Join a gym or work out at home?? Ideas?

[texasmommy]

I have always been less likely to actually go to a gym, esp. once I had kids, so working out at home is my thing. I bought an elliptical, have some hand weights, a mat, and alternate workouts on exercise TV on demand. I'm able to workout 5-6 days a week usually

 

[WhatWouldJoanDo]

It's easier to be successful (stick with a lifestyle change for the long term) if you have a social network around your working out. Whether it be joining a bike or running club, a yoga studio, or going to the gym at a regular time ... eventually in all these ways you will meet people and create a social support network that will keep you going. As little as a knowing glance or some familiarity I find and I have read will make a huge difference. You can from home be successful but it will be more difficult in the long run.

 

[User38]

I think it depends on your will power and personality.

I go to dance classes and also run/walk with my dogs, dance at home/hotels by myself to break out a sweat, run up and down stairs, and work out with weights at home, as well as swimming in the pool by myself. If I had a strict schedule, I would probably miss half the classes !

 

[JaiLeeP]

I personally like to workout at home. I have P90X, Insanity, Turbo Fire, Chalean Extreme, 30 Day Shred, an Elliptical Machine, Free weights and my Husband has a weight bench with up to 350 pounds of weights. I workout everyday doing something. So far I have lost 54 pounds and I do this all by myself and cook all of my meals fresh from scratch. My husband has lost 30 pounds.

 

[Goat Goat Etc.]

Find a friend to keep you motivated as they workout with you. If they have a buddy pass use it.

 

[StandingRoom]

I have a kinda weird schedule with university classes, my job (freelance computer repair,) various health issues, etc, so I knew I'd never find time to go to a gym. What I did is buy ValSlides, these little green plastic discs with black foam on top. Jennifer Garner (of "Alias" fame) has used them for ten years or so, and I saw her on Ellen talking about them. I love them so much, and they've done wonders for my legs and arms. They come with a booklet showing exercises, and they have a DVD as well but I haven't watched it yet. One way through one of the circuit workouts listed in the booklet takes me about 8 minutes, and even doing the circuit just once a day has had me lose several inches & eight pounds.

 

[adruci]

i bought p90x a couple months ago (on the recommendation of a friend) and it has completely reworked my body - way more then when I was a committed member of a gym. The only thing - because it's such an intense at home work out, you have to be a bit fit before you start. It's more for the person who wants to go from ok to amazing, not for the person trying to lose 40 pounds.

 

[heart]

i prefer working out at/near home if possible. i used to live on a 3mile long hill and i would walk that 2-4x a day. now that i live with my husband, our area is mostly flat and the environment just kills my mood for some reason so i actually bought a treadmill. i've heard that there are some pretty inexpensive treadmills and ellipticals which end up being worth your money because they can last for a long time and usually come with warranties. but maybe there are some nearby parks or residential hill areas or even bike paths you can check out? i have a friend that just runs at a nearby park with a pedometer.

 

[sideculture]

I think it all depends on what will work for YOU. Gyms don't have to be terribly expensive -- I was at 24 Hour Fitness for a while and I was only paying about $25/month, with a discount through my job. Though I'm currently at the YMCA, which is about $50/month, but worth it for me for the group classes I want to take, free parking, general atmosphere (too many meatheads at 24, lol!), and really convenient locations close to my house, work, and mom's house (where I hang out a lot). Most places offer a few visits or even a whole week free as a trial. It's not a lot of time, but you can get a feel for the place and see if it's something you're *really* interested and can actually see yourself going there and making the most of your membership. I cancelled my membership for a while because I was never actually going, but now that I actually am making use of my membership, it's an expense I can justify.

If not, there are a lot of inexpensive ways to work out at home. There are tons of FREE! videos on YouTube. Some of my favourite channels for workouts are Sparkpeople, Blogilates, The Lean Machines, Tone It Up, Livestrong Woman, and Diet Health. Fitsugar.com also has some great videos. Try to look for body weight exercises that don't require any equipment (here's an awesome article by one of my favourite health websites, Greatist // http://greatist.com/fitness/50-bodyweight-exercises-you-can-do-anywhere-030612/). But invest in a few key pieces of equipment if you can. I have a jump rope, resistance bands, yoga mat, and one set of weights. And I got every single one of those things on sale, lol! I probably spent less than $40 on all of that. I also picked up a few DVDs by Bob Harper. All of his DVDs are only $5! Things like that are a good investment since you can use them as long as you want, as opposed to a monthly expense like a gym membership.

