Same Old Story
We're All Broke and Working Out in our Living Rooms!
- Guys on the Corner (Via rexreview....)
Alert: Americans are dropping their expensive gym memberships, and the recession has spawned "a new low-budget fitness movement." Today's version of this story comes via endless Wall Street Journal piece, which cites a 10% drop in 2008 sales of big ticket fitness items like treadmills, and a membership decline at certain "high end" health clubs. (Like NYSC?) Yawner. And maybe not even true. Crunch C.O.O. Keith Worts told us business has been up every month this year, including a double digit jump in March. And the various Equinoxae we visit seem as crowded as ever. (Meanwhile, at the ridiculously affordable Carmine Street Rec. Center you could hear a pin drop.) No doubt, some hedge fund interns have decided to forego the purchase of the $7,999 Life Fitness Platinum Club treadmill (with 15" Engage console), but the national "fitness" picture is more complex. Some people may be trading down their memberships, while others are hitting the gym more regularly, or, like, getting into yoga. There is, for sure, a real movement towards streaming web exercise videos, podcasts, and Netflix On Demand. But this may be driven more by convenience than cost.
The Journal opus does have one hugely redeeming feature, however: A wonderful anecdote about liquor store owner who placed an ad on Craigslist...
We are a bunch of guys who live in the neighborhood and often hang out at the local corner liquor store. We are working guys who are out of shape (and probably drink too much beer and eat too much junk food). We had this idea that we might hire an aerobics instructor to come twice a week in the morning around 7:30 am before we go to our jobs and work us out for a short session on the sidewalk right in front of the store. Please let us know - we need to lose these beer bellies!
So, now the Guys on the Corner work out every day in their parking lot. Beautiful story, though not exactly proof of a national "low budget fitness movement."
- Oliver's blog
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Comments
I love the city gyms! They were my portal into adult exercise (not having seriously entertained exercise before considering there could be long-term consequences). Eventually for convenience, I moved to a full-price gym closer to home. It was kind of like the city gyms were the slippery slope to a crack cocaine-like addiction, except without regrets. I definitely miss the demographic, which was a little of everything. I took fencing at Carmine St. Extremely competitive, fencing seemed to bring out the built-in kill instinct. It was quite the enlightening experience plus added a certain edge to my warrior poses in yoga.
Submitted by spindig on 04.18.09 at 12:45.
I work out in my living room both because I am broke and because it's convenient.
So I guess everyone is right, at least about me.
Submitted by sandyliz on 04.17.09 at 04:10.
Submitted by nick on 06.18.09 at 10:01.
Some of the prices on membershipcards are also over-the-top. I've been to gyms, where I stood amazed when they told me their memebership prices.
I can understand why more and more people are working out, in alternative ways. There are also a lot of ways you can workout without going to the gym.
This article really reminds me of the "Ghetto Workout" dvd series, which I bought and thought was pretty hardcore! It's on youtube as well and pretty good :)
Submitted by MikeBenz on 09.05.09 at 04:16.
living somewhere so f'ing cold so much of the year (chicago) means i gotta find a place to call gym. my living room offers so many distractions (i'm a laid-off, job-hunting, freelance designer, crafter & artist) to a point even I can't have that level of discipline. I got my first gym membership last year when they were opening a new facility close to my house. my weird hours and its 24 hr. availibility mean i can go when it's not too crowded, but it sucked when i was a 9-5er, so i'm the lucky unemployed i suppose. but honestly, in this craphole economy, it's the one $35/month investment i glad i made! moral of the story- look for the deals in new openings & specials and then go get your money's worth.
Submitted by miche tha killer on 01.12.10 at 05:55.