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86 maconmagazine.com | DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024 BY SHAWN MCCLENDON Find exercise habits that make sense for your dollars, in or out of Macon's traditional gyms Maximize your fitness budget 67% of gym memberships go unused. Shocking, right? Finder.com suggests that nearly a third of the American population – 332 million in the 2021 census – pays for a gym membership. That's 74 million Americans with unused memberships. Let's bring it home. Macon has multiple gyms, both boutique and corporate. Our colleges have fitness facilities and so do Macon-Bibb recreational centers. With plenty of resources, the question remains: why are we not using our gyms? Here's why: First, we must become the type of people who use gyms. Consistency creates a healthy body, not equipment. We're talking about creating habits here, and guess what? Exercise habits can be small and still produce huge results. Many of my clients have started with daily, 5-minute walks Shawn McClendon. group – chest, back, and legs – and do one set of 20 repetitions of each exercise at least three times a week. The simpler your gym routine, the easier it will be to make it a habit – and get your money's worth from your membership. That's it. If you accept the challenge, post a picture on social media using the #responsible4myhealth hashtag. Let's make the most of our local gyms by first making exercise a lifestyle with the development of small exercise habits! Shawn McClendon is an ACE-certified personal trainer and owner of Back to Basics Health and Wholeness LLC, an organization dedicated to empowering people to take control of their health and avoid lifestyle disease. He runs a YouTube health and fitness podcast, writes on health and fitness topics at shawnmcclendon.com, speaks on health and fitness, and has authored several health and fitness books. 67% o f g y m m e m b e r s h i p s g o u n u s e d . because I know from experience that this small commitment will help my client become the type of person who makes fitness a lifestyle. Once fitness becomes their lifestyle, they're more likely to use their gym. Some people benefit from the financial incentive of paying for a gym membership. If this is you, purchase that membership. Be honest with yourself, though. If you haven't been using your gym, there may be another investment like purchasing home workout equipment or hiring a personal trainer that will better fit your existing habits. Already have a gym membership that you're not using? Commit to it. Allow me to issue you a four-week challenge. Pick an exercise class your gym offers a few times a week and go. If your gym doesn't offer classes, then pick an exercise for each major muscle Runners enjoying the inaugural Macon Music Half Marathon. Photo by Chris Floore.