Month-to-Month Gym Memberships - A Better Choice?

Are you a fan of the month-to-month gym membership or signing a longer-term contract? Some think month-to-month may be a better financial fit.

A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research examining unrealistic optimism suggests when people are first asked to predict what would happen in an ideal world (e.g., In an ideal world, how often would you exercise next week?), they were less realistic than when asked how they actually expected to do (e.g., How often will you exercise next week?). One interesting twist: More decisive people were less realistic.

I think I've always signed longer-term gym membership contracts. Instinctually, I don't think I'd be as dedicated to working out if I went month-to-month. But if you've signed a contract and are not visiting the gym very often, or that basement treadmill is full of dust, you may have overspent thanks to unrealistic optimism. I'd better think twice about that home treadmill -- especially if I'm decisively rushing to purchase. Or maybe that's just impulsivity at work. Which type of gym membership do you prefer? Let us know in the poll below.