Purdy Colors
Today’s lunch included a beautiful array of fresh produce in the form of a lettuceless salad.
All Dressed Up
In the mix:
- ¾ pint grape tomatoes
- ¾ large cucumber, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 2 oz. goat cheese
- Italian dressing
Lunch Time!
It looked like the rainbow and tasted fantastically fresh!
On to gym discussions…
Saving on Gym Memberships
I love my gym. It’s affordable, within walking distance of my apartment, has great group exercise classes and offers free coffee in the morning! It’s a gem.
When I first graduated from college and began to look for my first apartment, I took into consideration the location of nearby gyms. Since I was used to working out for free at the gym on campus, I wasn’t prepared for the cost associated with a gym membership.
Set Up for BodyPump
Gym prices are no joke! Luckily there are some great ways to save money when it comes to joining a gym.
- Shop Around: I compared the prices of several gyms in the area before selecting my gym. The difference in cost between local gyms is often extreme. I knew I didn’t need the most glamorous gym, and by forgoing some of the modern luxuries, I was able to join an affordable gym that still offered amenities and components I felt were important, such as free weights, group exercise classes and plenty of cardio equipment.
- Check Out the Apartment Gym: When Ryan first graduated college a year before me, he didn’t even join a gym. The free gym at his apartment complex had enough equipment to get in a good workout.
- Try it Out: Before signing up for a gym membership (which may include a long-term contract), inquire about trying the gym for free for a week or two. Many reputable facilities will let you workout for several days for free to make sure the gym is a good fit for you.
- Negotiate: Many times gym rates are not hard fast. There is often room for negotiation, especially when alternative gyms are located close by. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount or inquire about upcoming promotions.
- Utilize Employee Discounts: Ryan’s company offers all of their employees discounts to certain gyms. Check with your employer about benefits they may offer to encourage healthy living.
Past Gym-Related Posts
- BodyPump: Explained
- Getting Over an Exercise Slump: Recharging Your Workout Routine
- Incorporating Strength-Training into Your Workout
- How to Get Your Partner to the Gym
- How to Work Out in the Morning
Of Possible Interest
- Predicted Fitness Trends for 2011 (FitSugar.com)
- Healthy Butternut Squash Recipes (CookingLight.com)
- Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain (WomansDay.com)
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
Your salad looks so pretty… I love colorful salads!! Great tips for saving on a gym membership, it is crazy how much some gyms charge for a membership! Luckily I get mine free for teaching spin:)
Also check out local community centers as well!
At $90 a month, I put off signing up for my local gym for a while, even though the location was super convenient and the group classes were amazing. Unfortunately no other gym in the area had those two factors that were most important for me, so I signed up. It’s steep, but it’s a long term investment in my health.
Your salad looks amazing!
i am in love with my gym. over the years i’ve worked out at 5 gyms and this is my favorite. it has all the bells & whistles–personal tvs, lots of equipment, lots of cardio machines, free towels, sauna, pool, etc.
find a gym you love, and you’ll go to the gym more 🙂
I work at Golds Gym (corporate owned, not franchise), and they offer alot of different promotions, but you can also talk them down quite a bit if you try. Plus many insurances and jobs will work with us to get better discounts.
great tips julie! another one would maybe be check out the local rec center or YMCA – a lot of times those have great amenities and are even more affordable. 🙂
well, that is unless you live in colorado 😉
I’m not a huge fan of lettuce, so I love the idea of a lettuce-less salad! And gym memberships can be uber expensive, so thanks for the money-saving tips!
Yum! i LOVE that goat cheese on top idea. That salad sounds so light and refreshing!
I have a gym in my building which is new and gorgeous and fantastic. However, since it’s a gym for owners in the building, there are no classes! Ack!
I’m on my third gym and it’s the cheapest yet! It doesn’t have a lot of the fancy frills as some of my last ones, but at $10 a month, I’m not complaining!
is that really all you ate for lunch?
yup… like i said before, i don’t post everything i eat and i had a big morning snack an hour before lunch, but that was my lunch. if you’re curious about the calorie content, it’s prob. close to 350 b/c of the 2 servings of goat cheese, the full-fat italian dressing & the veggies (though veggies are always lower in cals).
How’s the honeymoon situation? I’ve been thinking about ya!
gahhh it’s not looking so good. 🙁 i’ll elaborate more tonight, but let’s just say st. lucia is out for friday.
