3 days at Gym, and I'm not sure this is for me.

I do DVDs at home and have had GREAT success. I've never stepped foot in a gym before. This works for me because I'm a single mother of 2 5 year old twin boys who have severe disabilities and I also work full time and am enrolled in University. I work out at 6am while my kids are still asleep. I will never go to the gym because I can do enough at home and I do what I love. Right now I'm doing Les Mills Combat and I can't get enough of it.

Can you write down what your trainer has been telling you to do and keep doing those things with some kind of progression? I'm not sure what you've been working on but this might be a place to start. Missing time with your kids does suck but a healthy and happy mom is also good for them. It might take a while to get in to the groove but it seems a bit early to be giving up on it.

There are also tons of resources out there that can provide plans. You haven't mentioned specifically what you are trying to accomplish but if it's some kind of weight training, there are certainly a slew of options.

Everyone has bad days!! Of course you can do it alone =-) If you can work full time and raise kids you know how tough things can be. Take it one step at a time.....over time you will start to enjoy it and it also will give you the chance to have some YOU time. Have you thought about swimming if you are hating the gym?

Good morning, Sorry to hear you had a bad day yesterday. I only workout at home and yes you can get into shape on your own. However, if you felt lost knowing your PT wouldn't be there talking you through each exercise, can you discipline and motivate yourself to workout at home?

I have built my gym up over many years. I have two benches, free weights and assortment of bars, a power tower, Roman Chair, yoga equipment, a ball, an elliptical trainer and a treadmill. Plus I have DVDs and am currently on T25 Gamma hybrid. It has taken me many years to get to where I can motivate myself to keep coming out here and doing what I want/need to do.

You are welcome to add me as a friend, or message me with questions re: working out, routines, etc.

Have a delightful, stressless day today!

I recently started with workout videos. My son dances and goofs off next to me so I don't feel like I'm missing out on being with them. I have access to YouTube on my TV and I've found many workout videos there.

Once I see that I'm being consistent working out with what I have I might consider investing money on other things.

You could look up workout routines to do at the gym. Maybe some of the athletic girls here will have better advice.

A set of adjustable dumbbells and some cardio equipment is all you need. You could try running outside or a jump rope, much cheaper than buying a treadmill.

Edit: I see you have a stationary bike, that is just as good. Also you can get away with just calisthenics (bodyweight) for resistance training if it's not hugely important to you. Push ups, chin ups, lunges and crunches is all you need.

Exactly!

I used to go to the Gym a long time ago, but found I was paying and never going. Now that things are working for me food wise I am doing more around where I live. I also have a treadmill at home. I am also using DVDs or Dancing to music. If I really want to go out and exercise then I will go to a Zumba class but I really do not want to be at gym rt now. I am not mentally ready for it. That being said I have been seeing a trainer for the past 3 years 2x a week for a circut of stregnth trainging. It is not at a gym and at least I know I am getting in strength trainging for 30 min 2x a week. Plus I usually get there at least 10-15 min before my appt starts so I walk on the treadmill or ride the bike for extra cardio.

The only reason I am able to do it now is bc the trainer is standing there with me telling me how many of what to do and how to do them right. being left alone I am going to be so lost.

Then you probably going to fail at this. Time to rethink what your life goals are.


ps your trainer sucks. Ask him/her how to use the squat rack and perform the major lifts. I wouldn't pay good money to have someone watch me use a machine and or treadmill.

Can you write down what your trainer has been telling you to do and keep doing those things with some kind of progression? I'm not sure what you've been working on but this might be a place to start. Missing time with your kids does suck but a healthy and happy mom is also good for them. It might take a while to get in to the groove but it seems a bit early to be giving up on it.

There are also tons of resources out there that can provide plans. You haven't mentioned specifically what you are trying to accomplish but if it's some kind of weight training, there are certainly a slew of options.

This^

When I first joined a gym I used to carry my wee card, the trainer wrote out, about with me and later a bit of paper with whatever programme I was doing written down.

I definitely agree with the happy mum comment - my girls are teenagers now but have mentioned how much more 'fun' I am now.

ETA: they've even suggested before I have a go at a sales assistant/bank teller etc, I should do a few squats first =D

Talk to your trainer. Let him/her know what days you're working out alone and ask for a write up of routines you can do. I think it will also help your trainer on the days you're together to focus on certain things and address questions.

Currently I get up at 4:45 a.m with no time to spare, i get ready get out the door and am at work at 6:45. I leave work at 3. If I go to gym I am 5:00 getting home, and the kids go to bed at 7:30...... 5 to 7:30, 2.5 hours a day really sucks to have with my kids when im giving baths, homework, etc time just flies and i feel like I've had no time with them. I was getting home at 3:30 before the gym, big difference for me.

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Single parent, full time job, three kids.

You have to make the time for you.

I like going to the gym because it gets me out of the house...and I have enough equipment at home to have a home gym. For me, the gym is my time away from the kids, from the mess, from the dog, from the work that I do at home, from the school that I do at home, etc. That's how I look at it. Even if I go there and run on the treadmill for an hour (cause it's still brutally cold here), that's time that I have for me. I also bought myself a year's worth of personal training sessions - 1 a week - because I'm already at the gym at least 3x a week (though usually more often than that). For me the gym is an escape because I can't do a DVD here at home without seeing a cobweb or without my dog biting at my heels and me wanting to stop and take care of that situation. I imagine that after the membership is up I maybe will have devised a way to curtail the distractions at home, but for me now, it's worth it. I feel that self-motivation is the key in either case - whether you work out at home or in a gym. For me I feel much better if I leave the house and the excuses and distractions behind and take that time for me, if that even makes sense. I look at it as an investment in me and I really don't have an excuse not to go.

I ended up joining a team instead of going to the gym. We have workouts as a group and it is laid back. It is nice because I feel like I have support and a nudge to do my workout, but I don't have someone lording over me.

Also, some trainers are just. Bad. So bad at their jobs. I went to a trainer once who had me doing sprints the first day with him to prove that I needed his guidance. He never even did any sort of fitness assessment. Don't let one bad day or one bad trainer put a bad taste in your mouth. I went through two very bad trainers, and two amazing trainers who just did not fit into my training style before I found my current coaches and my team.

Kiss a few proverbial frogs, and don't give up!!