“Your gym sounds great, this just isn’t in my budget”
“I don’t have an extra $160 a month to commit to my training.”
“I could never afford to come to your gym.”
Occasionally when meeting new prospective clients, these are a few of the things we hear as we talk to people about what we offer and the cost to train with us.
Telos is not the cheapest gym around and it never will be. But at Telos, our members receive a solid training program led by quality coaches where they are getting individualized attention and instruction, even in a group setting. If they show up and work hard at least three times each week, we can nearly guarantee results in the form of increased muscle mass, reduced weight (especially with the help of our nutrition coaching), improved energy, and better mental health.
We realize joining our gym is an investment into a person’s health, and we treat it as such. We strive to give our members an experience from the moment they walk in our doors where they feel like what they spend at our gym is the best money they spend all month.
This is why it’s hard to hear comments like “this just isn’t in my budget.”
The Benefits of Strength Training
The benefits of a strength training program are many. Strength training can…
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Build muscle mass, which helps to improve overall body composition and metabolism. When you increase your metabolism, you burn more calories even at rest, which leads to losing fat and getting a more “toned” look.
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Increase bone density.
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Improve balance and coordination.
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Reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.
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Improve mental health, which includes reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, relieving stress, and increasing self-esteem.
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Increase overall strength and endurance, making daily tasks easier and reducing the risk of injury during other physical activity (you can do more and live better OUT of the gym too!)
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Improve flexibility, balance, and range of motion.
Is Joining a Gym Worth the Money?
Maybe after reading about those benefits, you’re still skeptical of whether joining a gym will REALLY be worth the cost. But have you considered the price tag of NOT investing in your health?
Weakness in your core and leg muscles can cause poor posture and balance, leading to back, hip, and knee pain, falls, and other injuries. Cost: One study found that people with severe pain spent $7,726 more on annual health care expenditures than people with no pain, which breaks down to an additional $644 per month. SOURCE
As you age, you naturally lose muscle mass, which can lead to weakness, frailty, and an increased risk of falls and injury. Strength training can help slow down this loss of muscle mass, helping you maintain your strength and independence. Cost: Depending on insurance and type of break, this can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands. SOURCE
Strength training is important to help build and maintain bone density. If you don’t participate in in some sort of resistance training, you could be more at risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures. Cost: Given that treating people with osteoporosis and related fractures are often expensive, prevention of this disease can significantly reduce the costs incurred by the health system. SOURCE
Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, meaning that the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest, and more efficiently you burn fat. Strength training can help you build and maintain muscle, which can help keep your metabolism functioning optimally. Cost: a quick google search for metabolism boosting drugs and treatments will give many – some very expensive and dubious – options to treat this condition. The very best (and most sustainable) way to treat low metabolism is with strength training and lifestyle changes!
Regular exercise, including strength training, can help lower your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Not doing strength training can increase your risk of these and other chronic diseases. Cost: This depends on metabolic syndrome, number of risk factors, and specific combinations of risk factors are markers for high utilization and costs among patients receiving medical care. Diabetes and certain risk clusters are major drivers of utilization and costs, and can be well into the thousands of dollars. SOURCE
Mental health: Exercise has been shown to have a positive impact on mental health, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Strength training can also help improve self-esteem and confidence. Cost: $60-$100+ per visit to see a therapist, but there are so many other intangible costs of suffering from poor mental health!
Therefore, not doing strength training can have significant costs for your health and well-being – both in the amount you would have to spend to treat chronic illnesses or pain, as well as the mental toll of not feeling your very best. Incorporating strength training into your exercise routine can help mitigate these risks and improve your overall quality of life.
The bottom line is that joining a gym – one where you are going to be held accountable to show up and put in the work, led through a solid program, and provided with support and coaching – is a proactive approach to living a healthy and fulfilling life; it’s an insurance policy for your health.
And then there is this: one of the most common things we hear after people join us at Telos is: “I wish I would have done this sooner.”
Don’t wait. Invest in your health today. As it turns out, it is a whole lot LESS expensive than the alternatives.