But, like I said, it's a matter of finding out what works best for you. If you will really take advantage of what a gym offers (equipment and classes), I think it's a justifiable expense.

 

[JaneHorror]

I loved working out at a gym. I hated working out at home, either I was too lazy or not motivated . For some reason I just love the environment, everyone is so focused and theres no distractions. Sometime I would work out twice a day, for like 2 hours, and I would always feel so good about myself coming home from the gym

 

[writerlilly]

It's good that you've cut down on the sweet tea, but I would recommend you go even further and cut down on the type of sugar you're eating. Nearly every product in the supermarket has high fructose corrn syrup or corn syrup in it. That's way too sweet and contributes to raising your insulin levels way to high. Eventually that can lead to diabetes.

I recommend switching sugar to Pal Sugar or honey. and rather than drinking tea so much, drink more water. To flush out your system and to hydrate your body. Chances are you're more dehydrated than you realize. We lose water when we sleep, breathe, sweat, etc. Now, imagine throwing sweets, sugars, caffeine, energy drinks and everything else on top of that.

That would explain why a lot of people in America are fatigued and unable to concentrate. Not enough water and too much sugar.

Whatever your weight is, drink half the amount of water in ounces. So if you way 150 lbs, then drink 75 ounces of water daily, all through out the day. Yes, you'll be going to the bathroom more. Good. Flush out the toxins and waste from your body. If you're not used to drinking a lot of water in the beginning, it will feel tasteless and bland to you for the first week. Stick to it. Overtime, you body will be adjusted to drinking more water, and then you'll eventually want to drink more water.

If your urine isn't clear whenever you're going to the bathroom, you didn't drink enough water. When you have more water in your body, your appetite readjusts, everything readjusts, then you would better be able to gauge how hungry you really are, but monitor your diet carefully, too.

 

[YUMYUMYMUA]

I hated going to the gym so i quit the gym and bought insanity... it sure makes me sweat more and shed more weight doing insanity than working out in the gym. Unless you have a personal trainer at the gym, get one of those hard ass DVDs (P90, P90X, Insanity -which i recommend) and do it at home it's lots of fun if youre determined!

 

[CharlieKelly]

For me it is the gym. I just cannot make myself work out at home. Besides I dont have the space.
I gotta be honest though, I have not gone to the gym in more than a few months. Work has been crazy and
I work OT very often. When I get home I just want to relax. At the same time, it is making me miserable.
I must work out!! We should start like a challenge or something.

 

[Merula]

I work out at home. I find it easier since I don't have a car so while I can go to the nearest gym after work, I dont want to walk home or wait for the bus after it. Plus I don't have to worry that if I do OT at work, and I wont worry about crowded gyms when I get there.

Plus there's lots of variety I can have at home, or go to the park that's two blocks away and go for a run. I'm currently loving a lot of Blogilates so I've downloaded her calendar and a few of her videos onto my computer (thru keepvid.com) so I can easily find what area I want to target that day. I love her recipe ideas and it helps me keep on track at work (this one with the bell pepper is delicious!). I was adamant about working out from home until I completed P90X, then I changed my mind.

 

[permanentmakeup]

i have been working out at home for a year.. but i know that it takes me a lot of time to makeup my mind everyday for workout.. and i have never been able to continue it on everyday basis.. but in gym the atmosphere is really different, the minute the enter into the gym,,, something inside you just gets ready for the workout instantly.. its only the environment of the gym and its effect that i love and would suggest you to join gym!!!

 

[ibreakhearts66]

I do neither. I used to be a slave to working out. If I wasn't burning calories, I was failing as a human being. I grew up as an athlete--elite soccer player until injury took me out of the sport for good, competitive figure skater, sprinter, you name it, I did it (with the exception of softball).

