Spring Forward to Action Week 3, Day 4: Turning Down Free offers

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

26 Apr 2007 07:27 AM

There was a special going on at a local fitness club this week and they called to invite me in to enjoy the benefits of this special offer. For a few minutes of my time, I could go in and enjoy a ten-minute tour of the facility. During the tour, they would give me all the reasons why their club is the place for my business. Then, if I happened to be interested, I could sign up for a membership without any registration fee and pay a bargain basement price of $30 a month.

Sounds like a great deal right?

Offer or Obstacle?

I like fitness clubs, to a point. I think they offer a tremendous service to individuals who want to take advantage of their equipment and facilities. Do I want to sign up and be locked into a membership for a year or more? No, not really.

Now, you may be wondering why - after all this sounded like a great deal, right? Of course it does. But I have found over the years that my dedication to any physical activity has to be paired with my lifestyle and the demands of day-to-day living. A fitness club that I have to drive to in order to participate in anything just doesn't fit comfortably into the needs of my lifestyle.

Why Not?

I work out of my home. I substitute teach. I have a young daughter who engages in a variety of extracurricular activities. Almost everything I do, from day to day, occurs in a relatively small area around where I live. I need my fitness options to be right here - at home and in my neighborhood. This is why I:

• Own my own exercise equipment
• Recently bought a bike
• Garden regularly
• Spend as much time as I can outside and on the move - with my daughter

So yes, I turned down what may be construed as a great offer, but it wasn't a great offer for me. This is how you need to make your fitness decisions. Don't just go for the good deal or what appears to be an attractive deal, you need to go for the options that work for you. If a fitness club is what you need and what you'll use - then fantastic. But if you won't use it and you'll be wasting money and creating guilt for yourself because you're not using it - then you're better off turning offers like this down.

How is your Spring Forward to Action Challenge going?

Related Articles:

10 Reasons To Check out a Fitness Boot Camp

Memberships: Why is it so Hard to Cancel Them?

The Pros & Cons of Weight Machines

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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Andrea Hermitt (5472) 26 Apr 2007 07:45 AM

At least you are getting good offers (which I don't blame you for not taking?). My local club wants us to pay $150.00 each to sign (you can quit anytime) up plus 50 a month. I have 4 family members.... I'm not paying that!

Heather Long (16954) 27 Apr 2007 06:42 AM

Yeah, that sign up is very steep. The problem is, fitness clubs are a business and I appreciate that, but with so many other options available - those are the ones I am interested in doing.