How much are you spending on the gym? Not just how much money, but how much time? According to which.co.uk we Brits waste on average, almost £500 per year on gym membership…. This is just the waste from those who are paying for gym membership and not even using it, probably a result of a failed new year resolutions! Let us also take into account the thousands of gym users who do tip up at the gym, but still have no real clue as to what they should be doing there. I know you exist because I used to be one! So, ask yourself, how much time and money do you waste on health and fitness a year? You might spend around 2 hours wandering about the gym doing bicep curls and posting Instagram updates, when you could have gone in with a plan and been done in an hour. If you have been going to the gym for the past year with no significant results… then I am afraid you are in the waste bracket. Some gyms charge up to a £100 join up fee and another £100 per month on top of that… so before you have paid a personal trainer to tell you what the hell you should be doing in there, that is £1,300 per year just for entry! For the sake of the argument lets say £500 a year spent on gym membership for the average Brit. That does not include all the pre/post/during muscle dust shit your buying on top of that! Throw another £30 a month you’re spending there and there is another £360 a year you are literally pissing down the toilet. Investing your muscle dust powder budget in a online personal trainer will get you 10 times more results. Social Life & Boozing How much is a night out costing you? For my wife and me to eat out at a reasonably nice restaurant will cost at least £70, if we are drinking then that is easily £100. Add in clubbing, a taxi ride home and a Donner kebab, now you are looking at closer to £70 each… minimum. Let’s just say you are a single bloke, doing this once a week. That adds up to about £280 per month or £3360 a year… That is a low estimate, compared with what I used to do anyway. Now before you kick off, I am not suggesting that you should stop going on nights out and chin off all of your mates, but If you were to sacrifice just one night out a month, then that is £840 a year! (£70 x 12 months = £840) Not only that but now you found money for a personal trainer, you will be making good use of that gym membership you have already paid for, rather than spending that gym time stalking your ex on Facebook! Perhaps you do not even really need a gym but want to do home or park workouts instead. Diet When I say diet, I do not mean that we are going to put you on a 30-day diet for fat loss, where you can only eat asparagus and broccoli. When I say diet, I am referring to what you are eating on a daily basis. With a bit of coaching you might be surprised with the amount you could save on food, unless you’re living like a student eating pasta and tins of baked beans... So, we have already got rid of one donor kebab by sacking off a night out per month, but what about all the little treats you buy yourself when you are cutting about the supermarket on a Thursday night? or is that just me? It all adds up in the wallet and the stomach. Remember, its not really your fault. Supermarkets are bloody good at selling you stuff. They study this shit, the phycology of shopping is big bucks. If the supermarket can get you to buy bread, butter and cheese instead of just bread, then that adds up to a shit ton of profit over all the customers who visit them in one day just looking for bread. I challenge anyone to go into a supermarket and only buy a loaf of bread, you will be wandering past every special offer going because the bread is the furthest thing away from the entrance, next thing you know you’re loading up your cart with skittles, alphabet soup and super saver packs of bog-roll. But now you know so be concious in the supermarket, do you think the supermarket cares more about your health or how much you spend per shop? For my wife and I our weekly food spend is probably around £40-50 we could definitely spend less however we also still like a treat. It is unrealistic to think that you are going to be able to go cold turkey from Cornish pasties and sausage rolls, so get one and have a cheat day, trying to swap your favourite pie for a packet of goji berries is going to last for about two weeks, then you will end up chinning off the whole idea of eating healthily. Other ways of spending less on your weekly food spend are just doing things like making your own lunches and dinners, cooking is really not that hard, even if you have zero kitchen skills! Anyone can chuck a stir fry together; an online personal trainer will help you eat properly, even if think you don’t have the ability to cook. I personally do like cooking, but I hate clearing up, so the food I make usually requires minimal cooking or equipment raw salads or one pot wonders! (stir fry’s and stews etc) These are miles healthier and cheaper than grabbing a take away or eating at a restaurant. The other main benefit is since paying attention to my diet, I digest my food way better, therefore eat less, feel miles better and more energetic, it is true that you will get more benefit from spending more time in the kitchen than in the gym. It took me a long time to realise this. Eating well does not need to be difficult or expensive and perhaps it will actually save you money. For me I probably save at least £20 a week compared to what I used to spend, which over a year adds up pretty quickly to £960. Even if you only saved a tenner a week you are still looking at £480 over a year. Transport According to the Telegraph the biggest cost per week to the average UK household is transport. Easy win, start walking more or buy yourself a bike and cycle to work, yes it sucks in the winter… so maybe still drive in then (unless you’re absolutely nails), but in the summer, there are minimal excuses, of course as well as saving your dosh you are getting free exercise! Win! On that point take the stairs rather than the elevator, not saving any money but more free exercise! So how much could you save? Please comment below and download our free chart to work out what your weekly and annual expenses are, it does not need to be 100% accurate just roughly average out your weekly/monthly spends. If you cannot be arsed to work out how much you might save, investing in a online personal trainer is still going to help you master yourself and get you actual results in the gym. If you choose to get an online personal trainer or one in the flesh, either way it will be an investment which you will get returns on for the rest of your life! Send thefitnessmasters.com or one of our online personal trainers a no strings attached message to see how we can help you! Categories |