For me, the key to staying active has been finding activities I thoroughly enjoy. I was in a 5-car pile up a little over a month ago, so have been totally sedentary since then with the exception of walking around campus and school and every day movement. However, until my accident, and hope to start back soon, my main two workouts were aerial skis and flying trapeze (circus arts). Those two activities combine cardio once you learn the basics for silks (or when you get to an intermediate-ish level for trapeze) It's so much more rewarding and fun than going to the gym, and I DO actually somewhat enjoy the gym. Once my car accident injuries heal, I hope to get back into figure skating as well. Between the three activities, I work every. single. muscle in my body. I don't know that using exact numbers would be appropriate, but I have the body fat percentage of an elite athlete, can do 11 pull ups (although that may have gone down since the accident), and while I'm slightly underweight, I am extremely healthy.

What are you passionate about (besides makeup

)? Are there any activities you've always wanted to try but never have? There are more than two choices. You could take dance classes, join an adult sports team of some kind (they're generally very welcoming to beginners), go for hikes, swim, the possibilities are endless. Maybe check out the meet up website and see if there are any fitness/adventure oriented meet up groups in your area. I'm part of one called "Adventure People" and, while I haven't gone on any meet ups yet, they do some amazing sounding things like trampoline dodgeball, group hikes, etc.

Or maybe self-defense/martial art classes? Learn how to protect yourself AND get a workout.

If you decide to go the yoga route, vinyasa/flow classes are the best overall workout. A lot of studios offer a first class free or, at least in my area, unlimited classes for 2 weeks for $30, which allows you to get an idea of whether yoga is for you without paying outright for a membership you may not end up wanting. Iyengar (which I may be misspelling) is create for technique, but the flow classes give you strength and cardio. I don't know if there are any of these stores in your area, but Lululemon (a high end workout clothing store) offers complementary yoga classes once a week, and some offer a run club.

Yet another option if you choose the at home route would be to look for groupon type deals for a personal training session. Start the session by explaining to the trainer that you need help building a workout you can do at home. I did this, and it was great.

Being as active as I am, I'll probably come up with more ideas, if you're interested.

 

[slowdownbaby]

I like the stream workouts or even workouts that you can find on youtube!
You can do them anytime, and in case you find them on youtube you don't even have to pay, they are free and super effective (;

I personally Love barre/pilates workouts, so I sign up for barre stream videos for super cheap a month, and I do some interval training as cardio and I find them on youtube.
Once or twice a week I do a yoga DVD and that's it. Diet is a major factor for weight loss and well being so eating clean is essential!
Plus, I drink hot water with lemon every morning it helps with your metabolism and keeps you going for the day!

 

[alyxo]

I think it all depends on the person and what they're comfortable with. For me, I like to work out at home. Just because I'm comfortable, no one is around me and I enjoy that time alone and that space. Plus I feel so insecure working out with a bunch of strangers. I don't know why, I just do. Honestly, I feel so unfit. And it's not that I try to lose weight, I work out because I want to be toned and fit. But I just still feel insecure. I just love working out in my room with my huge glass of water next to me.

At home, I like to do Tae Bo. I absolutely love it! It's so much fun and it keeps you moving and active throughout the whole time. Plus I just love to kick and punch the air like a crazy maniac. It really works out my body. It does make me sore but it is worth it. And the more you do it, the more your body gets used to it and the more you enjoy it. At the end of my workout, I am soaked in sweat, lol.

I also like to do a lot of walking. I feel so peaceful with myself when I'm outside (cheesy, I know). So Tae Bo and walking in the fall/winter months. During the summer, I am MUCH more active. I walk everywhere, I go hiking (at least) 3 times a week, usually more then that. I go running 2-3 times a week and I swim every single day.

 

[JaMK]

I find most exercise DVDs that give you a good caloric burn are all pretty hard on the knees. :/ I have a bad knee though..

 

[ma146rina]

Do a few sessions with a personal trainer (pilates trainer in my opinion would be better) so you can learn how to properly working out