What percent of your income goes towards fitness?

C

christian2011

New member
Saw some old threads and thought this might be interesting! Past threads were straight numbers, but I thought this might be helpful to contextualize things. It can be easy to get envious to what people spend, but you don't know other people's situations for better or worse.

Thought it might be neat to show the diversity of experience and how we can all participate in fitness in our different contexts.

I'm childfree, live with a partner, no pension, but just above decent wage for the area.

After tax, here are some monthly numbers for me:
  • semi private training and gym 7% (not sure if I'll do this long term)
  • physio 3%
  • gym 2% (I do need to cancel this though)
  • supplements 2% (protein, bars)
  • clothing 0.4% (saving over time)
  • equipment 0.4% (bands, misc physio stuff)
  • gas 0.3% (driving)
Total percentage: ~15%

Adding it up, it's actually quite a bit more than I thought! I guess my hope is with more now it'll save me down the line, though it's digging into what could be retirement savings! It's a bit higher than I would like, but I'm early 30s and don't have other commitments so I'll allow it for now 😅

Right now my focus is getting back into the habit without impacting some chronic health issues, then hopefully in 6 months I can transition back to my old gym. (And maybe get strong like Vi from Arcane...)

What are your percentages, how do you feel about it, and life context if you're comfortable sharing (maybe be less specific, not looking to dox anyone!)?

ETA: Thanks for all the answers, really fun reading everyone's situation! also shows that there's a lot of variety of exercise in this sub, even though questions tend to skew lifting heavy.
 
@christian2011 0.3% per month

0.18% is for gym membership, the remainder is about what my clothes cost if I divide them over a year. I do want to get some cuter outfits, but I can’t bring myself to spend $100+ on gym clothes that I’m just going to get sweaty and dirty.
 
@christian2011 Hmm, it's really hard to say! But I can approximate.
  • $55 a month for my half of our gym membership (discounted through my employer)
  • Probably $100 a year ish for new shoes, socks, bras, etc.
  • See a trainer every 8 weeks-ish, so let's say $50 a month
But beyond that, what counts as fitness?
  • I'm taking adult swim lessons, is that fitness?
  • If I get new trekking poles or camping gear, is that fitness?
  • If I spend more money on gas driving to the gym, is that fitness?
  • If I see my doctor regularly and get bloodwork done, is that fitness?
  • I had a $20 copay for weekly physical therapy for a while, is that fitness?
So honestly, no clue.
 
@christian2011 Best thing for me has been the Tonal. Yes, it's expensive but eventually, it will be paid off and all I'll have to worry about is the $60/month membership fee. So I guess that equates to 3.4%
 
@herewearenow It looks really good. I love how compact it is. I have my whole garage set up for working out this would replace so much of it. I could get my car in there lol.
 
@christian2011 I spend about 4% of my own yearly salary. I have a gym membership and a coach, plus federation dues and meet registration fees. I rounded up to the nearest $500 to account for things like new ammonia or meet day shirts which is the only new gym clothes I buy lol. I don’t include protein shakes because my husband and I both drink them and they’re just a normal snack for us whether we’re training or not.
 
@christian2011 About 3%. I am mid 30s and I pay $160 a month for CrossFit.

I have a capsule wardrobe for my athletic gear so I haven't bought anything the last couple years. Will replace my shoes once every 2-4 years so that's another $160ish.

I don't take supplements, years of forcing myself to drink it, makes me gag. Haven't lost any gains by stopping them. Just increasing my calories has upped my lifting numbers.

If I do physical therapy, it's free with insurance.
 
@christian2011 Gosh, I never thought about it but not much. I pay $25/month for a friends and family discount membership at my local Anytime Fitness and I go 3-4/week so about $2 per visit give or take. I do a personal training session once a month at $70/hour and I buy a 12 pack of protein bars for $10 that are my post-workout meal. The gym is 2 miles from my house so gas is negligible. I did just buy a jar of creatine so that upped this month by about $20.

That makes it $105/month or $35/month if I skip personal training. About 2% of my monthly budget. If you include yearly clothing purchases and supplements it probably evens out to $125/month. Working out is actually a way for me to reduce spending. I've got some medical issues that are kept in check by staying fit and I can do more free/cheap adventuring when I'm feeling good.

Looking ahead though, monetarily my fitness goals are to 1) get a massage monthly, 2) get a once a week trainer, 3) go skiing 3-5x/season
 
@christian2011 I built a home gym in 2022 (about 3k for all the equipment mostly used or free) and also have a gym at my work, so I don't pay for a gym membership. I either run on the treadmill or outside for free, same with cycling.

Pretty much all I spend money for fitness on is protein powder and gym clothes/shoes as they wear out so no real set amount. Oh, and my prosthetic leg- that's probably my most expensive investment ($3-5k-ish a year but most of the time I can get donated funds for that stuff thankfully!)
 
@juanpabloic Nice! I hope to one day live in a space that can fit a home gym!

I've heard prosthetics can be very expensive - do you need a separate one for your workouts? I've seen some cool different types, but I guess the more specialized the more expensive.
 
@christian2011 My gym is just in one of my spare bedrooms, 14x14 so not huge. And I put my treadmill and indoor cycle in the living room. Someday I want a bigger house with more room to contain all my gym equip but it works for now!

I have an "everyday" leg, basically just my socket and regular foot. Then I have a separate one for running or any kinda jumping activity because it has more spring/better energy return. I can run and do things on my everyday leg but it feels better on the running blade. I can also use the running blade as a water leg too for the beach because it is so much easier to clean. All prosthetic stuff is really expensive! They charge my insurance about $20k for my everyday leg.

My everyday leg and 3 of my blades

https://imgur.com/a/kAZiKa9

And my newest blade attached to the socket:

https://imgur.com/a/LDzrFP9
 
@christian2011 I recently calculated this when working on a budget for this year. I spend 225/week for three remote sessions with a trainer, mostly using my weights and equipment at home. That comes to 900/month and 10,800 a year. Worth every penny. I spend about 500/year on various equipment. I have been building up dumbbells kettle bells band etc and buy addition items like bosu etc if my trainer and I decide that will enhance my program. I spend 300/month on low dose Glp1 shots to support hormonal balance and weightIoss. 3600/year. I am in my 50s and these investments have been a life saver as I go through menopause.
 
@christian2011 I’m in a bit of a fitness kick right now, so costs are higher than usual but they’ll probably mellow once summer hits.

Gym (weights, yoga, and rock climbing combined) - $75/mo
Aerial classes (hammock, Lyra, pole, open gym) - $175/mo
Weightlifting coach - $140/mo
Heels dance classes - $100/mo
Workshops - ~$50/mo
Pre-workout and protein products - ~$70/mo (I barely count this though because I replace breakfast with a protein bar most days)
Clothing and accessories - ~$200/mo (this will go down now that I have my pole set up at home)

It works out to about $10% of my net income. I don’t have children and make a comfortable living, so this keeps me busy outside of work.
 
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