No money for gym membership

donna70s

Hey all I don't have the finances at present for a gym membership but I have a 30 brisk walk to and from work 5 says a week.
Is an hour a day enough? Or do I need to do more

LKArgh

The minimum for maintaining a good health exercise-wise is 30 minutes of cardio per day, at low-moderate intensity. Walking is fine and one hour is enough.
For weight loss, it will help a bit, but most of the work will be changing how much you eat, exercise plays a smaller role in weight management, unless you completely change your activity level.

robertw486

You don't need a gym to get fit. There are plenty of options you can use for free or really cheap.

Enough depends on your goals, how you watch what you eat, etc. If you give more details on what you are trying to do, more people can offer specific answers.

donna70s

aggelikik wrote: »

The minimum for maintaining a good health exercise-wise is 30 minutes of cardio per day, at low-moderate intensity. Walking is fine and one hour is enough.
For weight loss, it will help a bit, but most of the work will be changing how much you eat, exercise plays a smaller role in weight management, unless you completely change your activity level.

Well I'm watching what I eat and logging it all on here. Only just started but have about 77 lbs to lose. May have to increase exercise further down the line I guess

LKArgh

donna70s wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

The minimum for maintaining a good health exercise-wise is 30 minutes of cardio per day, at low-moderate intensity. Walking is fine and one hour is enough.
For weight loss, it will help a bit, but most of the work will be changing how much you eat, exercise plays a smaller role in weight management, unless you completely change your activity level.

Well I'm watching what I eat and logging it all on here. Only just started but have about 77 lbs to lose. May have to increase exercise further down the line I guess

For weight loss and for being in shape in general, you are doing fine, do not worry. If you have other goals, regarding how you want to look or specific things you want to do (run, lift weights, start a sport etc) that's a different story, but for now, do not worry, you are doing the right thing.

donna70s

aggelikik wrote: »

donna70s wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

The minimum for maintaining a good health exercise-wise is 30 minutes of cardio per day, at low-moderate intensity. Walking is fine and one hour is enough.
For weight loss, it will help a bit, but most of the work will be changing how much you eat, exercise plays a smaller role in weight management, unless you completely change your activity level.

Well I'm watching what I eat and logging it all on here. Only just started but have about 77 lbs to lose. May have to increase exercise further down the line I guess

For weight loss and for being in shape in general, you are doing fine, do not worry. If you have other goals, regarding how you want to look or specific things you want to do (run, lift weights, start a sport etc) that's a different story, but for now, do not worry, you are doing the right thing.

Thanks x

tank1539

You could always try this http://www.fitlink.com/fitness-locations
To see if you get lucky and have a park around with fitness equipment there

jvs125

There's no need to go to a gym to get fit! All you need is you own body and the motivation to do something with it. I workout at home because I don't have time to hit the gym (I workout when the kids are napping so can't leave to get to a gym). I use kettlebells, dumbells, workout dvd's and our spinning bike. Or I put the kids in a stroller and go for a bike ride with them or for a run. Granted, I invested in a few pieces of equipment but apart from the spinning bike, they were all inexpensive and can be acquired used through kijiji or craigslist and once it's paid, it's all yours forever. Not like an expensive monthly gym membership.

mazzy1026

Take a look at hasfit.com - quite possibly the best website I've ever come across!

dlm7507

Scale weight 80%. Body composition 20%. No gym? Just get up and down from the floor: lie down on your back, stand up, ly down on your stomach, stand up, lie down on your side, stand up, other side, get up, sit cross legged, stand up. Use your hands as little as possible. Repeat for as long as you can (relatively) comfortably. If you are trying to loose 75 lbs, that is likely all the exercise you need, other than walking, for a while. It will work your glutes, thighs, abs and get you breathing hard. Many will scoff at this, try it.

donna70s

Thanks all xx

pmm3437

Any activity is good enough to get started with. Results will vary based on duration and intensity. Walking an hour a day 5/week is a decent amount of cardio.

For the results most ppl end up wanting, you need to incorporate some strength training along with the cardio. More advanced strength training almost always necessitates equipment.

A basic no frills gym membership in the US will cost you < $1/day, and is one of the best investments you can make for your health, if you actually make use of it. Many employers and insurance plans will subsidize a membership, because they know it leads to fewer sick days/fewer claims.

sudmom

There are also tons of workouts on You tube that you can get for free. If you have a computer-you have a gym memebership!

pondee629

Search body weight exercises. there are plenty. Don't need any equiptment and can do at home.

donna70s

pmm3437 wrote: »

Any activity is good enough to get started with. Results will vary based on duration and intensity. Walking an hour a day 5/week is a decent amount of cardio.

