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Like I said in an earlier post, I live in a small town and there are 2 workout facilities here. One does not have a pool so I didn't bother checking it out at all.
The other one, I checked out yesterday and it was okay. I was hoping I'd get a weeks pass so I could check things out before joining but day passes is all they offer.
I'm thinking about joining because it will give me more of an incentive (I hope) since I have to pay for it to get up and go. No buddy system here so I need to find support at the gym. My s/o and I both have different needs for the gym so we'll not be working out together and he works a lot more than I do anyway.
I definately am not planning on signing up for a year as we have our house for sell and will be moving when we sell so I'll go month to month.
Thanks to you all for responding.
You need to go to the gym unless you are super, super motivated to work out a home. Since you haven't been in a while and are not familiar with the new equipment or even what you should be doing, you should invest in yourself by getting a personal trainer. A personal trainer will show you the proper way to use the equipment, the proper way to do the exercises and what weights and how many reps you should be doing for your size and body type. You don't have to always use a personal trainer, but you really should until you get the hang of it. It's also very motivating knowing that you have someone there waiting for you and you are less likely to just not show up - especially if you are paying for it.
I must say along with a gym membership, you need some kind of music player either MP3 or ipod. I can not believe the difference in my motivation with music! I can also stay on the cardio equipment much easier and longer.
I must say along with a gym membership, you need some kind of music player either MP3 or ipod. I can not believe the difference in my motivation with music! I can also stay on the cardio equipment much easier and longer.
I totally agree. I have the Nike+ with my IPOD and its great. At any point during my run, I can press the center button and it tells me how far I've run, my mile time and number of calories burned. After the run, I plug it into my computer and downloan my workout. Its a genius idea from Nike and Apple.
I disagree on the music - but what sure makes the time fly are tapes of Bill Cosby. Yeah, I know - it's an old fart thing. But let's face it, there are other old farts reading this, too.
For those of you that are working out at a gym, is it worth it to you?
It's been several years since I've been to a gym and I'm thinking about going to one now but the workouts seem so different than they used to be.
I don't know for sure what spinning is for instance and some of the machines and workouts seem to be different from what I did years ago.
So the question is, go to a gym or do your own workouts at home, like dvd aerobic workouts and such?
Looking for opinions.
What goal are you trying to achieve?
I love the gym and I cry when I have skip workouts due to work overload. I have definite goals in the gym, however. I'm looking to build a very muscular body. My father goes to the gym to strengthen his back (it used to give him problems) and to stay in active shape. My mom goes to the gym trying to burn calories but it's such a wishy washy goal that she isn't very motivated and frequently skips. What are your goals?
It's only worth it if you love your workout. Personally, I can't stay put and stand myself if I know I haven't visited the gym at least twice a week. The after workout refreshing feeling is addictive to me so I'm technically not going to "stay in shape"...though that is one of the side benefits.
There was a time, though, when I went to the gym only once a month even though I was paying so much for the membership. That wasn't very worth it.
To keep yourself motivated, I'd say go ahead and use the pay-as-you-go method first to get into the gist of things and get used to working out. After you settle into a routine, then do the longterm commitment.
Well, it depends on what motivates you, I think. Here's my situation:
In upstate NY, I paid $25/mo. The gym was like 2 minutes away from my apartment. I hardly went - once a month, tops.
Now, not only do I pay $45/month, but the gym is like 30 minutes away. I go at least 3X per week. The first 6 months I was going at least 5.
Do I think I overpay? Totally but the way I see it is, if I'm not spending the $45 on trying to improve my health, then I'm spending it doing something unhealthy (IE snacking, going out to eat etc).
I used to work at the front desk at a fitness center so I received a good discount. I tried the home gym too, but I like working out in a fitness center because I can pick up advice from other members and make friends in the process.
But one thing is true: We had so many members on paper, but so many people wouldn't come back after the first month. Staying motivated is a major part of it.
I'm about to join 24hr fitness. I was looking at something for around 25/mo and they fit the bill...plus I can use multiple locations. Then I found out if I sign up for 3 years, I can prepay for 18/mo, which is $650 up front. Then only $99/year after the 3rd year.
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