I discovered that our Community Center has fitness facilities and amazing prices. A membership is only $35/month--that's just $5 over what we paid at Snap and this gym offers FREE classes AND an inside jogging track AND basketball courts AND it has a cute little café.
I felt guilty bringing up the idea to Pete. He'd worked so hard on the workout room and now I was turning my nose up at it--"That's great, Dear, but I prefer yoga."
I mean, I still wanted to use the workout room for strength training and the occassional dreadmill run--I just wanted to use the track and classes at the gym--but that still meant an extra monthly expense that theoretically we shouldn't have to worry about.
What's more, I already pay for a monthly WeightWatchers membership. Then there's the running tights, the shoes, the sweat-wicking underarmour shirts, the headbands, the foam roller…
As I pondered the numbers, I thought, "Damn. Getting fit is EXPENSIVE." But you know what? Staying fat costs more.
In 2010, George Washington University issued a report in which they analyzed the costs of being overweight and obese. Check it:
Overall, tangible,
annual costs of being…
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For...
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Are…
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Obese
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Women
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$4,879
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Obese
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Men
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$2,646
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Overweight
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Women
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$524
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Overweight
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Men
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$432
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With the gym and WW memberships, I'll be spending $924 annually to go from overweight to normal. But subtract the cost of being overweight and that's still $400 I can't justify.
Oh wait, yes I can.
Because I was obese. My WW membership brought me down. That membership and any non-recurring get-fit fees I may have paid didn't come close to $2,646. And I get to be not-obese for the rest of my life, if I play my cards right. If I live to be 83 (average life expectancy for women in the US), that's $148,176 I'll have saved us.
If my math is muddy, if I've overlooked some cost to health, well, feeling comfortable in my own skin ispriceless worth $924 annually.
And you know all my math? Not even necessary. It's just to make myself feel better. I talked to Pete about the gym membership last night, laid out my half training plan and showed how the group classes would help me. I counted on my fingers how many times a week I'd likely need to use the indoor track. I told him about the January special where you get the first month for just $10 and they wave the activation fee. He responded with, "Sure. Can I turn Portlandia back on?"
If my math is muddy, if I've overlooked some cost to health, well, feeling comfortable in my own skin is
And you know all my math? Not even necessary. It's just to make myself feel better. I talked to Pete about the gym membership last night, laid out my half training plan and showed how the group classes would help me. I counted on my fingers how many times a week I'd likely need to use the indoor track. I told him about the January special where you get the first month for just $10 and they wave the activation fee. He responded with, "Sure. Can I turn Portlandia back on?"
I'm joining the community center this weekend, and I'm going to try out their "Indoor Cycle" class!
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| source: http://www.musclequotes.com |
