Gym membership or hire treadmill?

I used to go to a gym, since the age of 18. Now that I am almost 30, it's the first time I have come near a sixpack, and I haven't been to that gym for 2 months now. I started doing P90x and best of all, I started rethinking m eating habits. Last point was the most effective part of my change.

Try and watch some P90x videos on youtube. Maybe you like it. There are several other options for home fittness. Is that an option for you?

May I ask: What neighbourhood is that, you live in!?

Love my treadmill! Bought it secondhand over the internet.... worth a look!

I prefer the gym because I can mix it up and won't get bored. Although the prices you are listing sound insanely high. Maybe you can negotiate and see if they will cut down or waive the joining fee? Never hurts to ask!

If you love running or walking, the treadmill is a good idea. I find that the expensive gym fees and the gym environment keeps me motivated. It may take some trial and error to decide what works best for you, though. Just stay safe!

There's NO WAY I would go to a gym. I know myself and I know I would find an excuse not to go, so I bought a treadmill. I waited until I found a good deal (£799 with no payments or interest for 12 months -- I save a little toward it each month and will pay it off at the end of the 12 month period) and have never looked back. I thought about hiring one, but thought it would be cheaper to buy one in the long run.

I would say DVD's at home is cheaper and you get a better 'all over' workout (working more muscle groups). Also, depending on which ones you get, they tend to involve a lot of cardio anyways. Theres so many levels beginner/ intermediate/ expert/ insane!! and so many different kinds that I'm sure you'd find something efective and that you'd like. If you don't like it, then sell it on Amazon or Ebay and use the money to put towards another. Personally I'd buy them second hand anyways (really tight budget!)

I'm short on cash too and have some medical issues which would mean a gym membership is a no-go for me at the moment, it'd just be a waste of money

oh also I know theres one that focuses on walking at home, the lady's name is Leslie Sansone. Shes great and you can get it as an audiobook from audible.co.uk (as I have) or I think she's done DVD's too if its particularly walking you want to do.

Hope this helps xx

if youve got the space for a treadmill and think youll actually use it, then buy your own. Get a cheap one off ebay. Thats what i did

The gym is what works for me. I'm not as motivated at home, and with my kids always around, its hard to get in a proper workout without being interrupted or having someone in the way...until 8:00 or 9:00 at night and by then I am to tired!!! My gym is also kind of expensive, the had a 125.00 per person one time membership fee, but I was able to talk them out of that, plus talk them down on my rate. Pkus I paid up front and because of that, they threw in 3 free months. So I would check out all of them, and see if they are negotiable on the price at all. A lot of times, business will compromise on the price just to get your business.

Maybe it is different in Australia, but I have found that the people in my running group - even though they are all but one much smaller than I am - are the most supportive, least judgmental group ever. I never expected that, I always thought I may get the look but I never did. They were just happy to share their knowledge, help me run better and point out possible things I did wrong (which is a good thing in my book).

And most of the people there are alone too, so they are just as much looking for someone to run with as you are. Also, at least in a 5k training group, they are fairly "unfit". I was surprised about that but then realized that most people who are kinda fit can run a 5k without needing "training", LOL.

Go for it, I am sure you will be surprised at how much you can benefit from this. I went from barely being able to run a few minutes on a treadmill at 4mph to my run yesterday which was 30 minutes solid running and came out to an average of 5.5mph.

I would check out local advertisements for a treadmill as you can usually get them for at least half of the original cost. I looked and saw you have craigslist where you are, but looks like it isn't very popular yet. Where I am, I usually see a free treadmill / exercise equipment once a week.

What are your goals? Are you going to the gym to use a treadmill? Or are you going to a gym to use all of the equipment? (i.e. treadmills, weights, etc.)

If you sole goal is the treadmill then I would spare my time and the expense of either. If all you are looking for is the cardio portion you get from the treadmill then I would suggest a simple and cheap method; a skipping rope. Skipping is one of the best overall cardio exercises you can do. It involves your whole body as it requires you to jump, swing your arms and use stabilizer muscles to remain in position. It can be done anywhere and anytime. Put on your iPod and start skipping and build into it and then introduce skipping faster and then adding different foot work to increase the difficulty.

Another good cardio is swimming; and is low impact on your body for joints.

Now if you are into strengthening then obviously the treadmill for home will not cut it and you will either need to get a gym membership or some home equipment. Keep in mind only a small percentage of people can actually work out at home long term alone and keep motivated. This is why there is so much equipment for sale by individuals as all it did was take up room. One should be able to get some decent stuff for quite cheap. Plus unless you continually invest in home equipment, you can eventually outgrow it.

Just some food for thought.