Should I join a gym?

My mom signed me up at the local YMCA and bought me a bunch of exercise clothes for Christmas last year. I never went. Not once. I told her I wouldn't before she spent all the money too.

I have a treadmill, a punching bag, and some hand weights and I think I'm doing fine.

One thing you can do though, get a desk treadmill. Then you can set up your computer, a book, whatever you want to do while you walk. I was reading about a guy who self-published thirty something books last year and that was his secret. He had a desk-treadmill that he just used pretty much all day and he wrote while he walked...

I know some people hate the gym...but I love it. I've done a number of things such as exercise DVDs, pilates, etc etc and nothing has appealed to me except weightlifting. It's the only thing that will actually put muscle on you and tone you.

I have a schedule and a 100% clean diet. There's nothing that I love more than walking into a room full of power racks and dumbbells, and the smell of metal and chalk...mmm.

I adore making protein shakes and planning my food. I love everything about it really. So I just want to say that try going to the gym, get on a good program and do it consistently. Eventually you will adore it. The body needs exercise, just like food and water.

mccardey said:

PS: He said it was okay to read on the treadmill, but not on the rowing machine. Like I'd be caught dead on a rowing machine! Still, I like his optimism.

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...I like the rowing machine...

I hate watching TV on any type of stay-in-place cardio machine (e.g. treadmill). My big feet slapping the ground means I have to blast the speakers to hear anything. I'd suggest getting a book-on-tape to listen to while you do your exercise.

Lidiya said:

I know some people hate the gym...but I love it. I've done a number of things such as exercise DVDs, pilates, etc etc and nothing has appealed to me except weightlifting. It's the only thing that will actually put muscle on you and tone you.

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Yeah, I'm similar in that regard. I'm fine doing other things every now and then just for variety, but I keep going back to weights. The only other thing I regularly do is the rowing machine: it builds/tones muscles (so long as your not going for a leisurely paddle), and provides cardio. Plus it gives you an excuse to make manly grunting noises that the treadmill just can't.

I'm too much of a germophobe to appreciate the gym, I think. I used to go occasionally when I was in college and had access to the gym there, but I'd end up freaking out about touching the equipment (even if I wiped it down), and feeling like I'd never be able to get my clothes clean. So, I'm not sure I'm an ideal candidate for the gym, which is a shame because otherwise, it seems like a good idea. I like using equipment, but have zero space for any at home.

Take it slowly! I found when I went back after having a kid (and 2 years away) I couldn't lift weights or do any more than 5 minutes on the elliptical machine (Its kinder on the old joints than a treadmill or stair-climbing, but the benefits of both.)

What you need to show your body is the movements it needs to make with the lightest weights possible for a week or two, then up the poundage gradually. The target - according to the latest whiz-bang research, is to aim eventually lift the most you can lift for 10 repetitions, 3 sets each. Apparently the high-rep thing doesn't help with squashiness.

But for the first month, easy-easy.

Personally I find exercise to be essential to writing. When I slack off, my writing suffers. I used to go to gyms to weight lift, but gyms changed a lot over the years and no longer appeal to me. Eight years ago I broke my bank acquiring my own equipment. Don't know the economics of it all, but I rarely miss a workout, and can lift anytime day or night in my own garage. It was worth every penny!

But for those who draw motivation from others, and enjoy socializing along with their exercise, a good gym can be the answer. There can be a lot of support there.

As far as running or walking--weather permitting, nothing beats the great outdoors! If you live out in the country anyway. In the city, or during real cold winters, I imagine a treadmill is best.

Exercise can be simple or complex, depending on goals and personality types. But in the end, just sweat a little every day and you've got it made in the shade. Works for me anyway.

The worst part about these gyms, at least in the US, is the big pressure to do a two year or three year contract. Once you've signed, you owe, even if the place closes down next month.

It's usually the low-pressure sales pitches that also have month-to-month deals available, and it's probably less monthly than what the high-pressure sales pitch gyms are for their "deal."

The second-worst part about a gym is making yourself go to it consistently. They won't MAKE you lift weights or do other tortures of your body, but they have those things available, and you should do some reasonable amount of them, both the weight-bearing machines (or freeweights) and the aerobic machines (treadmills and stationary bicycles.

I have an old Lifecycle stationary bike I've been getting on more consistently in recent weeks (a half hour every day), and the control panel is also a good place to put a book for reading. I get to read AND exercise at the same time, maybe even put some music on too, so I got no excuses not to do it.

mccardey said:

I gymmed.

It hurt.

One of you should have told me about the hurting. I thought we were friends.

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It's gonna hurt again, but not quite as much. In a few weeks or months (WHEN you keep doing it) it won't hurt at all, and you'll be less squashy.

Don't worry. Be happy.

Perhaps I'm a bit late here, but I thought I'd add something to the conversation just in case (and hopefully, anybody else dropping in on this thread asking the same question will see it). I've had several people ask me this question (I'm a certified physical fitness trainer). What it all comes down to is what you want to accomplish.

