men in tight shorts and ripply muscles , shower and basicly get a workout in a more pleasant condition the "outside". Plus some people are more motivated by working out with others, and having the classes and equiptment all under one roof makes it easy (and cheaper then having to buy all your own).

As for the cost, well if I couldn't get a cheap gym like I have and had to pay what Rachael did then I wouldn't join. No way would I pay that much. I'd find alternatives and there are lots out there.

[awakenedsoul]

I'm loving the gym membership. I just got back from using the pool, sauna, and jacuzzi. I met a really nice woman there who is an accupuncturist from China. She kept complimenting me on how strong I am. I got her info and am going to try going to her for my hip. I used accupuncture on my knee years ago, and it healed.

I agree with what you're saying about women getting frail and weak as they get older, Rachel. I feel like I really have to keep at it to do things that used to be easy. My muscles disappear if I'm not careful! I'm doing more handstands and inversions to keep my arms and shoulders. They're energizing, too. If I stop, I feel like I can't do it anymore. I think it's very related to the changes in the body when we stop menstruating. Going to the gym motivates me to eat fresh, healthy food, too.

[Marion]

I used to have a gym membership which cost about 700 $ a year. I loved the elliptical trainer and also the assisted pull up machine. However, I found most of the classes way more inferior to the ones on fitness DVDs (where you can get fit with the best in the business and also the instructors which suit your character best.

My gym had a pool but was too small so useless.

And I really hated having to put with the men who thought of the female members not as full paying members but as being there for their entertainment.

nothing beats exercising at home in my old underwear, at the time that us most convenient to me.

[awakenedsoul]

I exercise at home in my underwear, too. (Especially in this heat.) I do yoga or pilates at night. But, I am loving the gym's pool! I'm also meeting some really nice people there. Talked with a guy in the jacuzzi today. Some of the people have jacuzzis at home, but they use the one at the gym. They say the jets are stronger. Most of the guys at this gym are really great people. They're not hitting on me, just very nice and friendly. Have reconnected with a couple old yoga students there, too. So, far, it's totally been worth the cost.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I've had gym memberships at times. It's always become me mostly paying for a gym membership I don't use - haha like so many people even though I do intend to use them and do for awhile. And I think the odds of me going to any gym I have to drive to given my current work schedule gets very very close to zero. There's a gym I could walk to but it's pricing is really really wacky (membership fees due every 3 weeks and stuff - something weird like that - and pricing not being actual pricing etc.) - so it's a giant math puzzle just to figure out what it would cost, which would be expensive, but I might even do that if they were upfront about costs (honesty about your product and your cost - what a brilliant idea!). So no I think membership at a I have to drive gym or a who knows what it even costs gym doesn't inspire me near enough to exercise as going outside and taking a walk does :) But that's not enough exercise? Then take two walks! :) (I might go to two walks - not for weight or anything really - just to get more exercise). Getting in my car, having to drive to get there (when I already drive too much in life), to exercise in some gym (I already spend most of the day indoors). Nah outdoors still seems nicer, I will drive to a hiking trail :)

[Marion]

If you like the swimming pool facilities of your gym then I agree the membership might be worth it. I have a swimming pool near me, however I avoid going there because if the crowds/children. In a gym, the bonus is that it's adults only.

[awakenedsoul]

Yes, and the pool only has a few people there at a time. The swimmers are really considerate people. I see the same people there regularly. It's quiet, peaceful, and therapeutic for injuries. Since I'm only paying $15.00 a month, I feel like it's a great deal... just for the pool. I had priced visits to a sauna, and they were high. This gym has an excellent sauna. It feels so good on my muscles.

I may start using the weights down the line.