anti-gym snobbery
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Last year I was doing a video in the morning and walking outside in the afternoon. I ended up highly agoraphobic and my therapist said I need to start working out at a gym to help with that. I now am friends with the sixty year olds who go to the morning yoga class and give the head nod to the few people who are on my cardio schedule. I still lift at home though, I'm a grunter when I throw a barbell in the air. My kids love the childcare when they're not in school. My Y has a full arcade and every game is free. Not bad for $60 a month!0
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Maybe there's less snobbery in Canada. After all, we've got these winters.....
I prefer running outdoors to the treadmill because, boring. I was delighted to find out I can be fit and shun the treadmill too.
But hubby and I have a gym membership. I like the classes and he likes dirt-free sweat.0 -
I've only heard the comment from people who aren't particularly fit.
I used to be fairly agoraphobic and when I started at my gym I was definitely self-conscious, but buying the gym membership was me kissing my old self goodbye. Potential for embarrassment no longer keeps me from doing important things anymore.0 -
MrsCaitlinBeltran wrote: »PinkPixiexox wrote: »I've had people kind of snigger at me and say "you're lucky you get the time!!! *Eye roll* Wait til you have kids".
This annoys me HUGELY! I work full time, I have a house to run, food to cook, clothes to wash, bills to pay and I FIND the time because my health is important to me. No -I don't have kids. But I also know plenty of people that do have kids and still find time to get a couple of work-out's in a week..
I can't believe people would actually say something like this--Super annoying and rude, geez! I have a toddler and go to the gym almost daily and my bambino loves it! Kids just happen to be an excuse for some people. Finding time is the key for everyone-kids or no kids
Totally agree. My sons are grown but when they were little I worked out everyday, went to school part time (took me 7 yrs to get my Bachelors) worked full time, took my sons to practices and games, cooked dinner and clean house. So if you want to exercise and get in shape it can be done. I still workout everyday outside or at the gym. I like variety.
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azulvioleta6 wrote: »Yes, but it applies to all sorts of exercise. There are lots of people on here who believe that you absolutely need to lift weights or you are never going to look good. If you talk to my favourite pilates instructor, she will tell you that only pilates and body weight training will work your core properly and help with posture, so if you are not including it in your routine, you are doing it wrong. My friend who is a swimmer, will tell you she cannot understand why anyone would choose any other form of exercise and then spend the next hour listing the benefits from swimming. My coworker who is a runner is convinced that if he ever enters a pool he will die from some weird skin infection and that weight lifting is for crazy people on steroids. My other coworker who loves his bike and uses it to come to work wonders why anyone spends time for exercise, when biking to places instead of using a car or the bus is so much fun and helps you get all the physical activity you need. And so on
Interesting. I do all of these things, and the only area where I notice that there is very little crossover is with weightlifting/swimming. The more serious weightlifters tend to sink.
ALL of the dancers that I know also run, lift, walk or do some other major physical activity.
I must be the exception to this rule. I lift weights AND swim. The only time I sink is if I stop moving in the pool.
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Yeah. I notice it here quite a lot actually and when talking with my coworkers.
With a lot of topics here actually people respond in such a fashion.0 -
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PinkPixiexox wrote: »I've had people kind of snigger at me and say "you're lucky you get the time!!! *Eye roll* Wait til you have kids".
This annoys me HUGELY! I work full time, I have a house to run, food to cook, clothes to wash, bills to pay and I FIND the time because my health is important to me. No -I don't have kids. But I also know plenty of people that do have kids and still find time to get a couple of work-out's in a week..
We have 6 kids kids and yet my husband an I still have time to go to the gym. I agree it's what you want to do badly enough0 -
Nope, but more importantly, who cares?0
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »Nope, but more importantly, who cares?
The real answer.
I've learned over the years that snobs will be snobs. If they all DID go to the gym, they would find another way to be snobs, such as question what car you drove to the gym.
Life is easier if you don't let idiots, morons, and and the judgement of snobs (or anyone else) influence it.0 -
I go to Xtend Barre classes a couple of times a week. It's a pilates-ballet fusion exercise. Several people have rolled their eyes and gone, "that's not exercise!" My sister was one and I took her along, she has changed her tune. Now if only I could get my boyfriend who goes to a "real gym" to give it a go.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MarcyKirkton wrote: »Convenience is also an issue. I live in a rural area. The nearest gym is a good 30 min drive from my house if traffic is light.
