Gym For The Win || Conclusion

Hi ladies! As a lot of you know I've been taking part in Money Supermarkets 'GYM FOR THE WIN' campaign which has sadly come to an end :( For those of you who are new here on Miss Sunshine & Sparkle, gym for the win is a campaign in which bloggers like myself can try and test out a gym for the month, curtosey of Money Supermarket, to see if we think paying out for a gym membership every month is worth it.  If you would like to find out all about this campaign and how you can get involved you can read my last post all about it here.

Before I took part in this campaign some of you might know that I was taking part in a series of challenges in order to get myself bikini body ready and I did all this in the comfort of my own home. Apart from open gyms (the kind gymnasts use) I've never set foot in a normal gym... apart from when I worked in one, but that doesn't count for much as I only took advantage of the free sunbeds, I never actually used the gym. Anyway with that being said, when Money Supermarket got in touch with me, I have to admit I was pretty excited to try and test out a local gym near me - Joining a gym had been something that I had been thinking about for a little while, so it seamed like the perfect opportunity. So after being a gym member for a whole month the big question to be answered is do I think paying out for gym membership every month is worth it? And the answer is....

Yep, that's right I can honestly say that from my months experience, I do think paying out for a gym every month is worth it.... So much so that I'm planning on joining up and becoming a member as soon my foot from a cheerleading injury has fully mended (I sprained it incase your wondering), which is going to take around two to six weeks according to the doctor - I really hope not as there is only so much I can take walking around with a bit of a limp, not the kind of look you want to be sporting at all! Anyway back to the point... I think gym membership is worth every penny, but only if your actually going to use it and get every pennies worth. I'm sure a lot of you are all aware that paying out for membership can be a costly sum every month and there is no point in joining if your not going to motivate yourself to go.  

One thing that I did find a little tricky was living my already pretty busy life and trying fit some sort of gym time into that schedule too. As a lot of you know running and maintaining a blog can be like working a part time job with the amount of hours that you put into it every week, not too mention working full time, cheerleading twice a week and trying to have some sort of social life.... I think it's fair to say things can get pretty busy. Whatever you do from day to day, I know that majority of us out there have pretty busy lives  - But if you really have your mind set on joining a gym, fitting it into your lifestyle can be done and once your there its actually pretty fun. I think it's fair to say that the problem I found and I'm sure a few of you will be able to relate is actually finding the motivation to get your butt down there - It's far too easy to make an excuse not to go - GUILTY. I found the more I went the more I felt motivated.

If you've been thinking about joining a gym, but was a bit like me and not sure if it would be worth paying out for, here are some pointers that may help you to make your decision about joining. 

- Have a look around a few gyms before joining one. Some of you may think that all gyms are the same, but just like your favourite shops every one has a different feel to it, and they may have different things to offer you - For example the gym I joined had a ladies only section which I loved.

- Again, when having a look around compare prices and make sure you find out all the gyms cost fees and membership types, it may sound silly, but either read the small print or ask the right questions about your membership. When I worked at a gym, they only offered a 12 month contract and there was a huge cancellation fee if you wanted to end your contract before the 12 months - A lot of people had no idea about these little details and I was often on the receiving end of a lot of complaints.

- So many gyms offer a rolling month contract where you can cancel at any time so this is a great way to try and test a gym to see if paying out for it every month is worth your while.

- If your planning on doing a lot of classes at the gym then I think you'll really get your money's worth. As a dancer I've often paid up to £10.00 for hour dance classes before, doing this once a week for a month is a huge sum to pay out for. The gym I went to so many classes with such a variety to offer which was a huge bonus.

- Do exactly what I did and try working out for free and in the comfort of your own home before joining a gym - I was doing this for a few months before I had even considered the idea of joining a gym

For those of you who are interested, the gym I joined was Fitness4Less, I had a look on the their website and they only have gyms in a few selected areas of the country, but if your living near one I can't recommend this gym enough. All the staff were ever so helpful and friendly and there was a great feel to the place, no matter what time of day I went. In terms of price it was pretty cheap costing only £20.00 a month and all gyms facilities including the ladies only gym, were included in the price. One thing that was great was that there was none of this peak/off peak business and I was able to go whatever time suited me. If you would like to see if there is a Fitness4Less in your area you can find a link to there website here.

As you can see from the above pictures I've been on a right little fitness journey pre and post gym. If your thinking about getting getting fit, it can be difficult in knowing where to start and confusing - I was so clueless about everything and what exercises to start doing. However, I've had two fantastic ladies helping me along the way. I've mentioned her loads of times on my blog before, but Carly Rowena has been a huge inspiration and a total gem when it comes to pointing you in the right direction. Carly has her own YouTube Channel, and it was her videos that put me on the 30 day abs and squat challenge... If you would like to know more about that you can read my post here - I know a lot of you ladies got involved when I put up this post which was great!

Another lady I'd like to thank is Zoe - Zoe works with me, but also works as a Personal Trainer and as soon as I started the gym she whipped up a fitness programme for me and taught me how to use the gym equipment properly - Which quite frankly terrified me slightly, Not any more though! Zoe has her own personal Facebook page filled with pictures, mini work outs and will take the time to answer all your questions. It's like the free version of 'Results With Lucy' and Zoe really knows her stuff - She's fitter than most men I know! Her Facebook is private but she has told me that she will accept a request from all readers of Miss Sunshine & Sparkle and you can find the link to it here...

Bodification Personal Training

And finally I would like to introduce to you a friend of mine who has just set up his own blog (finally) which is already filled with some great advice to help you on your fitness journey ....

If you LOVE fitness, being healthy and everything else that goes with it - Follow me - chrisrigbyfitness for my daily posts on Fitness, exercise and nutrition - you can see the services I offer as a Personal Trainer, from 1to1 PT to Bootcamps.

My name is Christopher Rigby I am 29 years old and I am from the North East of England UK.

I like to keep things straight forward and simple, no frills, no fake non sense and messing around. I have many loves in life, but one is MY LIFE & MY BODY and what i do with it in regards to the way and method that I live in it and treat it! I CHOOSE to keep fit and healthy as much as I can, and I do this in 4 simple ways: -

     1. Lift     2. Exercise     3. Eat     4. Sleep

As you can see ladies, Chris is is extremely passionate and really knows his stuff, so if you are wanting to get healthy and fit he is the guy to go too!! You can find the link to his blog below and I know he would love it if you stopped by and said hello.

chrisrigbyfitness

If you are looking to find out any more information on Money Supermarkets 'GYM FOR THE WIN' campaign you can find all the details here. I would love to know if you've been thinking about joining a gym recently and if you've taken part in any of the challenges in my previous posts.

Love