“I Can’t Afford a Gym Membership…”

The gym is pretty crowded with New Year’s resolutions and folks “working off” the Holidays.  I know that working out is a commitment and it doesn’t take much to talk yourself out of going or starting an exercise routine.  I did it for years.  I would come home from work exhausted and the last thing on my mind was a vigorous workout.  I have had much better success lately- I am going to share my strategy.

I have enjoyed great success working out over my lunch hour.  Now I will admit- it is difficult to fit a good workout in a one-hour box.  My gym is close to my office so I can be their in five minutes and get in a good workout and be back in about an hour.  Putting the workout in during the day really helps with home time and lets me decompress when I reach the house so it fits my schedule nicely.  There are two other great benefits that I will also share.

First, when I workout- I skip lunch.  I generally will have a protein shake and this takes care of the hunger issues and it carries me to dinner.  This has been great for weight control and has allowed my weight to stabilize in a favorable range.

Second, by skipping lunch I am saving significant money.  I find it difficult to eat lunch for much less that ten dollars.  If I can manage to work out three times a week, I am saving nearly thirty dollars (protein shakes do have a cost) a week.  So it occured to me today,  that you could easily save enough money by skipping lunch and going to the gym a few times a week to pay for your gym membership.  This is a triple whammy!  Get in shape, miss a meal and save money.  So for anyone who says “I can’t afford a gym membership”-  there you have it.  You can do it!  Find a gym near your work or home that is convenient.  Learn to do a thirty minute workout.  You will be doing yourself some good and likely saving money at the same time!