I read that if your gym is more than 20 minutes away from home, your actual use rate drops considerably.
I don't doubt that a bit. It can double (or more) the time you must devote to working out if you have a long drive there and back. Not to mention if the weather is too bad for outdoor activity it's also likely not that great for driving.
Lol, I can tell you're not from a cold area, as up here we all drive unless it's a literal blizzard (like one day a year). If you didn't drive on snow and ice in freezing temps you wouldn't be able to go anywhere for months.
Depends on what you mean by a "cold area". Certainly there are much colder areas, but we do have Winter. We usually get a few good snows but much more freezing rain, which IMO is worse for driving. And the rural areas are less populated so generally last to have the roads cleared or salted. We drive in the bad weather when needed, but I imagine not many people would put a long drive to the gym on the "needed" list.
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PeachyCarol wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Queenmunchy wrote: »Ya, I see it all the time and just laugh.
Normally is something like.
Poster 1: I'm looking into a treadmill or joining a gym for my cardio.....
Poster 2: Go out side, its free, fresh air, etc.......
We'll ya, it was just 15 below where poster 1 is, where the overnight low where poster 2 is was something like 40.
Not only weather, but safety and timing. When my husband first moved in with me, it opened up the morning time slot for the first time (so much easier than after work when your kids have extracurriculars as well) since I didn't have to be home while my child was asleep. Anyway, I had to workout at 4am to be back in time for him to head to work. I live in a low crime area, but even I'm not risking going for a run in the dark when nobody is up!
This. Unless it's a group run, I'm not running in the dark. With life being what it is, that means I'm going to hit the treadmill sometimes. Although I love running outside, the risks just aren't worth it to me.
I live in a safe enough area to go running in the dark, but at some points in time, the weather's just not going to be doing it for me.
Now, I've grown to hate even walking on the treadmill, so I'm joining a gym with a track. They also have a deep water pool so I can water jog and give my knees a break from jogging.
I've never encountered negativity about the gym.
Last winter I got a short term membership at a gym with an overhead track because I was so over this:
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »Ya, I see it all the time and just laugh.
Normally is something like.
Poster 1: I'm looking into a treadmill or joining a gym for my cardio.....
Poster 2: Go out side, its free, fresh air, etc.......
We'll ya, it was just 15 below where poster 1 is, where the overnight low where poster 2 is was something like 40.
I wonder if people like Poster 2 actually regularly exercise outside. While I do prefer to exercise outside, the weather doesn't always cooperate, and sometimes for months on end. I'm currently living in Massachusetts and was snow bound for a good part of last winter. When I lived in South Florida, it was just too hot for me for a good part of the year.
This is a good point. I would love it if there were a gym near work that didn't require you join for the entire year. I would probably go to the gym in Winter. I'd at least try it because I loathe working out in my house. I wish there were a gym here where I could join for a month at a time.
Convenience is also an issue. I live in a rural area. The nearest gym is a good 30 min drive from my house if traffic is light.
Maybe double check to make sure they don't have, or wouldn't give you, a short term membership for a slightly higher monthly rate? I gritted my teeth at having to pay 35 % more per month for my short term membership last winter, but it was worth it. And by the time the membership was over, I could see the ground again!0 -
Ashtoretet wrote: »I've only heard the comment from people who aren't particularly fit.
I used to be fairly agoraphobic and when I started at my gym I was definitely self-conscious, but buying the gym membership was me kissing my old self goodbye. Potential for embarrassment no longer keeps me from doing important things anymore.
What do you mean....people who don't like to go to gyms aren't particularly fit?
I know lots of people who aren't into gyms and none comment that it's dumb I'm a member. Maybe because of that I'm interpreting the comment as only unfit people comment?
(Of course, when I was unfit I never said negative things about gyms, and haven't heard them, but maybe it's a thing somewhere.)0 -
Yeah, people will use any kind of difference as a wedge when they want to. I suggest working on caring less about what others do and think (directed to OP).0
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azulvioleta6 wrote: »
Interesting. I do all of these things, and the only area where I notice that there is very little crossover is with weightlifting/swimming. The more serious weightlifters tend to sink.
