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

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Replies

  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
    No gym here either! LIke Jillian said...you don't need a gym, "just shake what your Mama gave ya"! :smile:

    I love my collection of Jillian DVD's, my treadmill and running/walking outside. We have a bench and a set of free weights that range from 1lbs to 25lbs that we use as well. My kids love doing the workouts with me too!

    Good luck! You can do it!!
  • carinthea
    carinthea Posts: 97 Member
    I have an Xbox 360 and Kinect (prices will have come down with the advent of the Xbox One). I have several Zumba games, a couple of dance games and some other fitness stuff, I also record fitness shows from a Fitness TV channel which is part of my Satellite TV package. I use these, have a yoga mat, some weights and a pilates/yoga ball...I haven't lost so much this time round (yet), but using this same method (and a few real zumba classes and swimming) I have lost over 160lbs in total in 18 months.

    80 minutes on my Xbox and I burn 800 kcals!
  • DorothyR87
    DorothyR87 Posts: 113
    I have lost 33 lbs primarily from walking/running outside and cutting calories. I have had a gym membership for probably two years now and I can honestly say I have gone maybe what averages out to once or twice a month. It is totally obtainable to lose weight without spending money on a pricey gym membership, especially now that the weather is warmer. Run, walk, ride a bike, swim, play soccer, play tennis, play volleyball. All of these things can be done outside with little or no cost. You can also set up your own little gym at home if you have the space. There is a store called Five Below (everything is less than $5) and they have all kinds of workout related things such as weighted jump ropes,balance balls, yoga mats, lighter weights, etc. They may not be the best quality but if you are unable to spend a lot it would work.
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
    I'm a bit surprised at all the people saying "buy this product" or "buy that product". If you need to chop the budget, telling you to buy something else beside the gym membership won't help. My suggestion is to look up bodyweight only workouts on the web. I'm assuming you're planning to keep your Internet access? If not, you could even get that at your local library, I suppose.

    There are plenty of bodyweight progressions available on the web and you can get very fit doing just those and eating right. If you start progressing to the point where you want to think about adding resistance, you can always do that with "found" items. For example, don't have kettlebells? Use old milk jugs filled with sand. No barbell? Logs, large rocks, etc can be a substitute. In short, if you're low on funds, you don't have to keep from working out, you just have to get creative!
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    My family needs to find some ways to cut our budget. I don't pay an extraordinary amount for my gym membership. It's $64 for my husband and myself. But that is $64 that isn't a necessary expense. And, truthfully, we haven't been using the gym that much anyway.

    I have been hoping that in April I could begin hitting the gym harder and get into a better routine. A work assignment that was taking 60 hours a week has come to a close and I am back to having some free time. So, it is kind of disappointing to let the gym membership go.

    Does anyone have some motivating stories of getting in shape at home? I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who have gotten into great shape & lost weight without paying a cent for a gym membership. What works for you?
    you dont need a gym to get in shape man =/=
  • m2Bfit
    m2Bfit Posts: 25 Member
    I'm a bit surprised at all the people saying "buy this product" or "buy that product". If you need to chop the budget, telling you to buy something else beside the gym membership won't help. My suggestion is to look up bodyweight only workouts on the web. I'm assuming you're planning to keep your Internet access? If not, you could even get that at your local library, I suppose.

    There are plenty of bodyweight progressions available on the web and you can get very fit doing just those and eating right. If you start progressing to the point where you want to think about adding resistance, you can always do that with "found" items. For example, don't have kettlebells? Use old milk jugs filled with sand. No barbell? Logs, large rocks, etc can be a substitute. In short, if you're low on funds, you don't have to keep from working out, you just have to get creative!
    So true & reassuring -- especially as a newbie.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    I would also take that $64 a month and slowly start building a home gym.

    I have lost 80 lbs and maintained it with ease for over a year without stepping one foot inside of a gym. At almost 40 I'm in the best shape of my life! I mainly power walk, do Pilates, calisthenics, use fitness dvd's/Youtube and equipment (mini-stepper, weights, kettlebells, jump rope, step, resistance bands etc.)

    The first thing I would recommend is figuring out what kind of workout you enjoy and start building around that. Are you into home workout dvd's? Lifting weights etc.?

