Maybe you're embarking on a new healthy lifestyle in 2016, or maybe you're just looking for a change - either way, check out our top tips to consider before choosing a new gym membership.
1. Make sure there is variety in both activities and times
Different exercise make different people tick and you will feel like different types of activities depending on your mood/day of week. Think about what you like and make sure the provider has variety. Excuse the cheeky plug but this was one of the main reasons we launched Move so it's well worth thinking about a flexible membership (like MoveGB!) that allows you to use multiple venues and activities so you can get the best of both worlds!
2. Where is it?
Think about the time of the day you like to workout and whether it's more useful for you to workout at a venue near home or near you work - after all lunchtime workouts can be great for both your body and your brain! When doing this think about a scenario when you can't fit in your normal workout due to another commitment. Does the provider offer a solution which mean you can workout at a different time/place?
3. Get a free trial or guest pass
Any good facility should allow you to try out what it has to offer before you commit. Make sure that you use your guest pass/sessions when you would normally plan to workout so you can see how busy it is and or what classes are available. You will most likely be able to get a free trial via us to most of your local venues - click here.
4. Don't get tempted by cheap 12 month lock in contracts
This a big one. Don't be tempted by 12 month cheap offers. Most people don't keep the same exercise routine for more that 12 weeks, (scary but true!) so thinking you are going to save those extra few £'s per month will actually end up costing you a lot more when you end up paying a monthly fee and not attending at all! A much better idea is to pay those few extra £s so you can cancel anytime. It will actually save you £100s by the end of the year.5. Check out the cancellation policy, make sure its easy to activate
Even so called 'cancel anytime' memberships have catches. A lot of venues make you go into the gym or write a letter to cancel (check out this hilarious Friends clip on the topic). The result is it takes you several weeks (if not months) to get round to it so it ends up costing you whilst you aren't using it. Make sure the cancel process is online, so there are no pesky sales people trying to stop you and it is a true instant cancel or freeze.
Ok bit of a big plug for Move here, but I cant resist as when researching this piece it became even clearer to me why we were founded! The whole aim of Move is to create a fitness membership that is based on how we actually use it not how a venue wants us to. Variety in activities, timetables, locations , no contracts and cancel/freeze anytime!
