Fitness: Luxury or Basic Necessity?

Physical health and fitness should be considered a basic necessity.  I categorize it right up there with food, shelter, water, and clothes.  Although that may seem a little extreme, I see it like this: when we are healthy and active, we can have a better quality of life and enjoy our time creating experiences.  Unfortunately I realize that the cost of a gym membership, personal trainer, fitness clothes, running shoes, and boutique fitness classes don’t necessarily fall under this category.  

Free or reasonably priced apps have been created for people to stay on track on their own without fancy equipment and gym memberships.  Various places offer free fitness classes to the public, creating a sense of community and passion for fitness and health.  On the other side, we have personal trainers (myself included) who charge to personally design a program and come to you. Boutique fitness studios also exist (again, I too work at these myself), but they can make fitness seem like an expensive luxury.  As mentioned last week, these help to strengthen the development of fitness into a trendy, somewhat exclusive experience where it seems high-end and inaccessible for the everyday person.

And now, I fall somewhere in the middle.  On one end, I truly believe that personal trainers and fitness instructors are worth the price tag.  Anyone in the industry knows the hours that go into the one hour of face-to-face time clients might get with us.  Think travel, planning, and educational courses to stay relevant, and that rate per one hour gets divided amongst many more hours before and after.  On the other side, I love the camaraderie and free community events I have attended in the city.  It brings people together from all experiences and fitness levels and provides them an opportunity for growth and improvement.  However, I find these types of events make it difficult for entrepreneurs, like myself, whom are trying to get their name out and spread the word on health and wellness because, of course, people would gladly sign up for free.

Today I launched my first outdoor bootcamp series! The goal and intention is to develop a sense of community, educate my clients, and challenge them physically and mentally, all while at a price that is accessible for most.  Although I understand that budgeting has to take place to sometimes make health a priority, I hope my bootcamps make it that much easier.  Whether you decide to attend my bootcamp or not, I hope that health and wellness makes it back into the basic necessities pile for you.  Make your health a priority and everything else becomes that much easier.  Click here for more info on my outdoor bootcamps.  Please feel free to share other financially accessible health, wellness, and fitness classes/workshops in the city to help spread the word, support local fitness coaches and stay on track!

Be fierce.  Be strong.  Be vibrant.

Rachel

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