Gym membership or Kettlebell??

Kettlebells do wonders girl go for it!

Since the gym membership is only for a month get the kettlebells

Since the gym membership is only for a month get the kettlebells

I agree with this. Fitnessblender.com has some great kettlebell workouts for free, as well as other types of workouts (cardio, yoga/pilates, bodyweight training, etc.) if you want to mix it up.

I'm pretty sure most gyms have kettlebells, plus tons of other equipment to use

This is my general take. While I'm a big fan of at-home workouts, you're likely to find a greater variety of programs and equipment at the gym.

The reason more of my exercise regimen tends to be at-home or running around the neighborhood is that it's easier schedule-wise. I don't have to worry about hours of operation or times when crowds get heavy. But I still use the gym twice a week to lift.

If those are your choices, chose a gym that has free kettle bell classes. It is really easy to do the kettle bell moves wrong, so it would be good to start with someone that can check your form.

I based my response off of her saying that she'd only be able to afford a month of gym membership.

I say Kettlebell at least by the end of the month you would have something to show for it. If you ever needed to at least you can sell the KettleBell and get some money back out of it.

I would go with the Kettlebells. I got a set at WM (3 - 5lbs, 10lbs, 15lbs) at WM for like $60.00.
I have also been enjoying the free trial of the Daily Burn - they have a whole Kettleball workout progression set. It is easy to get hurt if you use them incorrectly, so the introduction to form and progressive difficulty was nice when I first got them.

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I would say it is a personal preference to whether you want to work out at home or at a gym. What are your plans long term? If you are going to make this a lifestyle and like the gym environment then I would say do that, they would have everything you want (kettle bells, free weights, cardio equipment, etc). But again it will come down to your preferences, some people just prefer to work out at home over the gym...... Best of Luck....

My long term will not be working out in a gym. I am mainly a runner but need some serious help in the mid-section and everything points to strength training to tone that up. At this point in time, I'd only be able to pay for a month at the gym and then would have to figure something out, which is why I was wondering which would be more efficient at this point.

Thanks!

Do either...

...but more importantly, do some reading about "toning" a specific part of your body. Of course, this depends on your definition of "toning". If you mean "building muscle", then absolutely, you can do that for a specific part of your body. However, if you mean "losing fat", then no, that's going to come from your overall calorie deficit. Assuming it's the latter (as it almost always is), then your diet will be the determining factor.

And whichever one you choose, when you have more funds available, try the other. Each approach has its own pros and cons that are very individually specific, and these pros and cons can vary for each person depending on other circumstances.

ETA: And as has been said, you'll need to find something you can do consistently over a much longer period of time than one month. Progress takes time...and then you'll need consistency to maintain that progress. Fitness is not a one-time destination where you achieve your goal and are then done.