Resolve to resolve your resolutions

One thing I have learned over my years working in gyms at the beginning of a new year is that New Year's resolutions are not a real thing.

New Year's Resolutions are a gimmick cooked up by the fitness industry to make more money. They know that every one has been eating themselves into comas during the holiday season and now are feeling remorseful for doing so.

This is the time of the year that national chain clubs are ramping up their commercial ads to get more of you to come in, sign up, and then forget about it.

I worked at a chain gym for about 5 years. They had over 10,000 members in their database. Sounds great! All those people using the gym and getting in shape. Unfortunately that's not what's going on. In reality only about one third of that 10,000 are actually using the gym.
If all 10,000 people were using the gym, you would never ever get a workout in because it would be too crowded.

The gyms are betting on the fact that most of you will not workout after you have signed up. That's how the big chains make their money. You sign up, have direct withdrawal dues taken out of your bank account each month that you forget about after a few months. You stop coming which makes more room for the gym rats and the gym still makes money off of you.

The bright side? If you are seriously considering getting into a gym membership, NOW is the time. It's true that now is the time of year when their memberships are at their lowest. Once again it's how they make their money.

Here is a hint to getting the best deal. Never go for the cheap membership. In the long run the expensive package is the best one because your monthly dues will be cheaper. The catch is that you will have to put more money down on the sign up cost. If you are serious about working out and changing your life than spend the money to get the most out of your membership.

There are private gyms that are usually more money but private gyms are not so much about quantity as they are about quality. If you want a state-of-the-art, high-end gym that will cater to you and make you feel special and you have the money than that's the way to go. If you like a down and dirty, big box with weights and type A people into seriously grueling workouts a la Crossfit, than that's your wheel house.

Find a gym that fits your lifestyle. Find one that makes you feel comfortable. Find one that's clean and find one that won't drain your bank account.

Remember: If you feel like you're not going to keep working out, cancel that membership as soon as it's legally possible. The chain gyms make tons of money off all those thousands who are still paying monthly dues and not coming because they forgot they have direct withdrawal from their bank accounts.

Happy 2013!