4 Reasons People Quit their gym

membership (And how to prevent this

happening to you)

Out of the 45 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions each year,
only 8 percent actually succeed. Of the most popular types of resolutions, the
two highest involve some level of fitness or healthy lifestyle adoption, with 47
percent of people making vows to self-improve and another 38 percent
making weight-related goals.

So why do we quit? Why is the initial enthusiasm so often followed by the sad
realization of failure? Why do so many people then convince themselves the
reasons are beyond their control, when they often are completely within their
control? We are dealing with an epidemic of depression and anxiety in North
America and the # 1 non-prescription Doctor recommendation is regular
exercise. Here is how you can recognize the problems and make the changes
you might need to in order to maintain a regular exercise routine.
1. Life is Hectic

Between work, family and personal time, it’s easy to run out of hours in the
day. But remember – there are 168 hours in each week and we are open for
all of them. Using lack of time or a busy schedule as an excuse is just that, an
excuse.

We have had members stop using the gym for months before quitting and
when they are asked the reason why they say they just don’t have time.
COME ON! At Anytime Fitness we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
365 days a year. Your key opens the door to over 4000 clubs worldwide
including more than 20 in the Ottawa and surrounding area – even on stat
holidays! We’re the makers of our destiny. It’s up to us to determine how we
spend our time. If your mindset is that there’s no time for exercise, well, of
course there won’t be.

The Solution:

 Change your mindset! Squash all potential excuses immediately. Think

back to how you spent the last week or month. How often were you
doing something you didn’t want or need to do? How much of your time
was spent on activities that you deem more important than fitness, such
as spending time with family or catching up with an old friend? Prioritize
YOUR health above all else and ALL others – its ok, you don’t need to
feel guilty doing that. A healthier you will make you a better friend,
spouse, mother etc. Studies show healthier people also are better
employees and get promoted or earn raises at a far greater rate.
 SCHEDULE your gym time, again, studies show that people who
schedule their gym time are far more likely to succeed in their fitness
goals, informing all those who often tax your time of when YOUR gym
times are scheduled is crucial. Tell your boss not to ask you to work late
on Tuesdays as you have scheduled gym time at 5pm, telling a parent
not to ask you to pick up their prescription on a Saturday morning
because your gym time is scheduled at 9am, or getting little Johnny to
soccer practice on Thursdays at 6pm by asking another parent to drive
them - you get the picture – Schedule and Inform 😊
 Analyzing where all the hours in your week get spent is an excellent
way to find convenient fitness opportunities. For example, estimate the
number of hours a week you spend doing sedentary (sitting) things. This
includes eating, watching TV, reading and surfing the net/ social media.
For most people this alone represents several hours a week. By now we
 have shown you our cardio machines are equipped with TV’s and
internet access, you can even access your Netflix account. Workout
while you catch up on Facebook or the news! Or watch the latest
episode of your favorite show. The rest of your schedule will remain
unchanged by making this simple adjustment and you will find 2 to 3
gym visits a week are totally possible.
 Consider becoming a “morning person” as a 24/7 gym, we attract many
people who have chosen to adopt a morning workout routine – before
the day starts. Try it 3 times a week for 2 weeks before saying you can’t
do that, so many North Americans are now doing this and have come to
love how energized they feel throughout the day.

2. No Accountability or Consequences to Quitting

A study done by Stanford University in 2010 aimed to find just how important
social support — even in small doses — was to people trying to forge new
fitness habits.

In the study, 218 people were split into three groups: those that would receive
a call from a Stanford health educator every three weeks for a year, those that
would receive a similar call but from a computer making human-like inquiries,
and finally, those that would not receive any call monitoring their fitness
progress.

After 12 months, participants in the first group were exercising 178 minutes a
week, more than the government-recommended 150 minutes. Participants in
the second group were above the fold as well, with 157 minutes a week. The
third group, while still maintaining exercise habits, exercised 118 minutes a
week.

This means that it’s easier to quit when we’ve only made a pact with
ourselves, and thus have nobody else to disappoint.

