Fit Body, Fat Wallet

Classes/athletic leagues: If you don't like to exercise alone, another alternative to a gym is to sign up for classes or a sports league. Your local college should have a wide assortment of classes, from martial arts to yoga, which will provide various types of exercise at minimal cost. If sports are more to your liking, check your local community center, where it should have a variety of sports leagues such as softball, basketball and soccer. Both these options should give you plenty of exercise at something you enjoy at a cost much less than most gym memberships.

While there are alternatives, a gym membership is exactly what a lot of people are looking for. If that is the case, you still can make a number of moves to lower your cost of membership.

Negotiate: Chances are that when you start looking around for a gym, you will be inundated with many cheap trial offers for new members. The prices for these trial periods will be a fraction of the price of what the normal gym membership costs. Do not sign up for anything longer than the trial. When it expires, don't just sit back and pay the regular membership price. The sports club business is very competitive. Simply explain that you are considering other gyms in the area that are offering better prices. More times than not, you can get the membership price lowered. If not, you can start a new trial membership.

Avoid long-term contracts: You want to avoid signing long-term contracts, if possible. While the gym will tell you this is the best rate you can get, it's a half truth. It will be the best price of their normal rates, but because you will be negotiating the price every time they try to raise it, you will come out ahead by not signing a long-term contract. This also means you aren't locked into paying if you decide somewhere along the line that the gym is no longer what you want.

Know what you need: Take the time to consider exactly what you need in a gym. There's no reason to join a gym with a pool if you're not going to swim on a regular basis. There's no reason to join a health club that has tennis and racquetball courts if you don't play those sports. By seeking out a gym that is set up with the equipment that you will use and nothing more, the fees will likely be less than an all-inclusive gym.

Check with your company: Many companies make arrangements with local gyms to give a discount if they don't offer a gym themselves. Workers who are in good shape and healthy are to the company's benefit, so this is a popular office perk. Check with the personnel department to see if your company offers any discounts with gyms in your area.

Health saving account: If your desire to get into better shape stems from a doctor's recommendation, then you may be able to pay for it with money set aside in a health savings account. If your company offers this option, you can pay for the membership with pretax dollars instead of after-tax dollars.

Getting in shape offers a lot of money-saving benefits. With the above information, there is no need to pay more than you need to get yourself in the shape you want.