Oh NO 🙁
That is a bummer! I’m sorry 🙁
Great tips!!!
the salad looks yum too!
I love lots of veggies for lunch!! Student memberships are also a great way to go if you’re still in college/grad school. I know most schools have campus workout facilities, but the extra equipment and longer hours of a real gym make my membership 100% worth it.
And to the comment above- oh no!! Hope everything works out and you get there eventually!!
Oh no, the St. Lucia thing isn’t good news! I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end though, don’t worry! 🙂
And thanks for this post! I literally JUST quit my gym cos it was getting too pricey (they put up their prices AGAIN) but will keep looking for another one. Thanks for the tips! 😀
Great tips! I love colorful meals!!
Shopping around is key–and not signing up that day. Some will lower their membership prices the minute you start walking out the door. I figure it’s like buying a car–the point is to see how low they’ll go.
I belong to a great gym for $10 a month. No classes, but when I need a class type atmosphere I just pick up a DVD with no guilt about how much I’m spending on my fitness 🙂
another tip about apartment gyms- even if you don’t live in at that apartment, if there’s a gym there the mgmt might be willing to negotiate a rate for you to use their property’s gym. my apt complex does that and only charges about $20/month. the downside is there’s no classes but if you only want the equipment and the space, it might work.
I just signed up at my local YMCA (Victoria, British Columbia) which at $30/month I get unlimited use of cardio equipment, weight room, pools, gymnasiums and courts, free drop in yoga, pilates, spin classes, Zumba and other dance classes, cardio and strength classes, a free personal training sesson and so much more! My university gym isn’t that close to my apartment and if it isn’t convenient, I won’t use it as much, so this was a really great way to go, and I totally suggest looking into the YMCA if you need a budget friendly alternative with just as many, if not more options than many “high class” gyms!
I hope your honeymoon situation is sorting itself out, I can’t wait to see pictures from your wedding!
Always negotiate and show competitor’s coupons for the best rate!
You are getting me inspired to try my gyms version of Pump, Group Power. I think its pretty much the same, just another gym’s take on it. I actually love strength training more than most other forms of fitness, maybe I’ll be in love with GP!
I totally recommend shopping around. I work at a Recreation Centre and believe that they provide the best bang for your buck as they offer multiple facilities, ie. gym, pool, arena, classes, etc..
I do wish that we offered Bodypump, it sounds like a good class!
Julie — a honeymoon should be memorable. How about 3-4 days in Paris or Rome instead? No hurricanes there.
Totally random but what brand are your running shoes?
I totally agree that it works to negotiate. I have never paid the full advertised or initially offered price for my memberships.
I cant believe the differences in costs of gyms around here. One’s 50/mo with a 2 year contract with a $75 cancellation fee while there’s one right down the road that’s 10/mo and it’s month to month with no fee to cancel. Oh, and it’s way less crowded than the expensive one..no brainer there!
I checked out your past post on Body Pump. I wish I would have found that before I went to a class a couple of weeks ago. My legs were killing me from the squats! I can’t believe how much weight you lift. You go girl! I will get there someday.
I am sorry to hear about your honeymoon getting canceled. You’ll have to go to St. Lucia to celebrate your 1 year anniversary instead. I heard that tickets to Europe are cheap right now. I went there for my honeymoon and it was so much fun and very romantic.
Also, if you know that you love the gym and are going to be using it for many years I recommend to negotiate to pay 2 or 3 years up front. We (My husband and I) paid 2 years up front, got the third year free and then pay $100 for the two of us for the whole year. That was 15 years ago, but I am sure you could still do this when you negotiate. Also we signed up around this time Oct/Nov months when it is slow at the gyms before everyone signs up in January. Yep it is a great deal but we did have to pay quite a bit up front.
I signed up for the gym through my health insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield) and they offer $30 a month for any gym that they work with in the area (there are like 5 in my small city alone!). No contract so I can cancel at anytime. I found that this works best for me because if I get bored with my gyms body pump I could always start trying out a new gyms with new instructors!
I am drooling over your beautiful food. Great tips on saving on gym fees. My company offers $250 reimbursement, but I don’t take advantage. I am currently doing the 30 day shred at home, which I hope is not frowned upon (I’m only on day 3) 🙂
Great blog!
http://katrinemartine.wordpress.com
*British Texan Blend*
i’ve heard fantastic things about that DVD!