    You don't have to get everything all at once, but slowly start slowing purchasing things. Look at sites like Craigslist. I've gotten great deals from people relocating and just trying to get rid of things. Also check your local stores and ads for sales/clearance items.

    Getting in shape doesn't have to cost a lot or even hurt. You just gotta do it! :)

    Good luck!
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    Craigslist your way to having a bike if you don't already. Use it for errands in place of a car when possible to max out on saving cash by changing how you get your cardio.
  • missdibs1
    missdibs1 Posts: 1,092 Member
    My family needs to find some ways to cut our budget. I don't pay an extraordinary amount for my gym membership. It's $64 for my husband and myself. But that is $64 that isn't a necessary expense. And, truthfully, we haven't been using the gym that much anyway.

    I have been hoping that in April I could begin hitting the gym harder and get into a better routine. A work assignment that was taking 60 hours a week has come to a close and I am back to having some free time. So, it is kind of disappointing to let the gym membership go.

    Does anyone have some motivating stories of getting in shape at home? I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who have gotten into great shape & lost weight without paying a cent for a gym membership. What works for you?

    I work out at home andover time have accumulated equipment but you can start off with zer equpiment zuzkalight.com has plenty of free routines or look on youtube for zuzana
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    No barbell? Logs, large rocks, etc can be a substitute. In short, if you're low on funds, you don't have to keep from working out, you just have to get creative!
    However, a barbell makes it a lot easier/less hassle. I don't fancy doing squats with a 300lb rock, nor large log on my back.

    As it is, a secondhand basic barbell set with bench and rack can probably be got for very little.
    I've paid £32 for a barbell with 82.5kg of weights.
    Then also paid £48 for a bench and £75 for a rack with spotter bars - however the latter two were more expensive items that are heavier duty/offer more flexibility. Could have probably got the same basic functionality for half the price.
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    i workout only at home lifting and all the other exercises working on some banging biceps and more :yawn:
  • youngdreamer
    youngdreamer Posts: 65 Member
    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.

    I was going to suggest fitnessblender.com as well. Really like their videos.
  • happygolucky721
    happygolucky721 Posts: 26 Member
    Completely agree with the posts above! I got a cheap craiglist eliptical which I love and use about 4x per week. If I dont have time to do a full workout, I'll sometimes do just 10 or 15 minutes. I'd be driving to the gym longer than that! The only issue is space - I have a tiny apartment and would love to add a treadmil but I have nowhere to put it :(
  • ali_b83
    ali_b83 Posts: 324 Member
    I have lost almost the entirety of my weight at home. We only have 4 sets of dumbbells. We use those, as well as body weight exercises. I also walk a LOT around the house. It gets hard to think of new things to do at times, but it's completely doable.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Running, walking, biking or DVD's.
  • jayb0ne
    jayb0ne Posts: 644 Member
    When I first found MFP I lost 32 pounds with diet only. Naturally I wasn't happy with how that looked int the mirror, so I turned to exercise.

    30 Day Shred for a month - very good results, but it would have taken years to give me the body I was looking for.

    P90X - struggled through 90 days of 6 days a week with adjustable dumbbells (35lb max I recall), pullup bar and yoga mat. By the end I was in the best shape of my life! The one and only time I've been the proud owner of a bona-fide six pack!

    After that, I joined a proper bodybuilder gym and gained some serious muscle. 3 years and a few bulk/cut cycles later I'm back at about the same weight I was when I started MFP, but the extra weigh is mostly muscle. Without being bigheaded, I look good - but I ain't as lean as I was finishing P90x...

    So where next for me? I'm thinking of dropping the gym for 3 months and gettting P90x3 to get back in beach shape...

    Could I have been as muscular I am now training exclusively at home? Almost certainly not. Could I get back in 6 pack shape with the gym alone? Maybe, but I reckon it'll be easier in my little home gym with my dumbbells and yoga mat!

    I dunno if this whole tale helps you at all... Maybe not, but for me it speaks of balance. Home gym training is focussed and personal. Gym training gives you the tools you just can't get at home without a lot of space and a chunk of cash to spend on equipment...

    Jay
  • PJPrimrose
    PJPrimrose Posts: 916 Member
    My DH wants to get into heavy weights so we go to the gym. I'd rather have an awesome craft/guest bedroom over a full out gym in the spare bedroom. That said, I used lower weight and DVDs to work out at home for YEARS.

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