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"  Let us guess: One of your New Year&amp;#039;s resolutions is to get in shape or lose weight. Joining a gym can help \u2014 and hopefully motivate you to get your money&amp;#039;s worth by working out more often. And, with gym discounts geared towards resolutions-minded people cropping up everywhere, now is certainly the time to join. To make sure you get the most for your membership, follow these key steps. 1. Survey Your Options Even if you&amp;#039;re certain which gym you want to join, it pays to know what deals competitors in the area are offering. Whether it&amp;#039;s waiving the initiation fee or a free first month, you can use these discounts as leverage when negotiating your own. That&amp;#039;s right \u2014 negotiating. The dirty little secret of health clubs is that gym rates are negotiable, but you won&amp;#039;t necessarily get the best deal until you ask. If your local gym can&amp;#039;t beat a competitor&amp;#039;s price, perhaps they can throw other perks your way, like a free training session, extra guest passes, or a two-for-one discount if you&amp;#039;re signing up with your spouse. 2. Join In Person You will probably spot a Groupon deal in your inbox, but oftentimes some of the best discounts aren&amp;#039;t advertised. Some gyms offer an age-based discount or lower rates if you plan to work out during off-hours. You won&amp;#039;t find a lot of these great deals online, but hopefully you can count on a helpful membership recruiter to clue you in, if you know the right questions to ask. 3. Plan Out Your Payment Tiered payment plans for gyms can leave you cross-eyed; make sure you take some time to read the fine print. If you just plan to use the location in your neighborhood, for instance, you won&amp;#039;t need to pay for access to a whole chain. Others will offer a discount if you pay in advance for six months or a year. The membership recruiter should be able to help you decipher the various choices. Need more motivation? Here are some great deals we&amp;#039;ve spotted lately:  Get your first 30 days for $30 at My Sports Club locations. Save 50% on enrollment at Crunch locations. Skip the initiation fee at Equinox and participating YMCA locations. Pay just $29.99 a month for the first year at 24 Hour Fitness.  This article originally appeared on GoodHousekeeping.com. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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