6 Ways to Exercise for Less
A worldwide obesity epidemic is having significant health repercussions segments of society. Increases in type II diabetes and heart disease are a direct result of being overweight and living a sedentary lifestyle. Many people use the excuse that they have neither the time nor the money to exercise. 30 minutes a day three times a week is something most people can do and if you're smart you can exercise for less as well.
1. Comparison Shop
Start off by calling a minimum of three different gyms in your area and get both monthly and annual price quotes. If memberships have slowed down many gyms will offer significant discounts for new members. You may also be able to employ price matching to get a lower price at a gym closer to where you live.
2. Negotiate
Business is highly competitive and most owners will negotiate when dealing with potential customers. One option is to offer a lower price on membership but it is also common to throw in additional incentives to attract or retain new business. You can also use the old trick of showing interest but saying the price is too high and asking if there is something that can be done.
3. Use Coupons
Coupons are used for everything nowadays not just food from the grocery store. Daily deal websites have popularized the use of promotional offers at 50% to 75% off. Keep an eye out for gym memberships, especially those of the annual variety, which are priced to move. It is definitely possible to get a $400 per year gym membership at half-price.
4. Ask About Discounts
Many companies and governments will develop relationships with local area gyms to offer pricing discounts for their employees. Health insurers also realize the financial benefits of healthy plan members and may have exercise facilities already available or have developed similar deals with gyms. Ask your company and insurance provider if they have something in place and how much it costs. The savings may be substantial especially for large organizations.
5. Try Before You Buy
Almost every business will let you try before you buy because it increases the success rate for completing sales. While this isn't a long-term solution to exercising for less it provides an opportunity to test the gym on a trial basis before committing to be a full-time member. As you get closer to the end of your trial, most gyms will try hard to make it permanent so use this to your advantage and get a better deal.
6. Skip the Gym
At the end of the day, human beings have been getting plenty of exercise for thousands of years without paying for gym memberships. If you live in a nice city conducive to exercise, consider outdoor activities such as swimming, hiking and biking which only cost as much is the initial equipment. You can also purchase a wide variety of exercise equipment for pennies of the dollar using online classified websites and frequenting garage sales.
