Alternatives to the gym always come out on top
Following on from my discussion of eating out, another thing that really struck me in my €10 in 10 days money challenge was how free exercise almost always provides more enjoyable alternatives to the gym. I think that this is best demonstrated through a series of pictures:
Cycling
Running
Racquet sports
Even the gym has even outdoor alternative to the gym!!
Go outside – its good for your health…
The one thing that all these lovely, free alternatives have in common – they are done outside. Embrace nature, it’s good for your health. And this isn’t just a wishy-washy, hippy idea!!
The latest ‘Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment’ (MENE) fourth annual report have shown that on average, one outdoor visit (to an area of “greenery”) each week for between 10-60 minutes is enough to raise self-esteem – which is a facet of mental health. Moreover, 10-15 minutes at least three times per week will allow the human body to synthesize enough vitamin D to supplement physiological health.
…and its good for the wallet
Apologies – I was getting a little sidetracked with all this talk of health! Back to the cash!
A gym membership to the David Lloyd club in Newcastle is currently around £70 per month (this is about standard for this gym nationwide), or £840 per year, and there are additional supplementary fees for other classes.
Doing our usual 25 year calculation, at the average bank interest rate over that period, we are looking at over £48,000.
This is a crazy amount of money to be spending for essentially being stuck indoors, surrounded by loads of other sweaty bodies. Many surveys show that the majority of gym goers don’t even enjoy going to the gym. Do you?
Do you need more persuasion?
My advice – scrap the gym membership today, get outdoors and start to really enjoy exercise. If you are still not convinced to seek alternatives to the gym, maybe this will help!!
For other way to increase your long term wealth my e-book “Becoming Rich: One step at a time” is available in the amazon kindle store now.
Those are real good alternatives for gym. I have been running from past couple of years and love the nature. You feel so relaxed and fresh when you are back. If we do not want to spend money on gym and go for alternatives you can find many. Good post !
I have a very cheap gym membership. It was worth it to me, but now that I am exploring different fitness options, I’ve cancelled it
How have you found the transition since cancelling? Do you miss the gym?
I also have canceled my gym membership two months ago, and that’s one of the wisest decisions I made lately. I do a lot of walking even during weekends, plus I join some public zumba classes which is a better alternative since I get to see more people doing the exercise and that adds to the motivation to get fit.