Gym or No Gym?

Keenasgettingfitnhealthy

Hi all,
I have been trying to decide if I join a gym or keep doing this without.
My partner thinks it's just a waste of money and I probably wont use it *SIGH* but he also thinks that I should be able to do it without the gym and their equipment.
I think I will use it - even if it is 4 days a week (after work and on my day off), but I also don't know if I can justify spending the money! I'm tempted to join Jetts 24 hour gym - because it is right across from my work (and sometimes I don't finish until 11pm) also some of my work mates also go there so I'd have some support. I just don't know!!!

What worked best for you? Have you tried doing this weight loss with out the gym - what were your results? (yes, I know everyone will get different but I am still curious)

Thank you for your advice (in advance)

UrbanRunner81

I lost the majority of my weight without a gym. But that being said I joined a gym last year and I love it. I love going there. I feel inspired by others working out. Plus now I work for one. I love the atmosphere.

good2bthaking

I say join the gym, the support system definitely helps. You can actually talk with others there and get some different ideas and the people in the gym may give you tips on working out, proper form, etc. Go for it!!

muddyventures

I joined a gym and got started there, I began running and when I could run for an hour or more I hit the road and didn't go to the gym for three months. I recently injured myself in a fall and am struggling with bursitis, and have to go back to the gym, I swim, and am now doing resistence lifting, and a ton of stretching. I'm back on the treadmill and I am working outside also.

I would join the gym do a little lifting and resistence training, and do cardio I am really sorry I wasn't more balanced in my work outs, I think many of us do the same thing over and over. Going to the gym I also people watch, not to be creepy but if someone is doing something I want to try I watch and then I work of the nerve to try something new. I'm going on week 5 of my injury and it is likely I will be down for another 5 to 6 weeks so the gym is going to be key to keeping me on track.

Try a short term membership and commit to rejoining if it works for you.

suzzie07

I have joined a gym a few times. I have joined curves a few times. I work full time and have kids. I sometimes get too tired to make it to the gym. We have family activities. Unless you can commit to the time it takes to go to the gym and workout you may be throwing your money away. You also have to not feel uncomfortable excersizing in front of others. A treadmill at home on my own time works better for me. Even if it is a few minutes at any hour of the day, I don't have to worry about the gym being closed when I get the time to excersize.

dad106

Well weight loss is really about diet and you don't even have to exercise. As long as the diet is in check you will lose weight.. Exercise is more to make the body look good then it is to lose weight.

That being said, I love my gym. I have a personal trainer there who I see once a week, and I do strength training there twice a week. I just started doing couch to 5K outdoors, and will prob. move back indoors on the dreadmill when it gets too snowy and cold in the winter.

Keenasgettingfitnhealthy

Well weight loss is really about diet and you don't even have to exercise. As long as the diet is in check you will lose weight.. Exercise is more to make the body look good then it is to lose weight.

I want both!!! haha =D

Thanks for your input everyone
I might go in and see if I can try it for a few months and see how I go.

Rae6503

If you want to lift weights (and you should) a gym is really the best option (unless you can put $2000 into good home equipment).

anothermop

I do better when I workout in the morning. I almost never feel like driving to the gym; but I never miss a day when I'm doing P90X or the treadmill in my basement.

Good luck

Kgood77

I lost most of my weight doing cardio without a gym because I didn't feel like I would get my money's worth. That being said, I finally joined a gym about a year ago and found that I enjoy it more than I thought I would. Cardio can be incorporated pretty easily without a gym but it is difficult to incorporate strength training (which is very important) without a gym unless you happen to have weights at home. The strength training routine is what made the biggest difference physically for me and I would never have been able to do that without going to a gym. Gym memberships are especially nice to have when the weather is too hot, too cold, or rainy. Otherwise, weather conditions may provide you with an excuse not to workout. It seems that a lot of gyms are offering "no contract" memberships these days so maybe you can look into that. Many also offer trial memberships so that could be another option for you as well. If you can afford it, I would say go for it. Just be careful not to lock yourself into anything long term.

alemiszki

I LOVE my gym. It's less than a mile from me, I can ride my bike if the weather is right, or be there in five minutes (if I get stopped at the light). I look forward to seeing all the people there.

lowpro1983

Guess it depends on what works for YOU. I have some weights and a treadmill at home AND I have a gym membership. Sometimes I don't feel like driving to the gym (it's not convenient from where I live, but IS from where I work) so I will squeeze in a work out at home. Sometimes I'd rather hit the gym so I can do something OTHER than the treadmill.

