Must cancel gym membership...Home fitness success stories?

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  • sandyhyde35
    sandyhyde35 Posts: 4
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    I use our treadmill at home to run or I just go outside. I started with the C25K program. It's a free app you put on your phone. Start with that, go slowly and you'll see progress. I also use XBOX 360, if you have an online membership you get XBOX Fitness for free until December. That has a TON of videos you can do, to include P90X, Insanity, and other 10 minute and 20 minutes videos. They never get old because you just keep switching it up.

    Hope this helps. Just keep moving anyway you can.
  • ajorust
    ajorust Posts: 3 Member
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    I don't have to wear flip-flops in the shower afterward.

    Definite perk!
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    I lost my 59.6 lbs without paying one cent for a gym membership. I have worked out at home and plan on continuing to do so. I would never ever spend money on a gym membership myself.

    I have an elliptical, treadmill, a bench and loads of free weights. The treadmill and free weights are what have worked for me.

    Now that the weather is getting better it is so easy to lose weight, all you need is a good pair or runners. You don't need to spend any money to go outside and go for a walk or run. There are so many great body weight exercises you can do. Go online and look them up. YouTube is great, shows you how to do these exercises properly.

    Good luck!
  • The_Iron_Beast
    The_Iron_Beast Posts: 66
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    There is a book/app/dvd Called You Are Your Own Gym. It has a lot of great body weight exercises.
  • Zelinna
    Zelinna Posts: 207 Member
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    I lost all my weight doing at home workouts. Like others, I have done some Beach Body programs, but I have also made use of free Apps for my phone and tablet to guide my workouts.

    Plus running/ walking outside!
  • caitconquersweight
    caitconquersweight Posts: 316 Member
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    I haven't set foot in a gym in like two years. I work out exclusively at home. I do videos, Wii games, and walk around my neighborhood. I've lost 15 pounds since January, which is a healthy, slow loss.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    I would personally use that $64 a month and put it into an awesome home gym. Craigslist is great and you can get a barbell and weight for about $100. That should be enough to get you started in strength training. After a couple months, it more than pays for itself and you can always add on if you want.

    ^ This!! The money you invest in equipment will pay for itself over and over again.
  • bestnanaof2
    bestnanaof2 Posts: 3
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    Never had a gym membership (hate working out indoors), but caved last year when the local Y was holding a good deal on memberships. I think it was $36/month. Ok, so I go over there 5 days/week and proceeded to pull a muscle in my shoulder because I don't know what I'm doing and the staff were pretty much worthless. Anyway, not to down the Y, but it just wasn't for me. I am back to running and my hubby managed to get a treadmill from a friend who used it for a clothes hanger, so if the weather is a complete nightmare, I can run indoors. Oh, and I found a great sale on a stationery bike for around $99. That's great too since I run every other day and if the weather is a mess, I can "bike" indoors on the "every other" days. $36/month saved! :flowerforyou:
  • SkinnyGirlCarrie
    SkinnyGirlCarrie Posts: 259 Member
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    I have a treadmill I bought about 8 years ago that's still going strong and use that in combination with fitnessblender.com workouts. Love them, they're great and have all different kinds of workouts and are def focused on fitness, nice couple to boot!! Between the combination of the 2 and using MFP I've lost 18lbs over the last 2 months. Plus on the treadmill I get to watch whatever I want on Netflix and it's "Mommy's Time" lol (a break from Nickolodeon and Disney). Check out yard sales too, my friend just scored a Nordic bike for less than $100 practically brand new.
  • craftywitch_63
    craftywitch_63 Posts: 829 Member
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    I too refuse to pay what they want for a gym membership in my town.

    1200 a year...imagine that..

    For me I find fitnessblender.com has great workouts for HIIT, I loved what 30 day shred did for me and my sister loves extreme shred and shed and ripped in 30.

    But I have to say I prefer my weight lifting. Yes it can be expensive if you go all out with new equipment but if you slowly purchase 2nd hand equipment and perhaps build a squat rack (have your husband do it...mine did for 60$) you can have a great setup for weight lifting.

    ZOMG! Twelve hundred DOLLARS a year? Are you kidding me? :noway: Is the equipment made of solid platinum? I pay just under $300 a year for TWO gym memberships! No wonder you want to work out at home!
  • SNLover87
    SNLover87 Posts: 101 Member
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    I've lost 68 lbs and never been to a gym. I used the Jillian Michaels DVDs when I first started, but I've graduated to designing my own circuits and those are one part of what I do now. I also go walk/run at a track near my house, I bike on the weekends, and I play Zumba on my wii. And I do yoga.

    The equipment that I use at home consists of a 20 lb kettlebell, 10 lb weights, 2 lb weights, a jump rope, a yoga mat, and an ab wheel. Across all of that I doubt I spent more than $30-40.

