What can be better than a free gym membership? Okay, I will admit that I have mixed feelings about this; on one hand, a free gym membership sounds awesome. It is a free gym membership (click here to get it) after all, how can you beat that, right?

On the other hand, it is a cliché. No, I do not mean that a free gym membership is a cliché, it is not, but the idea of using the gym to shape up is overrated. Why do you need to the gym to get in shape? You do not!

Say you need to lose a few pounds and you realize that to accomplish that, you need to eat better. Do you automatically go, “Well, if I want to eat better, I have to sign up for, say, Jenny Craig.” Or something like, “I have certain food craving, so I’ll just go on the Slim-Fast Optima Diet.”

I hope you do not think like that. I bet most people know how to eat healthier – they do not need to go on a special diet to lose weight – and they do not need a free gym membership to get in shape.

Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that you should not go to the gym – if that is what you really want to do, by all mean, go to the gym – it is just that it seems as if many people think that they have to go to the gym, they have to lift weights, walk on a treadmill, do Pilates, etc to be physically fit.

Just like with dieting, I think most people know how to be physically active. There are numerous things you can do to be active and have fun doing it.

You can go hiking, rock climbing, skating, skiing, swimming or bicycling – you can play ball with your kids or your friends, you can play tennis – the possibilities are virtually endless, and I am not even talking about other activities such as cleaning your house, washing your car, walking your dog or simply walking in a park.

So enjoy your free gym membership and remember that it is not the end of the world if you cannot make it to the gym.