Gym membership or hire treadmill?

Options
2»

Replies

  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
    Options
    those are some terrible rates.
    I'd definately wait for a gym to run a promo for free signup or something.
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    Options
    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
  • chloemeow
    chloemeow Posts: 71
    Options
    those are some terrible rates.
    I'd definately wait for a gym to run a promo for free signup or something.

    yeh they are terrible rates, and like i said, iv waited 2 months for a free sign up or some other decent deal, i cant wait much longer, the treadmill is $15 a fortnight and no interest on it ever, im thinking thats just a better idea
  • ejmcam
    ejmcam Posts: 533 Member
    Options
    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.
  • lunamare
    lunamare Posts: 569 Member
    Options
    I totally get the anxiety, but the accountability of other people is helpful too. Remember, just because the girl standing next to you looks like she's "the perfect size" she could have been overweight and out of shape at one point. She might have her own anxiety issues. We all have problems, hangups, sometimes it helps to keep that in mind. When I was my skinniest and got rude comments from people who were jealous, I was going through the absolute worst time in my life. I was beyond miserable but I had to keep up a front and go to work and take care of DD. You never really know what's going on in someone else's head.

    As for the workouts, both of your options sound really expensive to me. I agree with the person who suggested the running club if you enjoy running. What about an exercise class or something different? I loved taking bellydance lessons at a local yoga center. I've got a friend who does Zumba at the community center. Do they offer continuing ed classes at a local school or organization that you could join? They're often only 8 weeks long or so , so it's not a huge commitment if you don't like it. I also agree with the workout videos if you really want to workout at home. Borrow them from the library or do a netflix type thing if you want to try them out first.

    You already made a great step, you're here :)
  • saldridge
    saldridge Posts: 125 Member
    Options
    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.
  • yaitzae1
    yaitzae1 Posts: 12
    Options
    in my situation, i had a discount through my work...so that lower the initial costs of joining a gym...you need to think what works for you...personally i get bored if i don't have variety, so working at home on a treadmill wouldn't do it for me...gym costs are very important of course so that's why it took me a while to join one...but i have variety and go at least 5 days a week...definitely need to find the balance between costs and what works for you as far as excercising goes...
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
    Options
    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.
  • yaitzae1
    yaitzae1 Posts: 12
    Options
    in my situation, i had a discount through my work...so that lower the initial costs of joining a gym...you need to think what works for you...personally i get bored if i don't have variety, so working at home on a treadmill wouldn't do it for me...gym costs are very important of course so that's why it took me a while to join one...but i have variety and go at least 5 days a week...definitely need to find the balance between costs and what works for you as far as excercising goes...
  • decu68
    decu68 Posts: 78
    Options
    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.
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    Options


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


    not necessarily good advice.
    I really did my knee and my hip in by swimming breast stroke for an hour the other week. Its VERY harsh on your joints unless youve been professionally instructed. Other strokes are not as bad though
  • decu68
    decu68 Posts: 78
    Options
    Suzycreamcheese, it sounds like to me you have a serious problem with your hips and your knee; something that perhaps requires a doctor to look at it or perhaps physio therapy.

    In swimming you are putting less gravitational force on your joints so for people with problems this is an idea method for exercise. However anything with much severe problems should require a medical opinion first as if problems swimming then any other form of exercise could potential be worse. And with any injuries you need to know your limitation and adapt the exercise to suite you. If it hurts STOP; no brainer. And with any exercise unless your body is familiar with it, you will see the effects of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Always start out slow and build into the exercise; this goes for all exercising. Too many people go "balls to the walls" when they start out and they rarely last as their body pays them back.

    Swimming isn't for everybody but is a good low impact cardio exercise.
  • emily2182
    emily2182 Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    Done the gym thing and I was motivated for a good few months, then started to slack off. I paid it upfront so it was cheaper and I wasn't locked into a contract. If you're someone that is fairly lazy and finds it a chore to take a bus and go to your local gym then you're going to find it harder to motivate yourself to stick with it, even when you do pay a lot of money it wasn't enough of a motivation for me to go and the gym was actually less than 5 mins walk - that's how lazy I am...

    I looked around at treadmill hire as well and rentacentre are the cheapest that I could find. In the end, I thought that an elliptical will be better for my joints since I've got a lot to lose and would be using it for a long time...I would also get the upper arm workout too.

    I think it depends if you're an outdoorsy sort of person or do you like to keep to yourself which I think you could bear in mind in your decision making. I did like the variety at the gym, but it's not worth it if you're not going to go - you need to be in the right head space to go there otherwise you'll just be wasting your money.

    I get a good burn from my elliptical and I like the heaviness and the resistance it gives me.

    Hope the advice helps! Best of luck with it :)
  • koukla702
    koukla702 Posts: 171
    Options
    I love the gym! It's a little pricy but its so worth it - what really gets me motivated and excited for the gym are the classes!!! So many classes that keep my routine mixed up and FUN! I leave the gym everytime feeling amazing, I know I would NOT be able to work out at home.

Categories