How much is your health worth?
By Jemma Bourne
Students are becoming fatter, unhealthier and less fit… some say is it too expensive to do something about it. Will the opening of ‘The Gym’ in central Southampton get students moving?
When many young people become a student and take on university life their lifestyle changes dramatically. ‘Fresher’s fortnight’ means drinking alcohol nearly every day for some. Having the freedom to buy and cook their own meals means many students live off cheap instant meals or take outs and snack throughout the day and night.
Students in America actually have the term ‘freshman’s fifteen’, as many American students put on a massive fifteen pounds in their first year of study.
Josh Barrington, a second year Spanish student from Portsmouth, says: “I have definitely put on weight since being at uni but I can’t really do anything about it, I can’t afford a gym membership and healthy, fresh food is expensive.”
Other students such as Charlotte Webb, 20-years-old from Bournemouth, are doing something about their health. She explains: “Money is tight when you’re a student but after I realised I had started to put on weight I took out a gym membership.”
Charlotte adds: “I know people that went off to university and came back three years later twice the size, I don’t want this to happen to me.”
Many students, although wanting to join a gym, dismiss the idea due to the price. They do not have enough money. However, many gyms recognise this and provide a discounted student membership, but how useful are these memberships to students?
Kinetika Gyms are run by DC Leisure and have over seventy centres up and down the country. They have two different memberships available for students, off peak at £24.50 which gives the customer access between 9am-4pm and peak at £32.00, allowing them to work out all day every day.
Andrea Lee, sales manager at a site in the West Midlands, said: “Our off peak student membership is a brilliant price for students. All our memberships come with five one-on-one personal training sessions to get the clients on track to hit their goals.”
We ask students how useful these cheap off peak memberships are and if they are signing up for them?
Emily Mitchell, a full time marketing student from Manchester, explains: “I want to join a gym but I am absolutely broke so would probably only be able to afford twenty to twenty five pound a month max. I know there are student memberships at around that price out there but they are mostly off peak memberships.
“There is no point spending twenty pound a month on a off peak membership that allows you to use the gym between 9am and 4pm because that’s when most of us are in lectures, seminars or studying in the library.”
‘The Gym’ has fifteen gyms in total around England, one of which is planned to open in central Southampton on 29th March 2011. Their website allows you to sign up from home for just £10.99 a month which may appeal to students living in the city. The gym does not tie you into any contract and is also open 24 hours a day.
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Links
Contact information
Andrea Lee, Sales Manager. Stourport Sports Centre, Harold Davies Drive, Stourport, DY13 0AA.
Jay Sztybel, Fitness Instructor. Stourport Sports Centre, Harold Davies Drive, Stourport, DY13 0AA.
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Fitness Instructor Jay Sztybel informs us how to keep fit and healthy without spending a penny. |
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Students take to the outdoors to get their health back on track. |
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| 'The Gym'advertises its opening in Southampton this month. |
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