Addicted to the Gym

The Maniac
George Dawe (1781-1829)
Photo Credit: The Royal College of Physicians, London
[CC BY-NC-ND]

My name is Hannah Evans and I'm addicted to the gym. Yes there might be worse vices, but this is the world of fitness with a capital F - and a hefty price tag: glitzy members-only gyms that cost many hundreds of pounds a month; pay (a lot)-as-you-go high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes with disco lights and banging music at £25 a single session; luxury activewear brands with clothing that is "sweat-licking" and "waist cinching"; complicated gadgets that track heart rate, sleep, recovery and a dozen other measureables that I don't quite understand. But I buy into it all. Anything that promises to make me a better, fitter, more optimised version of myself I will fly to like a Lycra-clad, dumbbell-wielding moth to a flame.

And I'm not alone. Millennials (the demographic aged 25 to 40) are the biggest spenders on fitness, splashing out on average £365 a month on gyms, supplements, subscriptions and health gadgets - nearly five times more than those aged over 55.

... There's my gym membership: £190 a month. That might sound extortionate, but there's a pool and the towels are really big and soft, so I've justified it. I go spinning with a friend at her gym, which costs £22 a class. At both of our gyms there are also delicious shakes you can order for afterwards that cost a not insubstantial £7 (almond butter doesn't come cheap, you know).

I've recently got into long-distance running, which in theory, should be free, but somehow that's ended up being expensive too. The latest It trainers cost roughly £200, but you also need an everyday pair for casual runs and another for races. And if you listen to the experts, each pair has about only 200 "good" kilometres in them, so they need to be replaced every few months.

Lets not forget the apps. I have a premium subscription for Strava (£6.99 a month) which logs my running routes, and MyFitnessPal (£7.99), which counts my calories. There's also Whoop, which comes with a wrist strap that tracks your heart rate and measures recovery (£30 a month). Then there are the supplements. The protein I put in my porridge (£21.99 a month), the CBD oil that promises to boost my "brain power" (£80 per 30 ml bottle) and balm that soothes sore muscles (£43 for 50ml).

All in all I easily spend a quarter of my monthly income on my fitness addiction and its many accessories and accoutrements. I know I am in a privileged position to be able to do this - I am mortgage-free and childless. But I also know people with equally expensive habits and addictions - coffee, trainers, weekly facials - and at least my choice of  slot machine keeps me healthy.

...For many gym bunnies of my generation being into fitness has very little to do with actually doing any exercise. It's about being seen doing exercise. Regardless of how many calories you burn, looking like you invest in yourself is the fashionable bit. It's not just about sweating. It's about status...

(Hannah Evans, The Times, 2022)

£2280 a year for membership of a gym and that doesn't include the interval training at £25 a pop, but does include soft towels, spinning, whatever that is, at £22 a go, £7 for a "shake", £600 for three pairs of trainers which, by the way, "need" to be replaced five or six times a year, apps - nearly £540 a year - and don't forget the costly supplements. Unfortunately I don't think the CBD oil is fulfilling its promise to you! But hey, never mind - it's all about the status isn't it?