How Much Do You Pay to Stay Fit?

Last year Money Magazine ran an infographic on the cost of keeping fit.

There are a few facts from the piece that I want to highlight and comment on.

The first one was the median annual health club dues. It was listed as $828.

We pay more than this. Our club runs $149 per month for four of us. But it is top-of-the-line and seems in line with what we get.

Between the four of us we are at the club 60 times or so per month, so on a cost-per-trip basis it's not that expensive.

On top of that I pay a trainer $89 a month for one session. TOTALLY worth it! He's moved me from 28% body fat to 16%. Better yet, he's all but eliminated my back issues.

I've spent thousands on doctors over the years trying to cure my back, so the money I spend on the trainer is well worth it.

The next piece of info Money shares is the earnings boost if a person exercises 3+ hours a week. For men, the boost is 6%. For women, it's 10%.

Assuming the average household makes $50k per year, a 6% boost is $3k and a 10% boost is $5k. So that health club can actually pay off -- as long as you use it.

Finally, Money asked people how much they plan to spend a year on fitness. The outliers are very interesting.

33% said they plan to spend less than $100.

This must be people that do absolutely nothing as even people who participate in low-cost exercise programs (like running) need things like shoes, apparel, etc.

23% said they plan to spend more than $1,000.

This is likely due to people like me who go to higher-end gyms as well as people who cycle, run triathlons, and are fitness fanatics in one way or another.

How about you? How do you fit into these stats?

Comments

[MikeS]

I'm closer to the 23% spending $1,000. I will probably spend about $600 on shoes this year, as I put in a lot of running miles. If you count the race entry fees in my total expenses, that's where I'm getting close to the $1,000. I'm probably only running 5 races, 2 of which will be marathons. Luckily, I have a free gym at work. I also meet with a trainer at the gym, but the company reimburses $90 a quarter. So, once a quarter I buy 4 30-minute sessions with the trainer for $100. It's well worth it.

[DIY$]

I spend $20/mo for a gym (subsidized on-campus at work so it's just available to me), but we also have some gym equipment at home (paid for by a previous employer) and a nice gym we pay for as part of our HOA dues but it is the least used amenity for us. Other than that I probably spend ~$200/yr on athletic apparel/shoes.

[Mrs. Picky Pincher]

I have nothing wrong with gyms/clubs as long as the memberships are used. It just frustrates me when people pay exorbitant fees for fancy gyms and then never go.

I lack the motivation to pack up and go to a gym, so I purchased an elliptical of my own. It was $150 and was on fire sale at Walmart (it's a pretty fancy one, too). It has built in workouts so I can do different challenges each day. In addition to the elliptical, I use hand-me-down weights and do floor exercises. You don't need a lot of equipment to get in shape and you certainly don't need to spend a lot of money!

[Jamie]

I pay $15/month for a gym membership at my work - and if I go 120 times in a 12 month stretch my health insurance will reimburse me!

I pay $10.79/month for Spotify because they are my favorite for playlists and I need the unlimited skip option. I pay for the subscription but cancel the monthly recurring payment EVERY MONTH so that if I don't use it for a few days at the end of the subscription I can stretch the payments. I only paid for 8 months in 2016!

I buy the same pair of Nike's every 6 months at about $112 a pop but it is (of course) a game to find them cheaper online or use giftcards that I've earned to help pay for them. My podiatrist said that I need to do this because I walk about 15k steps a day on top of my gym activity.

So about $500 annually before reimbursements? Worth it.

[Jane]

It's complicated and my fitness expenses bleed over into entertainment expenses. I'm mainly a runner.

$70/year park passes (State, Regional and County)
$15 a month planned for the new planet fitness for when I don't want to run outside.
$150 shoes
Now the "entertainment"
$250 at lease a year for races
$20-40 a week post run group social (Dinner on Thursday, coffee on Saturday, a beer on Tuesday). I don't do this every week nor do I run all 3 group runs every week but I'm likely to at least be at one.
I also have access to a gym at work and some sunk cost home workout equipment that likely averages about $100 a year.