Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
I live about half a mile from Planet Fitness. It’s the only gym nearby at the moment. And although I am seriously considering getting another gym membership, there are a few things that are holding me back.
Don’t get me wrong; if you love going to the gym, that’s great. But, it’s not for everyone.
I’m sure I’ll probably get into a membership again in the future. However, it’s not really ideal for me at the moment.
Why Don’t I Get a Gym Membership?
I believe there is a big difference between excuses and reasons. An excuse is when you try to justify an action with any explanation.
A reason is an explanation that is based on a logical conclusion.
I only bring this up because I believe the following are “reasons” why I don’t have a gym membership. It’s not that I’m too lazy for the gym, but more of the fact there are extenuating circumstances that I’d rather address first.
Barely Remember to Work Out as it Is
Paying for a membership means I would have to remember to visit. And right now, I barely remember to work out at home.
We’ve actually dealt a bit with this in the past. Before moving from Westminster, I was paying for the girls to visit the rec center. Over the span of the year, I think they remembered to go swimming three or four times.
That was it. Essentially, it was quite a waste of money. I mean, $60 per month could have gone a long way at the house.
There’s no sense in paying for something you either have no intention of visiting regularly or simply forget day after day.
Need to Catch Up on Bills First
At this moment, I have a few bills out there that need to be addressed before I can toss money at gym memberships. And right now, teenagers are expensive to have.
I can probably work it into my budget, but that may mean sacrificing something each month. And then I worry about sacrificing something for a membership I won’t remember to use.
This is aside from the fact that I would like to get my Home Depot credit card paid down a bit. I spent quite a bit of money on various improvements when I bought this house.
Current Case Studies
I love collecting data on various workouts and how they affect me on a personal level. Right now, I am in the middle of several case studies with more on the horizon.
Eventually, that data is going to be used to write a few blog posts and perhaps a couple of YouTube videos. It centers around things you can do at home to get in shape.
That’s a large premise of what I do.
Going to the gym would ultimately skew those numbers and the end result.
For instance, I want to see how much of an effect dumbbells have when used on a stability ball. Lifting weights at the gym would screw up the numbers. This is because muscle mass would be developed outside of the study.
But what about just using treadmills at the gym? After all, I am trying to keep up with a new step challenge at the moment.
Why use a treadmill when I can just walk around the backyard or perhaps around the pond?
Too Many People
I am prone to claustrophobia when in very large groups. There are times when I get irrationally angry just walking through a Walmart. Then again, I suppose Walmart does that to a lot of people.
Anyway, being clustered in a small room surrounded by people isn’t all that appealing to me.
There were a few times when we had nearly the entire rec center to ourselves in Westminster. But those moments were too few and far between.
I suppose I could go early in the morning or super late at night. But, that would mean cutting out more of my sleep time…something I don’t get a lot of in the first place.
No, what I really need to work on is adapting to large groups of people. Especially if I want to be more social. I really dislike staying at home day after day, living like a hermit. Perhaps a gym membership can help me overcome that issue.
Adding to My Home Gym
I rather like the idea of having a home gym. Though I don’t have a lot of fitness equipment at the moment, I still can get in quite a decent workout with what I have.
In fact, I’m thinking about doing a series of videos about spending the same money each month on home gym equipment as I would for memberships. I bet I could amass quite the collection of fitness gear throughout the year.
At any rate, adding to my home gym plays into the “get fit at home” motif of the blog and YouTube channel. So, it works more in my favor to spend that money on something I can use here at the house.
Besides, adding to what I have here at the house opens the doors for all kinds of content. Personally, I’m rather excited about some of the reviews I have planned.
And if I can get my wireless mic to work, perhaps a few how-to videos.
Is There Anything Wrong with a Gym Membership?
If you plan on going to the gym, then that is completely your choice. In fact, I kind of liked the few times I went to the rec center. I’d love to have some of those machines here at the house.
What I have an issue with is how some gyms rope you into heavy commitments.
Take Anytime Fitness, for example. When canceling our membership, we had to jump through a ton of hoops. It was a long and convoluted process to the point where I damn near issued a stop payment at the bank.
Many of these companies want to ensure they have a constant flow of money coming in. I don’t blame them for wanting to be profitable. After all, no one goes into business just to file bankruptcy.
But when you make the cancelation process a massive pain in the ass, there’s something wrong with your business model. With technology the way it is today, someone should just be able to click a button to be done paying for a service he or she doesn’t use.
And because of my experience, I’ll never use Anytime Fitness ever again. It took us several months to finally terminate the agreement. And that was after the three-year contract was up.
Yeah, I guess you can say that I have soured on the idea of gym memberships thanks to my experiences with Anytime Fitness.
A Gym Membership is Personal Preference
In the end, paying for gym memberships all comes down to personal preference. Are you able to utilize the membership fully, or will it be nothing more than a waste of cash?
As I said, I’ll probably get a membership to Planet Fitness at some point. But right now, I have too much riding on being able to lose weight at home.
Now, I just need to work on the motivation to see one of my case studies all the way through.
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