Walking vs gym

It depends on what you want from a fitness standpoint...walking is great activity and a great way to get started but it has a pretty low ceiling in terms of improving your overall fitness. You'll ultimately need to do something more intense if you really want to improve on your fitness...and personally, I wouldn't do that in a gym...there's plenty you can do in the great outdoors.

Personally, I only use the gym to lift...I primarily cycle for my cardiovascular training and do so primarily outdoors.

Both are important.

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/many-daily-steps-really-need-better-health​/

... the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t have a step recommendation; instead it recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate exercise like brisk walking or 75 minutes of vigorous activity like running per week. For anyone counting, that works out to anywhere from 3,500–8,000 steps per day.

And, no matter how much aerobic activity you get, the CDC still recommends getting at least two hours of strength exercise per week. That raises an important point: Dumbbells lifted don’t count toward your step count, but they make huge improvements to your overall health, Neides says.

Whatever works for you. For some, going to a gym works best. For others, walking around their neighborhood is something they stick with. So, try both if you can and see what fits best into your life. I do both, I walk for my daily step count and I go to the gym for more intense exercise.

heatherheyns wrote: »

Whatever works for you. For some, going to a gym works best. For others, walking around their neighborhood is something they stick with. So, try both if you can and see what fits best into your life. I do both, I walk for my daily step count and I go to the gym for more intense exercise.

This! Summer is around the corner so walking can be great! Nothing like vitamin sun to recharge the soul.

Gyms are great for strength based activities and on rainy days.

Walk and then slowly move into couch 25K!

It depends on your personal circumstances! Are you comfortable training around others, or do you prefer to do it alone (my partner, for instance, doesn't like to be watched)? Do you need accountability, or are you very self-motivated? Do you enjoy the kinds of exercise or the classes offered by your local gym? Can you afford their membership fees month-to-month?

Personally, I don't use a gym because I can't afford one - but I know for a fact that I do better with accountability, so committing to something outside the house is more effective for me than just promising myself I'll work out. For myself, I found a lower-cost alternative (in my case, a local aikido class that lets me train up to six hours a week for half the cost of a gym) that still offers a learning curve and seeing other people (both of which mean I'm held accountable for keeping going; if I don't, I won't progress fast enough to keep up, and people will notice if I'm not there).

I also walk a lot, though, and I find it enjoyable for reasons beyond simply the exercise value (like fun, fresh air, discovering new things, and it's a free way to get from place to place!), which might help to motivate you. Cycling can be a lot of fun for the same reasons, if you have a bicycle and safe conditions under which to ride.

If you want to do strength training or cardio, but the gym isn't appealing for whatever reason (cost, timing, other people), you could try an exercise podcast, a book (another poster on the forum recommended "You Are Your Own Gym" to me), or a workout app on your phone (I use Sworkit and do three half-hour strength training sessions a week, plus random 5- to 15-minute workouts whenever I feel like it or want to earn back a few extra calories).

Hope that helps!

The best advice I received is to find something I enjoy. If it feels like a chore, then there's no way you'll stick it out for any amount of time and, as RunRutheeRun said, being consistent truly is the key.

Youtube is great for all sorts of workouts you can do at home, try Jessica Smith/ Fitness Blender/ Hasfit

Whatever you'll do. Walking is great. It's my main exercise. The gym has lots of equipment that you wouldn't have at home so you can branch out with your routine, but you don't necessarily need that much variety if you don't want it. If you want to improve strength and stability, you can do it with dumbells and bodyweight exercises at home, though how far you can go with it might be limited.

It's all about what your goals are and how much you want to commit. Until you're sure what you want, keep walking.