Cheaper than smoking?

During a conversation with the great Charles Stockford yesterday he suggested that I have recently spent a lot of money on equipment and fitness over the last few months. The conversation came about because I said I needed to get a headlamp for the Ultra at the end of Jan. He suggested the cheapest possible one I could find and be done with it. I attack things a little differently. I suspect this is because I have a less active social life than I should but never the less I still derive some satisfaction from researching the best bit of kit to buy and knowing that I have done all I can to avoid problems arising when you least need them.

More honestly though I just love my toys.

So this got me thinking, how much had I spent on fitness? Firstly, I should say that I believe beyond any doubt that spending vast amounts to obtain fitness is definitely not the proper way of looking at things. Internal desire to achieve fitness is the most important factor.

I totted up everything I have spent on equipment this year, I also included the cost of race entries as well. It totalled around £1300. A good chunk of which was on a bike. Give or take a few pence we are looking at £3.50 a day. I was strangely quite proud of this and was willing myself to remember other things that I had bought to swell the total. Anything that contributes to being aware of ones body is a truly wonderful thing and I can honestly say that all of this money has been spent on highly useful items. My life would not of ended without them but my training and therefore my life is definitely improved for having purchased them.

The question I often ask is 'how many pints would that of bought?' Lets see, call it £3 a pint and we come in with 433 pints. I like a drink but if I was to look back on a year and see that I had spent £1300 on lager I would be less pleased with myself than if it had been spent it on exercise. If I was a smoker averaging 20 a day at £5 a pack that would total a whopping £1825. Now, I know a couple of supremely fit people who enjoy drinking and occasionally smoking I might even be one of them but spending the best part of £2k on fags must break even the most devoted smokers heart-perhaps literally. Wow! See what I did there.

Just where did the money go? I wont bore you with the details (amazed if your still reading this anyway) but consider that £450 went on a bike (I will have this for several years) and around £250 has been spent on running shoes and you will see that £1300 is not that extreme for a whole year. Frankly, any financial investment made with a view to exploring this remarkable body of ours is a sound one. But realistically, unless you are preparing for an Ultra Marathon, Adventure Race or Expedition of some kind then most of what I have bought is utterly pointless.

Another thought worth considering is this; how much does your average person spend on Gym Membership? Around £50 a month not including joining fee. Even I know that totals £600 a year and there you have it £600 well spent! Perhaps not, if you only go to the gym once a week or once a fortnight.....can you see where gyms make there money? Yep, from people who clear there conscience by deciding to join a gym in January and then hardly ever attend. I know a few people who have managed Gyms and they will openly admit that the bulk of there money is made from the people who join and rarely attend.

Keep it simple and try to find something you enjoy. I bet you a thousand pounds that if you did sit ups and press ups to exhaustion before going for a 30 minute run 3 times a week then you would be fitter than at least 95% of all Gym members in the UK. Seriously. All for the price of a pair of running shoes. You will probably have a little more money to spend on tobacco and alcohol as well. Just a thought.

I wont do it now but I will make a full list of all the equipment I have used and purchased over the last year at some point in the future.

If you have read this then make a comment because I will be amazed if you have.