TTTT: I believed that I was too committed to being a good steward of our finances to “waste” money on a gym membership.
The Truth: Money wasn’t preventing me from getting
active. Keep reading to learn more about how accessible an active lifestyle really is.
I used to say, “I don’t want to be
one of those people.” “Those”
people who pay for a gym membership. I
didn’t like the identity that I believed came along with it. I equated a gym membership with being vain
and self-absorbed. I convinced myself
that NOT having a gym membership was proof of my Christian values and
prioritizing others with my finances. ANNND
I used this as justification for why I didn’t work out.
Some of you are cringing with
concerns about the bad theology referenced above. It is bad, but that’s a blog post for a
different day. Today’s post is about
removing the mental barriers that we build to prevent us from working out.
You don’t HAVE to have a gym
membership to maintain a consistent workout routine. With YouTube, you can access thousands and
thousands of home workout videos that require little or no equipment. Search it up in the app store on your device
and you’ll be overwhelmed by the number of free fitness apps with workouts.
Which app or YouTube channel is the
best? The one you use.
Even if you unintentionally pick
the worst free app, using it consistently will still make a difference.
Walking or running is basically
free. Yes- you need shoes, but you were
buying those anyway.
You don’t NEED a gym membership in
order to be healthy, but James Clear (Atomic Habits) talks about the power of
community influencing the habits that we have.
IF you join a gym, you immerse yourself in a community of people who are
fitness-minded. Obviously, you won’t
like all of them. You may or may not
find a few real friends. But you
surround yourself with people who value fitness. They value it enough to pay for it. While sitting at home, working out feels
weird. In a gym, surrounded by people
who are working out, working out feels normal.
Having a routine that includes going to the gym feels normal. James Clear teaches, the community of people
doing the thing that you have set a goal to do is far more valuable than the
equipment itself.
Making it feel normal, makes you
more likely to do it regularly.
For this same reason, including people
or even your pet in a physical activity at home makes you more likely to be consistent. Walk with other people in your neighborhood
and suddenly it’s more of an event than a burden. Walk your dog everyday and the dog will guilt
trip you for the days that you choose to not take him/her. For any adult without major health issues or limitations,
walking 20 minutes a day is completely attainable. If you do it outside, in the
sun, you get several other health benefits!
You could also join a recreational
sports league or group and accomplish the same goals. From disc golf to volleyball and everything in
between, there are several websites, apps, and Facebook groups dedicated to
connecting you with others who want to do the same activity. These give you a community of people who enjoy
a hobby that you enjoy and will encourage you to be active.
If you want the gym membership, it
can be done for $10-$20 a month. That’s
affordable. $10-$20 a month is what you
spend on 1 or 2 trips to fast food restaurants or to go to coffee with a friend
and offer to pay for both. To 90+ percent
of us, neither of those seem like unreasonable expenses.
Moreover, I don’t know anyone who
spends less than $50 a month on a gym membership AND USES it and says it’s
not worth it. Yes, people who are not
using it make statements about not getting their money’s worth. But the ones who use it, are grateful for the
difference it makes in their life.
“Stewardship” is not the real reason
that you’re not working out or not getting a gym membership. You’re choosing to believe this justification
so that you have a valid reason for not working out. I’ve been there. The truth you need to hear is this- it’s not
valid. You are choosing to believe a
lie. A gym membership is very affordable
and, even still, you can maintain a consistent workout routine at home, on your
own, for free.
Everyone can find affordable ways to
lead a more active lifestyle. Spend less
time focusing on excuses and more time looking for opportunities, they are out
there. Drop a
comment and share about some of the creative ways you’ve
boosted the activity levels in your life!
Come back next week for Part 2-
another area of life where I used stewardship to justify my choices.
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| Our dog, Minnie, reminding me that it is time for her walk. |
While we lived in Minnesota, I joined an app called MeetUp and found opportunities to play sand volleyball. It was organized, there were multiple opportunities per week to play, and it was fun. Those nights quickly became the highlight of my week.
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