If you're looking to get lean and lose some fat, or just generally improve your health overall, you don't need a gym. Pushups, running, squats, ab exercises, and a conveniently low tree branch for pull-ups are all things that you can do without a gym.

If you're looking to get very strong, on the other hand, a gym is pretty much the only way to do that outside of a Rocky-style montage.

So again, the question of gym or no gym really comes down on what you are personally trying to achieve.

I work in a retail environment that gives me zero time to sit down or be idle. I also walk to work nearly every single day, so I recently made some changes to my diet and I began deliberately exercising as opposed to just moving for the sake of what I do.

When I walk to work, I power walk. I do short sprints to cross the road and I take opportunities to walk uphill as often as I can. Sometimes I get a little fantasy moment playing in my head and I do a sprint as though I were running for my life from the Cornocopia, etc. It's weird, I know, but heck it works.

At work there's always heavy lifting to be done. I also do some squats before I punch in and I sneak over to the health and fitness section to lift the weights that are on display. Eventually I will buy my own weights, but for now, the ones on display will do the trick.

No gym is necessary and I'm the one that gets paid.

I would say you can start by research tons of exercises you can do with no equipment or with equipment you can buy for pocket change relative to typical gym fees. Road work, squats without barbells, jump squats, ab workouts that can be done on a soft mat, burpees (more than a few elite athletes and fitness stars swear by them),variations on pushups/pullups/chinups, tire flipping if you improve your fitness and can find a large tire, the list goes on.

I believe you can do what you wish, I always tend to see older people at gyms but everybody goes to focus on their own body and health so don't worry too much about what other people are thinking or doing.

Gym is to boring. Start snowboarding

I love lifting weights at my gym and afterwards it makes me feel so much better. I have been going to the gym for over 20 years and have always felt intimidated in some way but try to ignore those feelings while I am there. Lifting weights is good for your bone mass especially as you get older. It is about a two mile walk to my gym and I really enjoy walking and thinking about writing during that time. Another thing that motivates me is that there is a McDonalds right next door and I usually give myself a treat afterwards.

I'd say it depends on what you like to do. When I joined the gym, I found out that I preferred the machines to weight bearing stuff. So I wasn't going to use all of it. I liked swimming too, but that wasn't included. There was a timing problem as well. I'd work all day, then go home, and in winter, I didn't want to go back out again. And then when the weather got better, by the time I arrived everyone had finished working too and there would be no parking space for half an hour.

I bought an elliptical trainer on ebay, and found that was cheaper and I could commit better.

But that was a while ago...

I've just started exercising again after life had a lot of ups and downs and craziness, I'm using our Wii and I have started running (which I've always hated, but I've discovered that blasting music in your ears made things much nicer). I'm on a diet as well and I'm losing about a kilo a week. But I also feel better in my body (carbs were not helping - so hard when you live in the country of pasta!) and I keep warm in the evenings (even inside - oh the joys of finding out the hard way that the insulation in your flat is sub-par).

What I'm trying to say, I guess, is that first, before joining, you need to work out what you'd like to do. Going to the gym is no better than doing stuff at home (I did yoga tapes for a couple of years and they were really great). See what is easier on you as well. Classes can be fun too. Mum has never been to the gym, she goes power-walking with her neighbours, and I'm 100% sure that her calves are harder than the abs of any of the headless men on romance covers

Also, what you might save on the gym, which is not always cheap, can be spent on your own equipment, nice sportswear (a great motivation) or rewards for keeping at it (great motivation as well).

And that's completely personal, but the only B.O. you get to smell when you're at home is your own (which is always sweeter, isn't it!). Edit: and you get less chances of catching athlete's foot from walking bare feet in the changing rooms. Okay, stopping the gruesome stuff now.

Best of luck!

allias said:

Gym is to boring. Start snowboarding

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You may not know this, but she lives in Australia. I have never heard any of the members from Australia mention snow.

Mccardey? This thread will never die. What about snow?

YOu should walk a lot. That works well.

T Robinson said:

You may not know this, but she lives in Australia. I have never heard any of the members from Australia mention snow.

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... though in dispute, part of Antarctica belongs to Australia:

The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is a part of Antarctica. It was claimed by the United Kingdom and placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1933.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Antarctic_Territory

So snowboarding might still be managed

T Robinson said:

You may not know this, but she lives in Australia. I have never heard any of the members from Australia mention snow.

Mccardey? This thread will never die. What about snow?

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Australia, believe it or not, has several ski resorts, and Olympic medalist skiers and snowboarders.

Y'all should read about the Kiandra Snow Shoe Club -- oldest ski club in the world.

Apart from it being the wrong season, there are always snow shoes.

What?

Snow shoes.

Bless you.

poetinahat said:

Australia, believe it or not, has several ski resorts, and Olympic medalist skiers and snowboarders.

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OK, thanks, I just knew that "I" had never heard anyone mention snow in Australia, figured someone would let me know.