They should put down the weights before entering the pool.0 -
Lol, I can tell you're not from a cold area, as up here we all drive unless it's a literal blizzard (like one day a year). If you didn't drive on snow and ice in freezing temps you wouldn't be able to go anywhere for months.
The blame doesn't lie entirely on the mentality of drivers, as in we're so tough to drive in snow. I live in eastern Canada and we have a ton of snow and ice, and we all drive on it. People here make fun of the news when you hear somewhere like Atlanta got 2 inches of snow and it shut down the city. Well, the people there don't have snow tires, there's no salting infrastructure, the traffic flow wasn't designed around it, and Atlanta has two snow plows for the entire city. Here, within an hour of anything less than a disaster level snowfall, the roads are cleared. It could be days before roads are cleared somewhere like that.
Edit: An additionally, you get one blizzard a year? They're weekly here. Many people drive in them because they have to get from a home without power and heat to an emergency shelter or another home with wood burning capabilities. Many other people drive in them just because it's fun to take your car sideways through parking lots.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »PeachyCarol wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Queenmunchy wrote: »Ya, I see it all the time and just laugh.
Normally is something like.
Poster 1: I'm looking into a treadmill or joining a gym for my cardio.....
Poster 2: Go out side, its free, fresh air, etc.......
We'll ya, it was just 15 below where poster 1 is, where the overnight low where poster 2 is was something like 40.
Not only weather, but safety and timing. When my husband first moved in with me, it opened up the morning time slot for the first time (so much easier than after work when your kids have extracurriculars as well) since I didn't have to be home while my child was asleep. Anyway, I had to workout at 4am to be back in time for him to head to work. I live in a low crime area, but even I'm not risking going for a run in the dark when nobody is up!
This. Unless it's a group run, I'm not running in the dark. With life being what it is, that means I'm going to hit the treadmill sometimes. Although I love running outside, the risks just aren't worth it to me.
I live in a safe enough area to go running in the dark, but at some points in time, the weather's just not going to be doing it for me.
Now, I've grown to hate even walking on the treadmill, so I'm joining a gym with a track. They also have a deep water pool so I can water jog and give my knees a break from jogging.
I've never encountered negativity about the gym.
Last winter I got a short term membership at a gym with an overhead track because I was so over this:
Down the road from my place.0 -
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kshama2001 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MarcyKirkton wrote: »Convenience is also an issue. I live in a rural area. The nearest gym is a good 30 min drive from my house if traffic is light.
I read that if your gym is more than 20 minutes away from home, your actual use rate drops considerably.
I don't doubt that a bit. It can double (or more) the time you must devote to working out if you have a long drive there and back. Not to mention if the weather is too bad for outdoor activity it's also likely not that great for driving.
Lol, I can tell you're not from a cold area, as up here we all drive unless it's a literal blizzard (like one day a year). If you didn't drive on snow and ice in freezing temps you wouldn't be able to go anywhere for months.
Depends on what you mean by a "cold area". Certainly there are much colder areas, but we do have Winter. We usually get a few good snows but much more freezing rain, which IMO is worse for driving. And the rural areas are less populated so generally last to have the roads cleared or salted. We drive in the bad weather when needed, but I imagine not many people would put a long drive to the gym on the "needed" list.
Haha! That's me! Though, driving on ice is no big deal where I'm from. I go 2x a day no matter the weather. 0 -
PinkPixiexox wrote: »My gym is £12 a month, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - AND has literally EVERY THING you could ever need. Win!
A UK gym open 24hr! Do tell.
Pure Gym by any chance? That's where I go, though I now pay £18 a month because they only tend to do the really low price of £10-£12 a month for your first year's membership for a limited period after a new branch opens, then it's typically £16-18 a month afterwards. Still a good price IMO.0 -
When telling people I'm going to the gym, I normally get either "That's way too keen for me," "You must have plenty of spare time," or "Don't go getting addicted to it now" which all smack of laziness and/or ignorance.
