December 24, 2010
Burning Calories, but Not a Hole in Your Wallet
By WALECIA KONRAD

CLAIRE ALBA is determined to nail two New Year’s resolutions at once: staying fit and saving money.

Ms. Alba, a 38-year-old jewelry maker, and her husband, Rennie, 42, recently gave up their fancy membership at a Park Slope gym. Instead, the couple and their two daughters, Coco, 9, and Cori, 5, plan to join the local Y.M.C.A., where their membership will include access to a new sports center at the Park Slope Armory.

The combined membership offers quite a bit more than their current gym, including a pool, exercise classes of all kinds (and for all ages), fitness equipment, child care, karate, family yoga, art classes and an inexpensive day camp for the girls during school vacations.

The cost? Membership for all four Albas will cost the same each month as the couple paid for the adults-only gym.

And Ms. Alba plans to sign up the day after Christmas, when the Y will waive the $121 fee to join for new members. “We’re getting so much more, and it doesn’t change what’s coming out of our pocket every month,” said Ms. Alba.

As the nation’s economic woes drag on, many people are rethinking their investments in pricey gym memberships and home exercise equipment. After all, the average health club membership is $750 annually, including sign-up fees and monthly dues. A treadmill for home use can cost upward of $1,000.

Many fitness buffs are finding that less expensive alternatives can be just as invigorating. “These days people realize you can burn the same number of calories for a lot less money,” said Beth Kobliner, personal finance expert and the author of “Get a Financial Life.” She added, “All kinds of programs have popped up postrecession that offer lower-cost ways to exercise.”

From exercisers who have gone low-tech, here is some help for both your wallet and waistline.

NO FRILLS The Y isn’t the only affordable gym option. Often other community organizations, like schools, neighborhood clubs, temples and churches offer workout facilities and sports activities for less money. In many neighborhoods, no-frills gyms provide fewer equipment choices and no fancy amenities — but at daily, weekly or monthly rates, instead of yearly memberships, so you are not paying for gym time that is not being used.

Students or an alumni of a nearby university or community college can often can use its facilities at no cost or for as little as $20 a month. (Students also are often eligible for discounts at Y’s and other community centers, too.)

Check out the hotels and motels, too. Many allow neighbors to use the fitness room and pool for a small daily or weekly fee. These arrangements may be left to the individual manager’s discretion, so it pays to make a phone call or two to see what might be available and to negotiate price.

GROUP EFFORTS Studies show that when people work out together, they are far more likely to stick with it, said Cedric Bryant, chief science officer at the American Council on Exercise. Walking, running and cycling groups are usually free and provide a great way to socialize and stay motivated.

To find an exercise group, do an Internet search for the type of club you want to join, along with your city or ZIP code, or check the bulletin boards at your local sporting goods, running and bike shops for groups in your area. Meetup.com lists all sorts of group fitness activities by city or ZIP code.

Runners can check the Road Runners Club of America for clubs in their area: www.rrca.org/find-a-running-club. If bad weather is common in your region, visit the local mall and check bulletin boards and information booths for organized mall-walking groups.

Can’t find anything organized near you? Start a group. Vicky Finney, 45, of Brooklyn, plans to start a power-walking group for mothers in her neighborhood after the holidays for those wanting to walk around Prospect Park after taking the children to school.

“It takes 50 minutes to walk around the whole park, and it’s completely exhilarating,” she said. “Way better than dragging yourself to the gym and staring at a bare wall while you walk a treadmill.”

YOGA, PERHAPS? Yoga studios have infiltrated just about every corner of the country. Among its other virtues, yoga can be a remarkably cost-effective form of exercise — no special equipment is required, save for perhaps a mat, and you can do it on your own practically anywhere.

In most studios, you pay for each class, usually between $10 and $20. But many yoga studios offer community classes for as little as $5 or $6 as a way of reaching out to new clients and giving new teachers more experience.

In addition, donation-based yoga studios are becoming popular. At Yoga for the People, which has locations in New York, San Francisco and Berkeley, Calif., a donation of $10 a class is suggested, but you can put whatever you can afford in the box.

HOME SCHOOLING For a few dollars, or at no cost, you can find DVD or online instruction on just about any type of exercise for use at home, said Dr. Bryant of the council on exercise. All you need is motivation and enough strength to move the coffee table away from the television or computer.

Exercise DVDs may be inexpensive, but before purchasing one, think about what your goals are — weight loss? strength training? stress relief? — and what type of instruction will work best for you. (You can find more detailed advice on picking an exercise DVD at www.collagevideo.com.) Consider borrowing DVDs from your local library or renting them before you buy one.

For intense strength training, go online and check out a favorite of workout bloggers: hundredpushups.com. The free program promises to enable you to do 100 push-ups in six weeks’ time. The site offers similar programs for achieving 200 sit-ups and 200 squats.

For free instruction on exercises for just about every part of the body, visit the online exercise library at the American Council of Exercise. On the Web site of Self magazine, you can create and customize your own workout video: workouts.self.com. YouTube is also full of free exercise and aerobic videos that can be done at home. One of the most popular is “8-Minute Abs.”

Home exercise equipment, if you decide to use it, need not be big and expensive. An exercise ball, jump rope, set of hand weights, resistance bands or an inexpensive chin-up bar can all enhance your home workout, and can cost less than $25 each.

GYM DISCOUNTS If none of these alternatives sounds appealing and you still want to join a swanky health club, at the least look for discounts, which are often plentiful this time of year. Crunch Fitness, in New York, for instance, is offering $150 off the enrollment fee and $10 off monthly dues for those joining before the end of the year.

Always read health club membership contracts carefully, checking for any limitations in your agreement (not being able to use all locations, for example) and a cancellation policy that allows you to stop paying if you move or are injured. For more information on what to look out for, go to www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/health/hea08.shtm.

Don’t succumb to pressure to sign up on the spot. Instead, go home, reread the contract — and think about whether you really want to spend all that money when there are so many low-cost alternatives out there.

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