Survival Of The Fittest

We take a look at private health schemes which also offer cheap or free access to gyms.

It's that time of year when we all want to look our best on the beach. But joining a gym can be expensive. Then we rarely use it. Research shows that only 27% of members go along regularly and that as many as 12 million of us don't do any exercise at all.

Ask yourself this though. Would you be more likely to join a gym or go along more often if it was free -- and saved you money on health insurance as well?

Some private medical insurers have policies that could provide just the incentive you need to get fit.

Private medical insurance covers the costs of private healthcare such as surgery, medical specialists and nursing. One of the main benefits of this type of insurance is that you don't have the added stress of an NHS waiting list, when you're ill.

There are lots of these products on the market, but some insurers are also offering the benefits of free or cut-price gym membership along with your insurance.

For example, BUPA's policy includes free membership of Fitness First, worth up to £600, for new customers and they are also offering specially negotiated rates to existing customers.

PruHealth also has a gym membership deal. The way this works is that the more often you go the gym, the less you pay for your membership. In some cases, depending on which participating gym you join and how often you go along, you don't have to pay anything at all.

Interested? Here are the figures that could help improve your figure.

PruHealth gym membership costs

1. You pay an activation fee of around £25 to join the gym.

2. For the first 3 months you pay £25/month for your gym membership, on the occasional user rate of once-twice a week.

3. From month 4, if you step up the exercise and go more than twice a week, you either pay nothing or only £5/month.

To give you a rough idea of total cost, premiums for the PruHealth medical insurance start at around £29/month for a single female in her 20s, £61 for a couple in their 30s and £86 for a family with 2 children.

To compare with BUPA, their gym membership is free and similar quotes for the health insurance are slightly less for a single female and a couple, but a little more for a family, at respectively £24, £60 and £94.

Bear in mind, though, that the cost of cover for either of these policies could add up to more or less than the figures quoted, depending on your own circumstances and individual requirements.

Virtue has its rewards

But for many of us, these policies could provide a great opportunity to get both private healthcare and gym membership for the price of one.

And the benefits of the PruHealth policy don't stop there. It also includes a membership reward system, where you earn points for healthy living.

So, the more points you accumulate, whether for exercising, sticking to healthy meal plans or not smoking, the less you pay for next year's premium.

This means that if you're really motivated to improve your health, you can get to the point where your premium costs you almost nothing at all. Another plus is that the more of you who get as fit as possible, the less likely you are to make claims, which should help keep the cost of premiums down as well.

So, if you want to get fit, improve your healthcare arrangements and save yourself money at the same time, these policies could be well worth checking out.