As for what people prefer, I like to mix it up so I don't get bored. My sports centre membership entitiles me to unlimited use of the gym, swimming pool and any classes they offer. I aim for the gym 2-3 days per week but on the others I may go running outside, or I may go swimming indoors or, with the colder weather already starting to creep in, go running indoors.0 -
hamlet1222 wrote: »Does anyone else find, that if they mention they go to the gym, some people will respond by taking on a superior air and say things like "I prefer to exercise in the fresh air" or "why waste money on a gym membership when all you need is some running shoes and the great outdoors", or "I find treadmills so boring - can't understand why anyone would want to do that"
Nothing actually wrong with these statements - but the way in which they are said I find irritating, as if they are questioning one's good taste and intelligence.
anyway, I don't mean this thread as a rant, just as an observation. Anyone else notice the same?
I've noticed but it doesn't worry me too much - as others have already said, some people just want to be evangelical about whatever they like best. It irritates me more when it's said in adverts/infomercials pushing the next quick fad diet fix e.g. "Sick of paying for expensive gym membership? Not seeing the results you want? Do [fill in the blank] instead!" . Gym membership always seems to be prefixed with the adjective "expensive", when there are plenty of budget gyms out there if people want them!
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TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »Lol, I can tell you're not from a cold area, as up here we all drive unless it's a literal blizzard (like one day a year). If you didn't drive on snow and ice in freezing temps you wouldn't be able to go anywhere for months.
The blame doesn't lie entirely on the mentality of drivers, as in we're so tough to drive in snow. I live in eastern Canada and we have a ton of snow and ice, and we all drive on it. People here make fun of the news when you hear somewhere like Atlanta got 2 inches of snow and it shut down the city. Well, the people there don't have snow tires, there's no salting infrastructure, the traffic flow wasn't designed around it, and Atlanta has two snow plows for the entire city. Here, within an hour of anything less than a disaster level snowfall, the roads are cleared. It could be days before roads are cleared somewhere like that.
Edit: An additionally, you get one blizzard a year? They're weekly here. Many people drive in them because they have to get from a home without power and heat to an emergency shelter or another home with wood burning capabilities. Many other people drive in them just because it's fun to take your car sideways through parking lots.
Thank you! I am from Atlanta and it irritates me when people poke fun of our inability to drive in winter weather. I drive a Subaru and even I am not going to drive when we have black ice all over the roads (our main winter weather problem). You are so right, we do not have all the equipment etc that people up north have to deal with it. Plus it happens maybe once a year, but usually not even once a year.
I read in the news that this summer some of the schools up north closed due to extreme heat because the schools weren't equipped with the AC power to handle it. It is the same situation, down here we handle the heat, up there you handle the cold. Doesn't make one area better over the other. Or one group better. Ok, vent over. 0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »Ya, I see it all the time and just laugh.
Normally is something like.
Poster 1: I'm looking into a treadmill or joining a gym for my cardio.....
Poster 2: Go out side, its free, fresh air, etc.......
We'll ya, it was just 15 below where poster 1 is, where the overnight low where poster 2 is was something like 40.
I wonder if people like Poster 2 actually regularly exercise outside. While I do prefer to exercise outside, the weather doesn't always cooperate, and sometimes for months on end. I'm currently living in Massachusetts and was snow bound for a good part of last winter. When I lived in South Florida, it was just too hot for me for a good part of the year.
This is a good point. I would love it if there were a gym near work that didn't require you join for the entire year. I would probably go to the gym in Winter. I'd at least try it because I loathe working out in my house. I wish there were a gym here where I could join for a month at a time.
Convenience is also an issue. I live in a rural area. The nearest gym is a good 30 min drive from my house if traffic is light.
Maybe double check to make sure they don't have, or wouldn't give you, a short term membership for a slightly higher monthly rate? I gritted my teeth at having to pay 35 % more per month for my short term membership last winter, but it was worth it. And by the time the membership was over, I could see the ground again!
There is only one gym near work (none close to home) and it requires a yearly membership. I saw a sign the other day that a Curves was coming soon not too far from work. I don't know anything about Curves except I think it is women only (not even sure about that) but I am going to check it out once it's open.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MarcyKirkton wrote: »Convenience is also an issue. I live in a rural area. The nearest gym is a good 30 min drive from my house if traffic is light.
I read that if your gym is more than 20 minutes away from home, your actual use rate drops considerably.