The Solution
  If you find that you let yourself off the hook too easily, maybe it’s time to
take a few personal training sessions. Or you can sign up for that
Zumba, Yoga or Small Group Training session we offer. You’ll be likelier
to keep attending classes once you’ve met your instructor and other
classmates. Likewise, when you pay for a personal trainer, they’ll keep
checking up on you whether you continue to pay for sessions or not.
 Get a workout buddy, make a pact with them that you will hold each
other accountable to attending the gym 3 times a week (see scheduling
and Informing above)
 Make a promise to a loved one that you WONT make excuses and give
up this time

3. Unrealistic Expectations / Starting Too Big Too Quickly

If your big fitness pledge is to hit the gym five times a week when you’ve had
little to no prior experience working out, or you think that losing 20 pounds in
the first month is the main objective- statistically- you are in the highest
risk group to fail in as little as 3 months!

The Solution

 Start small and work your way up. Instead of committing to five gym
visits a week, start with two. On those first few visits, don’t stay that
long. Take full advantage of our Get Started Plan and Orientation and
try out ALL the equipment we have to offer, a little at a time.
 The immediate goal is to leave while you’re still craving more. You can
use this as motivation fuel for your next visit, and continue building the
habit to the point where you can’t wait to get your next workout in.
 Change your mindset from one where “going to the gym is a chore” and
where “no pain-no gain” is the motivator. Retool your thought process to
focus on the positive. “I rewarded my hard work at home and my job
with a gym membership, its time to look after me instead of everyone
else all the time, going to the gym is a gift to myself that I get to open as
often as I like. I am going to start slowly, with the goal being to feel good
about my decision. I will congratulate myself for starting a new fitness
habit and not judge my decision by what the scale is telling me. If I lose
weight – that is terrific however its far more important to “FEEL” better,
sleep better, be healthier and have more energy – that’s my main goal.”
 Never get down on yourself if you gain a few pounds, or miss a few
scheduled workouts, just get back on track, back on schedule and
congratulate yourself for doing it. Getting re-started is a huge
 accomplishment, remember that the most important workout is always
“the next one”.
 While it can be helpful to have a precise goal behind your efforts such
as weight loss, the motivation should be organic to who you are and
what you truly want. Exercising for all the reasons noted above are far
more attainable than rapid weight loss, celebrate small victories such as
feeling better – by patting yourself on the back, not by having your
“cheat meal”

4. Unenjoyable Workouts, boredom due to repetition

The # 1 reason people give up on their goals is they lose their motivation,
often this is simply boredom with the same old workout routine. And this is so
totally preventable. All too often people complain about particular machine
exercises or the monotonous nature of the treadmill etc, and with good
reason, those exercises can be quite boring and cause you to lose interest
overall. Even though our Treadmills, Bikes and Ellipticals are all equipped with
the aforementioned entertainment systems, you MUST get to know ALL the
equipment in the gym and how to use it properly. Variety is the spice of life
right?

The Solution

 Take full advantage of our FREE orientation, our staff will show you how
to use everything properly, if you forget down the road – ask us for a
refresher – we are happy to do it again, no charge!
  Be of the mindset that you will not let simple boredom creep in, your
plan simply needs to include that every time you come to the gym you
will use different equipment than the last time -and the time before that.
There is so much to choose from here at Anytime Fitness. Do a spin
class in our Multi Purpose room, do squats and deadlifts in our free
weight area, take a live Yoga class, use the Jacobs ladder or battle
ropes, use the cable crossover unit or push the sled in our Personal
Training area when the trainers are not working with clients.

The body is a complex system and there isn’t any one way to work out. Using
a variety of different equipment will not only have you looking forward to your
next gym time it can also be much more effective on your body over a period
of time. It keeps your body guessing on what’s next and can assist in injury
prevention!

There’s no exact way to stay fit, it’s all about understanding your excuses and
preconceived barriers to fitness and squashing them in their tracks. Of course,
if it were easy, everyone would be the fittest versions of themselves, but the
key to staying committed to fitness goals is finding your sweet spot and what
motivates you to continue in your physical pursuits.

At Anytime Fitness - We are here to help 😊- please don’t be afraid to ask us

any questions. See the front office staff to book an additional orientation
session.