It all is about what works for you:) Good luck!

torirodsmom123

I vote gym, simply for the moral support of others that you may meet at the gym. If you get involved in the classes, in particular, the friendships that are made are fantastic tools to help you attain your goal. Gyms also offer many different types of classes so that you may find one that you actually enjoy. In addition, there are professionals there to help you make sure you are using the equipment properly.

shannonmaria

I've lost weight doing both and I think either way is great. It was nice going to the gym to use all the machines and lift weights. Some gyms can be costly, but my friend belongs to a Planet Fitness and she only pays $10 a month. ( I think that's what it's called)
Right now I don't belong to a gym. I'm walking/jogging around my neighborhood and doing work out videos. I like this because I can spend time with my family while I'm doing it.

astrampe

If you want to lift weights (and you should) a gym is really the best option (unless you can put $2000 into good home equipment).

So not true.... I have a full set of adjustable and regular dumbells, bench, pull-up bar and more, for less than $1000 dollars and aquired over time - all in my bedroom and enough for hardcore heavy lifting.... I bought most of it new - if you shop around on Craigslist and such you can get it a lot cheaper.....

NZhellkat

I was blessed to be given a Total Gym so I am able to do both cardio and strength training at home. I prefer it that way because I can train whenever I want. I also belong to a support group and we have monthly challenges. We post our daily exercise and encourage each other. Belonging to the group makes me feel more accountable. Do what works for you.

vingogly

It's just a matter of personal preference. Some people like to work out at home, some like to work out in a gym. I get bored at home and there are too many distractions. I like the hustle and bustle of being in a gym, and being around other people. If you're an introvert or embarrassed to work out around other people, you may prefer doing it at home.

da1128

I belonged to a gym for 10 years and the cost of membership went up every year. I didn't mind all that much because I worked out regularly, even though it was a 26 mile round trip there and back. And then the price of gas went through the roof, we had some miserable winter driving conditions when it was just dangerous to get out on the road, and that membership fee kept creeping upwards. I kind of hated to do it, but I dropped the gym membership and bought myself a good treadmill and some free weights, exercise bands, a good balance ball and I had some other equipment at home as well. That was four years ago and I still lost the weight. (68 pounds)

I do miss a lot of the machines and the delightful sauna, but if I get desperate, I can still go to the gym and get a day pass. I do like saving that yearly membership cost though. (The price continues to go up!)

BVannillie

I bought myself a cheap ski machine for £180 and I use it twice a day every day, I don't have to travel to get a work out and I can do it any time. My dad, mum and also one of my friends all have gym memberships that cost them £40 per month (my friend actually has a student gym membership so it only costs her £30) and they hardly ever go. Do you need a gym? Nope.

_Sara_A_

I bought a Civic Pass for the city I live in, and it gives me access to all of the Civic Centers here (7). It gives me access to their fitness rooms, their drop-in land classes, drop-in water classes, as well as if I take my step kids swimming I don't have to pay for myself because of my pass. I go 4 days a week and take 4 different classes: Cardio & Sculpt I, Low Impact Fitness, Cardio & Core, and Step I. I get bored easily with work outs and find just going for a walk boring because it's the same thing over and over again, no changes. However on that said, I try to go for at least 1 walk on one of my days where I don't take a class. I love the Instructor for Cardio & Sculpt I because at the beginning of the class she'll go talk to the people who are new in the class to make sure they know what to do, and then at the end of the class on her take on how they did and to see how they enjoyed it. Makes you feel welcome and want to go back. Not all instructors do it, which is why I tend to like the classes more when the instructor approaches the individuals. Somehow it makes me more accountable.

makemewannadie

As a student I can't afford to join the gym, and I would be too anxious to go by myself (and don't have any friends who would go with me haha), but I do use the badminton courts at the gym, and I would use the swimming pool if I knew how to swim (: To reiterate what everyone else has said, if you think you can justify the money and will use it as much as you plan to, then go for it!