I don't doubt that a bit. It can double (or more) the time you must devote to working out if you have a long drive there and back. Not to mention if the weather is too bad for outdoor activity it's also likely not that great for driving.
Lol, I can tell you're not from a cold area, as up here we all drive unless it's a literal blizzard (like one day a year). If you didn't drive on snow and ice in freezing temps you wouldn't be able to go anywhere for months.
Depends on what you mean by a "cold area". Certainly there are much colder areas, but we do have Winter. We usually get a few good snows but much more freezing rain, which IMO is worse for driving. And the rural areas are less populated so generally last to have the roads cleared or salted. We drive in the bad weather when needed, but I imagine not many people would put a long drive to the gym on the "needed" list.
::laugh:: I guess that's exactly why I'm not a gym rat. If I'm not going to drive 30+ min in nice weather to get to the gym I'm sure not going to bundle up and go out in ice and snow.0 -
"Snozzberries? Who ever heard of a snozzberry?"0
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TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »Lol, I can tell you're not from a cold area, as up here we all drive unless it's a literal blizzard (like one day a year). If you didn't drive on snow and ice in freezing temps you wouldn't be able to go anywhere for months.
The blame doesn't lie entirely on the mentality of drivers, as in we're so tough to drive in snow. I live in eastern Canada and we have a ton of snow and ice, and we all drive on it. People here make fun of the news when you hear somewhere like Atlanta got 2 inches of snow and it shut down the city. Well, the people there don't have snow tires, there's no salting infrastructure, the traffic flow wasn't designed around it, and Atlanta has two snow plows for the entire city. Here, within an hour of anything less than a disaster level snowfall, the roads are cleared. It could be days before roads are cleared somewhere like that.
Edit: An additionally, you get one blizzard a year? They're weekly here. Many people drive in them because they have to get from a home without power and heat to an emergency shelter or another home with wood burning capabilities. Many other people drive in them just because it's fun to take your car sideways through parking lots.
Agreed to a point, but also disagree to a point. I was on a work trip to Arkansas a year or so ago and they basically shut down the town for nearly 3 days because they got an inch or two of snow. It didn't require any salt/sand/removal equipment. It was basically the kind of day we call "Tuesday" between November and March where ya, it snowed but it's not worth the money to go clean it up.
I can't remember the last time I got "snow tires".0 -
TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »Lol, I can tell you're not from a cold area, as up here we all drive unless it's a literal blizzard (like one day a year). If you didn't drive on snow and ice in freezing temps you wouldn't be able to go anywhere for months.
The blame doesn't lie entirely on the mentality of drivers, as in we're so tough to drive in snow. I live in eastern Canada and we have a ton of snow and ice, and we all drive on it. People here make fun of the news when you hear somewhere like Atlanta got 2 inches of snow and it shut down the city. Well, the people there don't have snow tires, there's no salting infrastructure, the traffic flow wasn't designed around it, and Atlanta has two snow plows for the entire city. Here, within an hour of anything less than a disaster level snowfall, the roads are cleared. It could be days before roads are cleared somewhere like that.
Edit: An additionally, you get one blizzard a year? They're weekly here. Many people drive in them because they have to get from a home without power and heat to an emergency shelter or another home with wood burning capabilities. Many other people drive in them just because it's fun to take your car sideways through parking lots.
Agreed to a point, but also disagree to a point. I was on a work trip to Arkansas a year or so ago and they basically shut down the town for nearly 3 days because they got an inch or two of snow. It didn't require any salt/sand/removal equipment. It was basically the kind of day we call "Tuesday" between November and March where ya, it snowed but it's not worth the money to go clean it up.
I can't remember the last time I got "snow tires".
I'm from Arkansas and I live in Minnesota now. That was my main impression too. When we got a little bit of snow and ice in Arkansas, things would SHUT DOWN. People would make a run to the store for milk and bread and be stuck at home. A lot of that is because people don't know how to drive in it and, if anything sticks, there simply isn't any public plan to deal with it.
My first winter in Minnesota, we had a night where over a foot of snow fell in a few hours. The next day was pretty much normal -- the trucks came out and cleared the roads. They didn't even delay or cancel school. The only time things tend to get cancelled is when it is dangerously cold out. People just deal with it better here.0
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