For the results most ppl end up wanting, you need to incorporate some strength training along with the cardio. More advanced strength training almost always necessitates equipment.

A basic no frills gym membership in the US will cost you < $1/day, and is one of the best investments you can make for your health, if you actually make use of it. Many employers and insurance plans will subsidize a membership, because they know it leads to fewer sick days/fewer claims.

[/quote

Thanks x I'm from the UK I'll look into some used equipment I can buy for home I think

callsitlikeiseeit

if it is activity that your body is used to, im not sure it will help with weight loss (because, if it did, you would have less to lose, right?) but for overall health its great!

look on youtube for workout videos and body weight exercises you can do at home, too.

maillemaker

As has been said, most weight loss comes from diet, not exercise. Exercise helps make you healthy, but unless you are devoting a lot of time to it and/or very high intensity you just won't burn as many calories through exercise as you will by eating less food.

Watch this guy eat 800 calories in pizza and soda in one minute while the other burns like 40 calories on the treadmill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY8THxAHs7M

That said, if you do want to go to a gym, if there is a Planet Fitness near you you can go for $10 a month.

donna70s

Thanks guys x

callsitlikeiseeit

i go to PF and love it (i know, it has its haters but for ME, its perfect)

mwyvr

maillemaker wrote: »

Exercise helps make you healthy

@maillemaker That's really the important point, not the pizza vs treadmill comparison. Drop the weight = health improvement for sure, but won't necessarily make healthy. Pair the two: exercise and weight loss - and most have a fighting change at becoming very healthy indeed, and staying that way.

@donna70s it's entirely possible for someone to lose tons of weight, achieve goal, yet remain fundamentally unhealthy. Exercise of some sort is vital for the long term.

Think of exercise as complimentary to what you are doing with your calorie restricted diet. If you can find time to insert some other more vigorous activity - whether it's running or cycling or body weight (no gym needed) strength and resistance training at home or in a park - depending on your base level of fitness today you'll no doubt see the benefit of that additional effort before you really feel the weight dropping. Seeing fitness and health improvements can assist us mentally in sticking through the longer weight loss process.

Often overlooked by those starting out, we can get fit - very fit in fact - long before we achieve our goal weight. These improvements leave positive ripple effects running through everything we do.

PS: It's terrific that you are already walking regularly because that gives you a great base from which to build. But you'll find, or may already have found, that your body quickly adapts to a certain level of routine exercise and movement. The body likes to be challenged.

Try adding more. Step up the intensity, maybe after work or on weekends where getting sweaty won't matter. Push your body - we are all much stronger and more capable than we think we are at the outset.

Congratulations on starting down this road. I was where you are now, one year ago almost to the day. It felt then like it would take forever to get fit and drop a lot of weight.

It didn't.

donna70s

mwyvr wrote: »

maillemaker wrote: »

Exercise helps make you healthy

@maillemaker That's really the important point, not the pizza vs treadmill comparison. Drop the weight = health improvement for sure, but won't necessarily make healthy. Pair the two: exercise and weight loss - and most have a fighting change at becoming very healthy indeed, and staying that way.

@donna70s it's entirely possible for someone to lose tons of weight, achieve goal, yet remain fundamentally unhealthy. Exercise of some sort is vital for the long term.

Think of exercise as complimentary to what you are doing with your calorie restricted diet. If you can find time to insert some other more vigorous activity - whether it's running or cycling or body weight (no gym needed) strength and resistance training at home or in a park - depending on your base level of fitness today you'll no doubt see the benefit of that additional effort before you really feel the weight dropping. Seeing fitness and health improvements can assist us mentally in sticking through the longer weight loss process.

Often overlooked by those starting out, we can get fit - very fit in fact - long before we achieve our goal weight. These improvements leave positive ripple effects running through everything we do.

PS: It's terrific that you are already walking regularly because that gives you a great base from which to build. But you'll find, or may already have found, that your body quickly adapts to a certain level of routine exercise and movement. The body likes to be challenged.

Try adding more. Step up the intensity, maybe after work or on weekends where getting sweaty won't matter. Push your body - we are all much stronger and more capable than we think we are at the outset.

Congratulations on starting down this road. I was where you are now, one year ago almost to the day. It felt then like it would take forever to get fit and drop a lot of weight.

It didn't.

Love it on here everyone is so helpful and supportive xx

quiltlovinlisa

Fitness blender has hundreds of free exercise videos online via their website and also on youtube. I too, cannot afford a gym membership right now but I'm making, working out at home, work for me.