Frugal and fit: Sidestepping the studio

For forty years, I was a fitness class enthusiast, an equal-opportunity exerciser: yoga, Pilates, dance, Super Step, Booty Camp. After retirement, the cost—even for a package—at a top-flight Montréal yoga studio, once my introductory offer expired, was surprisingly high. (Have you noticed how the price of classes has crept up?)

At first I thought, Well, I love it, and it's good for me. Then I calculated that two classes a week would cost at least $950 a year, the equivalent of a plane ticket to Europe or a couple of jaunts within Canada to see friends. Hmmm.

Now, I take the occasional class as a treat, or to give me more options.

Because I have a gym membership, I use the facility for a mashup of yoga, Pilates and things I picked up here and there from outstanding teachers. I could do that at home, but there's always something else to do instead; going to the gym gets it done. I'm not alone; on any day, I see members consulting videos or photos of routines.

I'm not against paying for classes. It depends on who you are, what you need. When Marie-France moved to a new community, she made friends at her Zumba class, but notes that after-class coffee and a muffin the size of a kettleball are proving counterproductive.

Certain forms of movement, such as martial arts and dance, require a facility designed for specialized training and safety. I'm not thinking of those, nor am I referring to exercise that's free or nearly so, such as swimming, running/walking, or cycling. I'm talking about the kind of class that you really could do on your own, if you have prior training and good body awareness, such as yoga and Pilates; stretch and strength; barre-type classes like Lotte Berk Method; T'ai Chi and Qigong.


You might prefer the state of transcendent exhaustion delivered by CrossFit or tough spin classes, so you'd judge my approach insufficiently intense. But I'm a middle of the road exerciser; if I need a challenge, I look for an old Buns of Steel video, slap on a headband, and away we go.

Besides, these retro classes are a Thing; Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons, Jazzercise.

Like any form of consumption, assess cost vs. benefit. Some women would give up their hair before their trainer. And some are simply not self-directed; they depend on the cheery chivvying  to make a workout fly by. Fair enough, if you value that; I did, for decades. Then one day, after paying most of a double sawbuck for someone to count my Pilates Hundreds, I began to question my dependence.

If you do want to add some DIY, a few tips:
- Start with videos (or an illustrated list) at your current level. Review before exercising; one instructor's "intermediate" may feel advanced to you. You can also flag where you want to make modifications.
- Create a YouTube playlist, to access videos easily. I have playlists labelled "Relax" (restorative yoga, stretching, meditation) and "Strength" (calisthenics, various styles of yoga, barre, weights, etc.)
- Search for videos by running time, such as "30 minute barre workout" or "full-length mat class". Otherwise you pull up a lot of 5-min. promotional snippets.
- Before subscribing to a streaming video site, try some samples or an introductory-offer subscription. The sites offer 3, 000 videos, but do you need them?
- Pick three or four videos or routines and rotate until you're bored. Personal trainers advise consistency over novelty.
- Eaveswatch. I do not park next to a trainer working with his client and copy the routine, but I notice the sequence and the instructions about form, and make notes when at home.

Classes do make exercise more palatable, and if they are the only thing you really like but you find them pricey, look for pay-what-you-can and community-sponsored classes—the time or location may not be ideal, but the savings add up.


(This post is not intended as professional advice. You know, "Consult your physician before beginning an exercise program.")