Is it worth it to pay for a gym membership?

L.A. Fitness has this special that''s $35/mo. for 1 location in Los Angeles, & it''s $40/mo. to go to ANY L.A. Fitness location in the area. The problem I have is, they want you to initially pay for 2 months. Either $70 for 1 location, or $80 for all over.

I''m disabled & on a fixed income. My disability is hypersensitive ears & Tourette''s.

I was looking into getting into a gym, but I don''t know what would be the best decision. I suffer obesity & possibly systemic candidiasis (candida overgrowth all over my body), & I want change. I want change to my diet. I want to start back up again eating raw vegan & drinking alkaline water. I saw a man who looked like he was 250 & looked like he got down to 175 on a raw vegan diet in 4 months! & in 3 more months, he got toned. It took 7 months for his total transformation.

My friend''s husband said, "Why waste money on a gym membership, when you can exercise at home for free with your own peace & comfort? You can stretch & jog @ home or around the block. Gym memberships are a fraud, a scam & they''re all about money!"

I really wanted to go swimming & use the bikes, treadmills, etc. But should I take his advice & save my $$?

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Recommended Answer:
I would not do a gym membership at a big corporate gym such as L.A. Fitness. I have had gym memberships to small local gyms. But the big ones often want you to sign at least a one year membership agreement and if you don''t read all the small print there could be even more requirements. Most of them don''t offer swimming as an option. Look for a YM/YWCA in your area and that might be a much better option. If you don''t have access to any other gym check here for strength training exercises you can do at home. Strength training/weight lifting is really helpful for a whole variety of reasons, including long term weight control, for building muscle, for toning, for improving appearance and posture, and for boosting your metabolism.

http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-Muscle-Doing-Push-Ups
http://www.moneycrashers.com/strength-training-exercises-women/
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/exercises/no-equipment-strength-training-with-common-household-items.html#b
http://www.livestrong.com/home-exercises-weights/
http://www.3fatchicks.com/8-household-objects-that-work-as-weights/
http://weightloss.about.com/cs/fitness/a/aa011503a.htm
http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises.htm
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-strengthen-chest-muscles-with-wall-pushups.html
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/12-week-beginners-training-routine.html