When they start price-shopping microgyms (smaller, independent gyms), people can experience massive sticker shock. Oftentimes, it’s difficult for them to get past it.
They reason: “Gym-down-the-road is less than a Starbucks latte a month! And they have more saunas.”
Sure. And they also have:
- Less one-on-one coaching
- Less accountability
- Less community
- Oh, and less results
Mmm… sounds appetizing!
Microgym memberships certainly aren’t a little amount of money, but what if (what if!) you got as much value (if not more) for the money you spent?
If you choose to spend less at a nameless, faceless gym… is it worth it to pay anything at all, to be ultimately disappointed?
Is it worth spending less for no results?
What Are “Results” Anyway?
That said, what are these results we talk about? These depend on an individual’s goals, which vary from person to person.
For many people it’s to “tone up and lose weight.”
For many of our favorite clients, it’s to “be able to pick up my grandkids for years to come” or “lift the heavy stuff at Sam’s Club without asking for help.”
Or in other words, to age well and increase longevity.
People come to us looking for functional fitness in the truest sense of the word. They know they’ve achieved it not when the scale tells them so, but when they can change a lightbulb without keeling over from exhaustion.
And magically, the scale tells them so, too. It’s just not the primary metric.
Reframing the Question
Sometimes, to better understand something, you have to ask different questions. When it comes to shopping for gym memberships, the question shouldn’t be so much, “What’s the cost?” but more, “What’s the cost if I don’t?”
Here are a few costs to consider:
- Health care = $10,730 per year (obesity being one of the biggest drivers of this cost)
- Diabetes = $13,700 per year
- Heart attack = $760,000 total
- Obesity = 42% more direct healthcare costs than adults with a healthy weight
Not to mention other time sinks involved:
- Time away from work
- Quality time with your friends and family
- Life span
Other Costs that Are Not as Life-Threatening
Even if chronic disease isn’t something you worry about paying for today, what are other increased costs that come with not making your health and fitness a priority?
When talking to a couple that has been at our gym for the past few years, they said that since coming to the gym, they spend dramatically less overall for two reasons:
- Social Life: Having a community and a social outlet at the gym, they didn’t need to come up with reasons to constantly go out, do things, and be around others. The gym checked that box in a lot of ways.
- Eating Out: Valuing their health and nutrition encouraged them to eat at home more often than go out and spend unnecessarily at restaurants.
- Co-pays: I’ve already alluded to this above, but even if you’re not facing chronic disease, medication for other health issues can make a significant dent in your paycheck.
Reduced Medication and Surgery Costs
We have had countless clients get off anti-depressants, anxiety medication, hormone therapy, and high blood pressure medication since joining our gym.
We also have had members save money from simply no longer needing surgery they initially came into our gym needing: back surgery, hip replacement surgery, removal of vocal cord nodules, and others.
Metaphorical Costs
Even with all those numbers I threw at you, here’s the part that gets me deep down, because it deals with something you can’t undo: regret.
One of the biggest costs a person can have by choosing to not spend money on a results-driven gym membership is the one on his or her personal life.
At Lobo, we get people confident. This doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s not something we can make happen magically without their willingness to put in the work.
But it is what we do.
When people are able to move better and lift heavier things with less pain, it gives them a newfound sense of confidence that spills out into every other arena of their lives.
They make decisions at work and in their home lives the way a confident person would.
They behave as people who value their personal happiness and welfare more than anything else in the world.
So, let me ask you, what is the cost of living a life with certainty, confidence, and joy?
You can’t put a number on it.
If you’re interested in becoming a more confident, healthier, and happier version of yourself, reach out to us here at CrossFit Lobo. Let us help you get to where you want to be physically and mentally.
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