Do Gyms Work?

You see them everywhere.  They come in the mail with a glossy finish on card stock.  You find them on the table or counter top of local restaurants.  They may even be tucked under your windshield wiper when you come back to your car in the parking lot.  Gym advertisement flyers pepper the landscape of our lives. 

Some make broad promises as to what their membership will cause in your life.  Others show how affordable a membership can be.  If you are already thinking about your health, when you find these little flyers it seems like a no-brainer to sign up.  After all, aren’t gyms supposed to help you get healthy or maintain fitness?  Maybe.  Maybe not. 

A few years ago, we signed up for a gym membership at a Rec Center.  The rates were very affordable and we were looking for an indoor environment to exercise during the winter months.  When we showed up for the first workout we discovered a few problems.  The machines and weights we intended to use were already taken.  In fact, there was a waiting list for most of the machines.  In addition, the times when we could work out were the peak times for that particular gym.  This meant the gym was over-crowded and offered benefits only if we could commit additional time to wait your turn in the midst of all the other gym enthusiasts.

Within a few weeks, we stopped attending the gym because it offered no real value in a workout experience.  The membership eventually expired, having only been used a handful of times.  This taught us a number of questions to ask before jumping into another gym membership.

1. Does the Gym offer enough options and equipment to handle its members?  Most of the employees of the gym can tell you which machines and weights are used the most.  You can also ask gym members who will give you the honest scoop on availability of equipment.

2. When are the peak times of use?  If you don’t like working out with a lot of people around, you need to know what times are crowded.  Then you can plan your schedule around it or decide it doesn’t fit with your time constraints. 

3. Can I try it out for a trial period?  One of the best ways to decide if a gym is for you or not is to try it out for a week.  In this way you can get a real feel for what working out there is like and if it is a good fit for you.

A gym membership is not a guarantee of a healthier you.  It is not a silver bullet.  However, it can be a tool toward health.  A tool is only good when it is used.  You can have a hammer, but it will not create a new roof on a home unless its owner uses it.  You can have a gym membership, but it is only helpful if it is utilized. Ask around to discover if a gym membership could be right for you.