    All that being said, the reason I lost 68 lbs was 95% due to my change in eating habits. But still, I much prefer to workout at home, and I've had great success in increasing my endurance and my strength by doing so.
  • maryjay52
    maryjay52 Posts: 557 Member
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    just because you have a gym membership does not necessarily mean you will use it any more than you will work out at home ... you can do all kinds of activities and working out without the cost of a gym. i workout at home and at a gym but at home i create mini obstacle courses , use the stairs , run, powerwalk and jog outside .ect ..i got all my equipment for an inexpensive price at garage sales and even for free from people who didnt want their stuff any longer..turned my diningroom/livingroom into a gym because i never ever use that space otherwise..tjere are always parks too ..pick up a basketball and shoot some hoops.. go hiking somewhere ..all kinds of things you can do... the down and dirty of it is..do you want to work out? if you do then y ou will find a way.
  • gmoneycole
    gmoneycole Posts: 813 Member
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    I bought a cheap elliptical and it broke recently but it lasted about a year. I started out in October at 245 lbs and did my exercise all at home up until about 3 weeks ago when I joined Planet Fitness. I've got my weight down as low as 197 and my goal is 190. I'd say this is a great home fitness success story. Only hitch is the broken elliptical. The weather is better now so I'm running outside to replace what I used to do on the elliptical and when weather is bad I go to the gym.

    I do cardio (elliptical or run / walk), circuit training and work out with weights (also have at home).

    Best of luck to you meeting your goals and living a healthy lifestyle!
  • AsaThorsWoman
    AsaThorsWoman Posts: 2,303 Member
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    You can research Primal Movement, Parkour, or just walk/jog.

    They all require no equipment.
  • Fit4_Life
    Fit4_Life Posts: 828 Member
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    I bought a used elliptical machine that works great! I have a new treadmill and a Bowflex, along with free weights as well. I also use my BeachBody dvd's (Insanity, P90X, Focus T25 and just received the 21 Day Fix). I just finished the T25 and lost 21 lbs and 9 inches. I am a Beachbody Coach. :flowerforyou:
  • RyanDryFly
    RyanDryFly Posts: 92 Member
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    I've lost a ton of weight working out at home. I started walking then running and am the fittest I've ever been. I decided to train for a half marathon and have since ran two of them. The weight just started to fall off once I started really focusing on exercise. Here's some pictures of my first and second race with before and after photos. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1224840-from-half-marathon-to-full-running-machine-lots-of-pics

    Best of luck
  • LULUREBEL
    LULUREBEL Posts: 86 Member
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    I work out almost entirely at home. I hit my 20 lb loss today. I use Jillian Michael's workouts - Kickboxing Fast Fix and the 30-day Shred. I use a small set of handweighst and I paid about $5 for each dvd. I also walk outside, weather permitting. I used to pay a hefty gym fee and it wasn't worth it for me I never had the time to go! Working out at home is so much easier for myself.
  • amy8400
    amy8400 Posts: 478 Member
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    I'm impressed by how many posters here have done it all at home! For me, I work at least 10 hours a day in my home office (it's half of my bedroom) and there's no way I could faithfully work out at home. I'd feel like a hermit more than I already do!

    I have a Planet Fitness $10/month membership with no contract and it is perfect for my limited budget. I have resistance bands, a set of 8 lb dumbbells and two sets of wood steps at home but I only use them as my back-up when I can't get to the gym. Honestly, I use them very little because I'm so gym-focused but I'm glad to have them. When the weather is bad or you have a lingering dry cough after a cold, working out at home is a great option.

    People are doing a lot of spring cleaning for garage sales and Craigslist so now is a great time to pick up work out equipment. Just make sure working out at home is in your mindset and that bargain elliptical and treadmill won't become a clothes rack.
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
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    i had a gym membership, Canx it for EXACTLY the same reasons, i lost my first 30lbs without it , lost nothing while i had it , because it was - to me a PIA to go ,
    personally i do "guilty pleasure workouts" i have some shows i love to watch , i have an EXTRA long headset cord to listen to them
    and i put it on my lap top screen, one show without commercials is a 45 minute workot, i dont feel like i am "working out" but i know I am i can feel it in the tired muscles and heavy breathing while i am working out, and the awesome feeling afterward.

    i do stretching, bending ,old school calesthenics, because hey, anything is better than sitting
    small free weights LOTS of body weight exercises, which are a great place to start, and a LOT of WIP leslie sansone, and jillian michaels,befit channel from You tube
    SyFy episodes too :D
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    I started off doing a lot of FitnessBlender.com workouts, and I still use them exclusively for cardio. It's free and a lot of the workouts require no equipment. They do have strength videos that require dumbbells or a kettlebell if you're interested, though. They've got kickboxing, HIIT, Tabata, yoga/Pilates, etc.

    I recently stopped going to the gym because I hated it. I bought a bench with a squat rack and a 300 lb Olympic barbell set. It's all I need for the StrongLifts 5x5 program, which is what I'm doing now. So far it's been awesome lifting at home in as little clothing as possible instead of getting in my car and driving to the gym, waiting for benches to free up, etc. I only spent about $400 on all of my equipment because the barbell set was used.

    If you don't lift heavy but would like to incorporate strength workouts into your routine, you can always start with a cheap set of dumbbells from Walmart. FitnessBlender would be good for that, or you could just do your own routine. I have this from Walmart that served me well for awhile: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Marcy-40-lb-Vinyl-Dumbbell-Set/11151696. It's just $35.

    And then of course there's going out and walking/jogging/running, if you're into that. I'm not - I hate cardio, so I try to get as many calories burned within 30 minutes as I can. Walking ain't gonna cut it and running is a miserable exercise for me. HIIT keeps it interesting.

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