Being healthy can be pricy, thank goodness there are some easy ways to save on our healthcare. Yep, you can have your kale and eat it too! Here are five quick and simple tips to save money and stay fit!
Compare and Save
If you are loving your new gym but crying over the fees, shop around. Many gyms will match the price of their competitors if you bring proof of the discounted amount. There are even some gyms that will match promotions happening at the nearby competitor. The worst that could happen is they refuse and you can choose to stay or switch..
Go Digital
Personal trainers can be the best things for our bodies, but tough on our budgets. If your personal trainer is leaving your wallet more sore than your muscles, opt for a digital version instead. There are some great video game options for personal training that are actually good! My favorite has become the Nike Kinect because it tracks your movements so you know what is right and wrong. The Kinect also does fitness evaluations so your workouts are geared towards what results you want and what you need a bit more work on. No, it is not quite as good as your crazy awesome trainer, but trading out trainers a few days a month could give you enough spare change for a night on the town.
Workout Close to Home... or Work
This tip has two winning features. By working out closer to home/work, we are able to save a massive amount on gas money over the year, but we are also more likely to continue our workout plan. Research has shown that when a gym or fitness area is more than five minutes away, we are 20% less likely to go. Even worse, every five minutes on top of that reduces our chances even more! We can save money by jogging around the neighborhood or going to the nearby gym and be more likely to keep it up. I do like win-win's, especially when it comes to shedding weight and saving money!
Coupons and Such
When we think of sites like groupon.com and plasticjungle.com, we do not usually think of workouts. Mistake. Groupon has deals on group fitness classes that can be up to 70% off, and good. Sites like plasticjungle will give discounts on gift cards to places like Nike and Sports Authority. Check these sites next time you are in the mood for some zumba or that cute pair of running shoes and save up to 70%!
Get Insured to Workout
This little known secret is something that I recently discovered and think most gym members would enjoy knowing... There are many health insurance companies in the great yonder that will give discounts on your monthly bill if you have a gym membership. For real! Contact your insurance provider to see if they are one of these stellar companies. In some cases, the insurance company will actually give a discount equal to the price of your membership. Whoa! Finally, something about insurance that we can smile about!