My mother, who is retired and on a fixed income, pays a monthly membership to a very inexpensive club.  However, she hasn’t been going for several months.

When I approached her and encouraged her to rejoin the club, she said she would rather go to the fitness chain of which I am a member.  A membership at my club is a lot more money, and I mentioned that to her.

What can I do to encourage her to rejoin the club of which she is still paying membership fees? She mentioned that she thought that the staff at her club were not qualified personal trainers.

Hi Jeff,

The first question, I suppose, is “can your mom afford the more expensive club?” If she can, then there’s no real reason for her not to switch, if she’ll actually go.  If her only excuse is that she would rather be at your club, then take away that excuse!  (And if she comes up with other excuses, call her on them!)

The question becomes tricker if she can’t afford it, of course.  You might suggest she give it a try once or twice and see if she gets back into the swing of things; or maybe there are classes she might like.  How about going over the class schedule or brochure with her and seeing if you can interest something?  If she absolutely refuses because she thinks the trainers aren’t qualified, why not see if you can get her into your club for one or two sessions with a trainer there, and then she can practice all the stuff she learnt at her own gym.

Hope this helps!  Let us know how it goes!

Cheers,
Julie