To Join or Not to Join: Are Gym Memberships Really Worth It?

By Allie McComas

Sitting in my minivan at an intersection, I begin feeling very guilty. Not even 50 yards from me is my gym. I joined it 7 months ago, determined to get rid of the "baby weight" I still carried from having my son. The gym seemed perfect for me. It offered free child care, free personal training, free tanning, free aerobics classes, and it was open 24 hours a day. It sounded great! So why do I feel so guilty? Because I haven’t been there for the past 3 months. Does this sound familiar to you?

According to the International Health, Racquet &Sports Club Association, 50% of all new health club members quit within the first six months of signing up. The reasons for quitting are as many as there are people who quit. When the costs of an action are immediate and the benefits are far in the future, people soon realize that the benefit wasn’t necessarily worth the cost. Economists use the phrase "time-inconsistent behavior" for this phenomenon. Tomorrow's lean and toned body loses out to the dread of today's workout.

For me, I fizzled out because I found that it was a huge production just to go there. I had to get my son ready, pack his bag of "what ifs" and attempt to time the trip between naptimes. Plus, the whole time I worked out, I worried that my son would be trampled by the active toddlers that refused to watch the video the attendant was playing for the third time. As far as the "free child care" went, I got what I paid for.

In his article, "Time Management Facts and Figures," Dr. Donald E. Wetmore says that 90% of those who join health and fitness clubs will stop going regularly within the first 90 days. So, why do we buy memberships in the first place? It seems that health club memberships offer two opportunities for excess optimism.

First, people overestimate the number of times they will actually make the effort to get to the gym. Secondly, they are proud of themselves for seemingly saving money by buying a gym membership that includes many free services, whether they actually use them or not. The free child care was more worrisome than helpful, I never actually went to a free aerobics class, and being a redhead with fair skin, I have never nor will I ever use a tanning machine, even if it is free.

Before you pay for a gym membership, evaluate your lifestyle. Be realistic in your estimation of the time, energy, and cost you will be able to dedicate to working out at a gym. Then, ask yourself if the benefits outweigh the costs. You may find that joining a gym really isn’t the best way to work out.

I finally realized that for my particular lifestyle, a Pilates workout video during my baby’s naptime was a perfect (and cheaper) way for me to work out. For most people, even just committing to a good brisk 15-20 minute walk at least three times a week can do them a world of good, and it doesn’t cost a penny.