Having a gym membership is something everyone has…or rather, had, given the times.

In the current economy, it seems like everything’s a luxury these days. Gym memberships are certainly seen as a luxury as the economy continues to go downhill; memberships immediately get cut when a new budget is set in place. It makes sense: why spend the money on something that very well may be used infrequently? Let’s face it, with the exception of the “New Year’s Rush” (the two weeks after New Year’s when resolutions drive people to the gym in herds), gym attendance usually falls severely by the wayside once an individual purchases a membership. It is an extra cost per month, one that seems almost inappropriate for which to continue to pay.

The key word is “seems”: a gym membership is not a luxury. A gym membership holds you accountable to your health and fitness goals, whatever they may be. Call it a guilt-trip or a friendly reminder but your membership beckons you back to the goals to which you originally committed. Those goals are important because your health is THE most important thing in the world; therefore, a gym membership is truly a necessity, not some silly expenditure.

Gym memberships may come at a high cost but there are ways to minimize the cost by shopping around to find the best monthly price or by purchasing a package deal or by waiting for the time when a gym nixes the initial membership fee (which is everywhere these days) or by finding the nearest YMCA. Or, or, or – there are so many options. Find one that works for you and act on it now.

Make 2011 your fittest year to date.