Home gym or gym membership

I prefer home workouts. For one, I live in the middle of nowhere, the nearest gym being 15 miles away one way. Also I absolutely hate having to wait for equipment, particularly weights. And i just like the comfort of my own home. I dont have to go anywhere to workout, love it! If i want to work out in my underwear, i can (hey priorities ). If I want to blast my music on a stereo, I can, etc. Cost wise it can add up buying your own equipment. I have a completely weight set that I bought new ( on sale tho) and a few months ago bought an elliptical off of a local yard sale page, it is literally brand new! Take advantage of of people selling equipment locally, you can find super cheap deals.

I would also add that for me, working out at home would be an issue for me because my kids immediately need the sun, moon, and stars as soon as I walk in the door. They are 3 and 6 and there's rarely a moments peace these days at home...gym time is me time with no distractions or needs and wants of others. I'm in, get it done, and out.

I work out at a university gym and it is super motivating to work out around a bunch of 20 year olds. Since I'm old, I wouldn't get that at home.

I have a gym membership, but I only go there to use the pool. It comes down to what you're more comfortable with. A lot of the time, just thinking about getting in the car, driving to the gym, trying to find parking, etc, gives me a headache! I'd rather just work out at home, watching my tv-shows with the sound at a volume I'm comfortable with.

68 years old and the closest gym is about 45 minutes away. I opt for home. I have a treadmill and a bike and some light weights. I bought a few "walking" DVDs, set up a small tv in front of the treadmill and go for it. Morning, noon or night. also bought a Garmin to track my steps and watch my heart rate ( I have had open heart surgery) Every morning I take my pup outside for a walk (weather permitting) but still enjoy using the treadmill and the bike. Guess it's a matter of what you want out of a workout.

All my exercise has been free. Walking, climbing up and down the stairs, free videos on the internet (literally anything you can think of can be found for free somewhere), dancing around in the living room to music with a fast beat, lifting gallons of water or canned goods, doing body weight exercises, less conventional and non exercise-y things such as simply getting up and moving after being still for too long - whether it be jogging around the house while watching TV, doing squats, or something practical like a cleaning or organization project.

Now I'm just dipping my toes into running; I bought a bicycle (my one expense other than a Fitbit), and I use the free community gym in my new neighborhood for weights (not available to everyone, but I would simply buy a few adjustable dumbbells at Walmart since they're about the same quality/selection - the gym here is tiny).

If you aren't motivated to exercise in the comfort of your home or neighborhood, why would having to get dressed and drive to the gym be appealing? I've never understood that.

If you can hold yourself accountable and push yourself, the world is your gym.

If a gym is appealing to you, and you like reward-based motivation, why not commit to X amount of time exercising for free and then use the gym membership as your reward? That's cost efficient because you won't jump into a membership and then be stuck paying a fee if your heart truly isn't in it.

I'm 58 and trust me when I say I've joined every gym, worked with personal trainers and paid beaucoup bucks going to "boot camps." I've adopted many of the things I've learned from all three and workout from home with daily six mile walk/run combination and my Total Gym. If you have the space for a TG I highly recommend purchasing one. I hop on it several times a day and do legs for 15 minutes and upper body another 15 minutes. I recently set it up on my deck and tend to use it more now that it's outside.

It all comes down to personal preference. I'm self conscience at the gym as well as a germophobe, so I like that I have a "controlled" environment at home.

That really depends. I have both (my gym membership is really cheap) and lately I'm more motivated when I actually leave the house. I thought the opposite would be true and that I'd work out more if I didn't have to leave, but that isn't the case. However, there are days I'm crunched for time and glad I can just go in my garage and lift. Everything in our garage is used off of Craigslist so nothing was terribly expensive. So I do a mixture of both. It really depends on what kind of equipment you want to use, if you want to spend the money, if you are close enough to the gym where it's not an issue, if you think you'd be okay to workout at home without being distracted, etc.

What do you think you will stick to? I have friends that are only motivated by the gym. I used to go to the gym but HATED it!!! I had to wait for machines, deal with people staring, drive there, change, sweat, go home sweaty. I developed the motivation & discipline to workout at home. I found great trainers on youtube & purchased adjustable weights. Who cares if its dark outside, raining, cold, hot. There are NO more excuse for me! Bottom line: Some people have the motivation to workout at home while others need to go to the gym. Good luck!

I do both. I have a gym membership, because they have treadmills, classes and a pool. The pool is most important to me, because I like to swim laps a few times a week. Since I started running I don't go to the gym as often as I used to because I'd rather be outside. I have dumbbells at home but can see where once I outgrow the weights I have I'll probably just use the gyms. Plus the treadmills are there on days I can't go outside (snow, sleet, etc). I'm not as hardcore as some of my fellow western New Yorkers and run through all four seasons!