The Psychology of Exercise

In the Internet Era, it’s all about convenience – did you know that the amount of time Americans are now willing to wait for a website to load is measured in single-digit seconds?  In order to make exercise a regular part of your routine, it’s paramount to make going to the gym as convenient as possible.  Depending on your personality and attitude towards money, different payment structures may actually contribute to your likelihood to go work out.

Utilizing a gym membership is a time-honored strategy to hold yourself financially accountable for your exercise goals.  This benefit can multitask – while not wanting to waste money is a strong motivator, the fact of having an annual membership that’s already paid for makes going to the gym more convenient.  On the other side of the argument, there is such a thing as too convenient – even though exercising can be as simple as walking out the front door, when something feels like you can do it anytime, for free, some people end up doing it no time.

Depending on how often you go to the gym, a day pass or month-to-month membership might be cheaper than an annual one.  While it may not make as much financial sense for some, a longer-term commitment can make more psychological sense: paying per visit can feel like an imposition; like it costs “extra” in your day.  If something feels free (even if it isn’t), it feels more convenient.  Harkening back to the issue of over convenience, if workout access becoming overly available means you’ll never do it, day passes or month-to-month membership might be for you.

Whichever way your wallet swings you, you can harness convenience & financial accountability to make your gym membership help you achieve your exercise goals.  At Kinderhook Fitness, we offer all these options – whatever’s convenient for you!