YMCA

_jayciemarie_
_jayciemarie_ Posts: 574 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm super excited that I'm FINALLY getting a gym membership this Friday! Until it started getting cold here in Nebraska (about 4 weeks ago) I was doing walking/running 1-2 times per day, and about 5-6 days a week. I loved how in the morning it made me feel accomplished. I wasn't tired throughout the day. Then after dinner I would go for a brief walk/run and it would curb any desires to eat/snack after dinner. I really miss that! So, the reason I have waited this long is that the YMCA is having a special on Friday that they are waiving the Joining fee ($49.99) and you get the month of December free ($56.00). So, I considered this last 4 weeks a mini vacation. I can't afford a trainer. It really is hard enough budgeting the $56/month. I love cardio and I will probably spend the majority of my time on a treadmill/stairmaster/elliptical/stationary bike. I don't really know what else I should do. I want to get the most out of my time there. I'm not afraid of putting in effort. Any tips?

Replies

  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Well, good for you, I love my YMCA (they just built a brand new place). You might consider lifting as well, it depends on your goals.

    Most women think of cardio because it burns calories, but once you get rid of the weight it would be muscle that gives you shape.

    Since you're brand new, I HIGHLY recommend you buy and read New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's a very accessible book with tons of information for women on lifting weight and dieting (does a lot of myth busting too, which is great). I would start here no matter what you endup doing. The exercise routine at the end of the book is good too (though kinda "fluffy", but still good)

    If you do this, you will be off to a great start. Honestly even if you don't want to lift, that book is a goldmine of info about fitness.
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
    I love our YMCA. Been a member now for nearly 15 years. I go to a "gym" gym too, but the YMCA is closer.

    Ask them to give you a tour of the place. YMCAs have free orientation. Usually a personal trainer does that here and you can ask them for advice on how to use the weight machines and dumbells. They're happy to do it. I would go early morning or late in the evening when it's not crowded, so that you can really try out all the machines, learn how to adjust them to your height and size.

    The YMCA has good exercise classes too. Everything from Zumba to synchronized swimming. You should check those out if you're interested.
  • Doctorpurple
    Doctorpurple Posts: 507 Member
    I love YMCA but paying $50+ for gym membership is steep considering planet fitness and gold's gym only charges $10/month. I joined YMCA at my area for only $22 a month and my hubby told me he joined for only $16 a month. definitely do at least the weight circuit training if you are somewhat intimidated with the free weights. Doing just cardio will not produce maximum results and will not help much in retaining muscle mass as you lose weight. When I first joined the gym 5 years ago. I did 10 mins warm up stretch 20-25 mins cardio (treadmill or elliptical), 30 mins weight training (circuit training), 5 mins of cool down. Now my workouts are more involved and I do target muscle training but the the first routine I listed is easy enough to follow (no trainer needed) and great for beginners.
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
    I joined the YMCA on November 1. I have stayed pretty much on the treadmill, but I want to take classes...in particular, pilates and yoga. Then, work my way up to more aerobic workouts.
  • _jayciemarie_
    _jayciemarie_ Posts: 574 Member
    Well, good for you, I love my YMCA (they just built a brand new place). You might consider lifting as well, it depends on your goals.

    Most women think of cardio because it burns calories, but once you get rid of the weight it would be muscle that gives you shape.

    Since you're brand new, I HIGHLY recommend you buy and read New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's a very accessible book with tons of information for women on lifting weight and dieting (does a lot of myth busting too, which is great). I would start here no matter what you endup doing. The exercise routine at the end of the book is good too (though kinda "fluffy", but still good)

    If you do this, you will be off to a great start. Honestly even if you don't want to lift, that book is a goldmine of info about fitness.

    When I get home from work today I will see about downloading it on my Kindle. (Hopefully it is an e-book).

    Thanks everyone! I am like most women and want to do cardio, but I want to do the other stuff so that when I'm at the weight I want I'm not a pile of skinny fat!
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    I'm super excited that I'm FINALLY getting a gym membership this Friday! Until it started getting cold here in Nebraska (about 4 weeks ago) I was doing walking/running 1-2 times per day, and about 5-6 days a week. I loved how in the morning it made me feel accomplished. I wasn't tired throughout the day. Then after dinner I would go for a brief walk/run and it would curb any desires to eat/snack after dinner. I really miss that! So, the reason I have waited this long is that the YMCA is having a special on Friday that they are waiving the Joining fee ($49.99) and you get the month of December free ($56.00). So, I considered this last 4 weeks a mini vacation. I can't afford a trainer. It really is hard enough budgeting the $56/month. I love cardio and I will probably spend the majority of my time on a treadmill/stairmaster/elliptical/stationary bike. I don't really know what else I should do. I want to get the most out of my time there. I'm not afraid of putting in effort. Any tips?

    You can get on quite nicely without a trainer. My YMCA offers a series of free classes called "fitstart" that are designed to orientate you to the fitness area, and help you figure out what to do in the fitness area.

    When I started going to the YMCA, I was almost 100lbs overweight...but the staff was SO sweet to me. As long as you do not take advantage of it, the trainers ( at least at MY branch) are happy to give you a quick tour around the fitness area, and show you how to use the equipment. For me, they even showed me how to do a few specific lifts.
  • slroggemann
    slroggemann Posts: 168 Member
    I joined the Y here for the classes because working out at home just wasn't cutting it for me anymore and the special didn't hurt either! Did my first class today and it was great :D I'll pay the overpriced fee to be able to go take classes

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