Effectively Stretching Your Fitness Dollar

January is traditionally the month people vow to get in shape, but unless you’re planning a program of push-ups in the morning, deep knee bends at noon and power walks in the evening, getting fit is going to cost you money.

Before you pull out the credit cards, make sure you have done your homework.

As with everything else, low price does not necessarily mean good value when it comes to fitness. Cost is certainly a factor, but if your investment gets you in shape and keeps you there, then the price was right.

Zero in on what will work best for you by asking yourself what types of activities appeal to you, when you plan to work out, how much time you have to spare, and what will work for you emotionally (this is the key to avoiding expensive mistakes).

If you are the competitive type, you will never find aerobics fulfilling. And if you are a social creature, there is no point in buying a rowing machine for your bedroom just because it’s on sale.

Ask friends and experts for advice, but make the final decision yourself.

When joining a health club, consider price, convenience and financial stability. (Will the doors be open next week?)

Start with convenience when whittling down your options. No bargain is worth a long drive.

According to the Aerobics and Fitness Assn. of America, three to five miles seems to be the optimal driving distance for maximum adherence to a fitness program at a health club.

Convenience and price often go together: the more amenities the club offers, the more you will pay in dues. Initial membership fees can range from under $50 to more than $1,000, and monthly dues vary from $15 to $150.

While you may not be interested in underwriting such fringe benefits as marble lobbies, vaulted ceilings and valet parking, there are certain features offered by higher-priced gyms that you may find cost-effective.

A snack bar, for example, is convenient for busy people who have to work out and grab a bite on the run. And young mothers find that the child-care services at their gyms are often more convenient and less expensive than hiring a baby-sitter.

But no matter how frothy the whirlpool looks, ask yourself seriously if you will ever take time to use it. Or the on-site dietitian, for that matter. Or the racquetball courts.

Does the club have rules and regulations? Look them over to see if they seem reasonable.

If you travel often, you will maximize your membership dues if you join a health club that has a chain of affiliations or that has reciprocal membership arrangements with other spas. No sign-up special is worth it if you only use the facility once a month.

January may be “specials” month, but don’t panic. There are specials all year long, so take your time and make the right decision.

Health clubs are constantly signing up new members. Ask how they will all fit in, and what this will mean to your enjoyment of the club.

There are no ceilings placed on memberships at fitness clubs. On average, clubs experience a 60% to 75% falloff on all one-year memberships, which means they are continually looking to replenish lost revenue.

Many clubs in the middle price range use the same techniques as car salesmen to pressure you into buying a membership. If they refuse to quote a price over the phone, head on down and sharpen your negotiating pencil because you can use the situation to your advantage. One salesman dropped his club’s dues from $299 to $199 to $99 in less than five minutes.

You know you are in a strong bargaining position when you hear either of these lines: “let me ask the manager” and “the dues will be going up, but we haven’t been told how much.”

If you are concerned about overcrowding at peak hour, find a club that offers specially priced off-peak memberships as an incentive for people to come during slow times. Those clubs tend to have less crowded peak times. Visit the club at the time you expect to be working out to witness the crowds.

The frequent rate of club closures in the early and middle ‘80s that left members unable to collect refunds seems to be abating, according to Dudley Exstrom of American Service Finance, a Colorado-based company specializing in health club finances.

“We are definitely seeing a trend of people considering health clubs a serious business rather than a way to get rich quick and leave,” Exstrom said. “Clubs are starting to price their memberships according to what they need to charge to stay in business. In the long run it will work out better for the public.”

A club offering rock-bottom sign-up prices may be discounting heavily because the owners desperately need members. Although some protections for consumers have been legislated at the state level, you are still on your own in judging a club’s future.

Ask tough questions: What happens if there is a change of ownership? Is your membership transferable if you move or refundable if you are disabled? Your rights and obligations should be clearly spelled out in writing when you sign the membership application.

What is the club’s reputation? How long has it been in business under the same management? Contact the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been complaints about the club.

Lastly, make sure you like the club. Is it well-maintained? Is the staff helpful? The members happy?

Realize, however, that health clubs don’t fit everyone’s life style.

“Every time I joined a health club I would go two or three times and then not go again,” said Bruce Amspacher, a Lake Forest coin dealer who runs his own business.

“What with driving there, changing, working out, showering and driving back, a one-hour workout generally takes 2 1/2 to three hours of your time. That time just wasn’t available to me.”

Amspacher solved his problem by hiring a personal trainer who comes to his office three times a week and gives him a one-hour workout at his convenience.

They may be expensive (fees vary from $25 to $200 an hour), but good personal trainers make every fitness dollar--and every workout--count.

There is no standard qualification for trainers, so check each one out thoroughly. Call a couple of their clients. If you have special problems such as high blood pressure or back pain, ask your specialist to recommend someone knowledgeable in those fields. Injury prevention is worth the extra cost.

Establish the price up front. Find out if you will need to buy equipment and how much it will cost.

Does the trainer really focus in on what you want to achieve--whether losing weight, building muscle or firming up--and explain exactly how you can accomplish your goal? Avoid the one-program-fits-all sell.

Before you commit to a long-term contract, arrange for a half dozen or so trial workouts to see if you have “chemistry.” Do your personalities click? Is he or she judgmental if you can’t complete an exercise?

A good trainer provides motivation and immediate advice, and a sense of humor scores 100 bonus points.

Punctuality is also crucial--remember, those are your dollars ticking away.

More people are finding that the only way they can make time to exercise is by working out at home. Some have invested in complete gyms, others have opted for $12 workout videos.

What separates those whose exercise accessories are dust-collectors from those who use their equipment regularly is a firm exercise schedule. Think of your home as Sabotage Central. With distractions galore and no pressing need to do it now, you are constantly putting off exercising. Hey, the equipment isn’t going anywhere, is it?

If you commit to working out at home, do it at a specific time each day, even if you have to bribe your family to lock you in the bedroom with your treadmill.

If you resent every second you are not doing something else, become a “twofer”--put on your workout video and jump with your children, watch the news while rowing or catch up on light reading on your stationary bike.

The new generation of high-tech home fitness equipment ranges from stair-climbing devices to cross-country skiing machines. Treadmills--once the very metaphor of life’s drudgery--are popular, and stationary bicycles come with built-in motivators such as digital readouts of the number of calories you burned.

Good equipment is expensive. Don’t indulge in impulse buying.

Never buy a piece of equipment without testing it first. Does it feel solid, smooth? Do you enjoy the workout? Will it fit into the room? Will you be able to read or watch TV while using it? Will you be able to hear the TV while using it?

Ask yourself specific questions about what you want out of your home equipment. Do you want to lose weight? Build bulk? Tone muscle?

Most fitness stores can provide you with expert advice, but if you suspect that salespeople are natural predators, hire an objective fitness expert to help you make the right decisions. Make sure you understand exactly how to use the equipment before you leave the store.

Setting a realistic budget can get tricky. Cost effectiveness (are you going to use it?) is more important than cost alone.

“People are too concerned with price,” says Mark Goodman, manager of Busybody Inc., a fitness equipment store in Orange. “They will buy a piece of garbage at a sporting goods store which they will never use because it’s noisy, it rattles, it’s jerky, it squeaks and it drives everyone in the house insane.”

If you prefer to start modestly, a set of weights and a flat inclined bench for under $1,000 can give you a fair workout, not to mention keeping your house relatively uncluttered. While heavy weights build bulk, repetitions with lighter weights tone muscle and sculpt your body.

Fitness equipment becomes really cost effective when more than one person uses it, so rope in your better half and get into shape together.