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John Rowley, one of our featured speakers at CloseTheDeal.com, was just featured in the Wall Street Journal sharing with how you can save money on getting fit.  Perfect timing with the New Year and wise advice as we watch budgets closely during lean times.  Without question we understand the relationship between great fitness and peek business performance and thought we should share his article below.  Better shape = more sales closed:

Keeping a New Year’s resolution to get in shape is no easy feat. The first hurdle often is finding a gym membership that’s fiscally fit.

Half of consumers who don’t belong to a gym say the costs are the primary deterrent, according to a 2009 survey from market researcher Mintel. Factoring in initiation fees, the median annual cost for a new gym member is $775, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, a trade group. Ongoing members pay slightly less than $43 per month for an average $511 annually.

In many cases, new members can cut their gym membership costs by as much as 50%. Here are some ways to do it.

Try no-commitment passes

Most gyms let nonmembers visit on a trial basis for a week or two. Use passes to try out all the fitness centers near your home or workplace, says Mackey McNeill, a certified public accountant and a spokeswoman for the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission. You’ll get a sense of how each club works with your schedule and fitness needs—and several months of free workouts—before committing to a membership.


Negotiate with promotions

Many clubs offer their best deals in January, which gives gym-goers some leverage now, says John Rowley, the director of fitness at the American Institute of Healthcare & Fitness, an integrated facility based in Raleigh, N.C. Even at big chains, prices are often negotiable. Ask about all the promotional and regular pricing options when you visit.

Once you’ve collected price information for clubs nearby, approach your first choice to see if they’ll meet a competitor’s price, Mr. Rowley suggests. If you plan to visit multiple locations of the same chain, talk to managers at each location. Many clubs are franchises, so prices and available discounts can vary.

Check in with HR

Gym discounts and reimbursements are a fairly common employee perk, so check in with your company’s benefits department. Employees at the University of Kentucky save 65% on the service fee at Curves gym when they sign a $39-a-month one-year contract, paying a $69 fee instead of $199.

Energy services company E.ON reimburses employees and their spouses for 50% of the cost of attending an approved fitness facility or class, up to $25 per month.

Talk to your landlord

Landlords looking to retain tenants are increasingly willing to negotiate—and the availability of fitness facilities on the property can often help you save, says Peggy Abkemeier, president of rental marketplace Rent.com. Property managers may be willing to throw in a free membership to the building’s gym, or even arrange discounts at a nearby health club.

Review your insurance

Insurance companies typically offer some fitness club discounts. Oxford Health Plans participants get up to 30% off monthly dues at Bally’s Total Fitness, Gold’s Gyms and Curves, among other fitness locations. Aetna offers plan participants deals through discounter GlobalFit.com, which negotiates special rates. At Bally’s Total Fitness, you’d pay roughly $29 per month for a local membership instead of $55—a 47% savings.

Pay month to month

New Year’s resolutions often fall by the wayside. The health, racquet and sportsclub association reports that 42% of club members visited fewer than 50 times during the course of an annual membership. “Gyms really push annual memberships because they look cheaper,” says Ms. McNeill. “But I would be very reluctant to sign up for a long-term package and potentially waste that money.”

Start off with a month-to-month plan, and switch over to a contract for a year or longer if you’re confident that your fitness regime will stick.

The flexibility to cancel a month-to-month plan also comes in handy if the cost of a gym membership turns out to be too high for your budget, she adds.

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