Should I join a gym?

poetinahat

say it loud
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Yeah, Alissa Camplin, Lydia Lassila, Torah Bright, and "Aussie" Dale Begg-Smith (a Canadian with Aussie parentage, IIRC).

The biggest ski resorts have higher elevations than Michigan's, but less than New England's. Still, there's skiing in Australia.

The snow can be great, but it's never light like the Rockies powder; the altitude isn't that high. Also, the snow can be fantastic on Tuesday, and gone by the weekend (or vice versa); you don't get the crazy seven-foot base that you'll get in the Rockies. Again, still, it's skiing - in Australia, through the gum trees. So, bonus!

Anyhoo.

Gyms are great if you go to them; every time I've had a membership, I've gone hard for two months or so, then I miss a few days, and next thing you know, I haven't been in a year. WiiFit at home was fun. These days, I run, and I play whatever sport with the kids.

That's my main fitness goal: keep up with the kids as long as I can. I'm also committed to a half-marathon in May, and I'll get there. But being able to play with the kids is the main thing, and it's real. I never really had a meaningful goal at the gym.
 

kaitie

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Have you tried group classes? I've found that's what works for me. Especially if you can find one that you enjoy. I'm pretty lazy about going to the gym just to work out. I'll put it off until they close, or go but just spend 20 minutes on an elliptical, that sort of thing, but if I have a class scheduled, I can't put it off until later, and it's a lot less boring than standing on a treadmill for half an hour. I know around here most gyms offer a lot of different types of workout classes. Once I got over the self-consciousness and realized pretty much everyone else there was like me (squashy and uncoordinated ;)), I didn't even get embarrassed to go.
 

10trackers

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Putting in my inflation-corrected $0.02:

Late September last year, I was in a temporary wheelchair and I finally got a diagnosis for my chronic pains. It was gonna get worse and I WOULD DIE (not of my illness, but eventually, like a normal person. Added for drama). But yeah, it'd get worse. I would eventually be confined to a wheelchair for reals. Naturally I wailed, "BUT DOCTOR IS THERE NOTHING I CAN DO" and the doctor said, "Get off your ass and join a gym." I am paraphrasing.

I, much like mccardey, crossed my index fingers to ward off the devil whenever someone mentioned exercise of any kind. But I didn't much fancy toppling over into a pile of leaves every time I wheeled into a ditch either (I have poor navigational control over my wheelchair). So I did some research on the internet, found classes I liked (body pump and body combat are super fun) and dragged my 66-year-old mom along kicking and screaming to my gym of choice.

The harsh masters and mistresses at my gym told me that these classes were probably aiming a bit too high for me, since I resembled a vaguely human-shaped blob of fat tissue and water. So with a huge amount of reluctance, I started in on the weights and machines three times a week, once a week under supervision of a slave driver personal trainer.

And I love it. I love feeling myself getting stronger. I love seeing my body change. I love seeing my progress. And most of all, I love being able to move without effort, without pain.

So did I need a gym? Maybe not, but I sure as heck do need rigorous exercise. For me, the gym is the right way to achieve that. I really don't do anything at home but work, write and sit on the couch watching hot guys on DVDs. It helps that my gym is super fun, the trainers are all incredibly friendly and so are the people who work out there. I've never needed to motivate myself to go yet.

It does become fun. Even for notorious exercise haters.
 
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Priene

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Apologies if it's been suggested, and I know you have this weird thing in Australia called 'hot weather' which can be a downer, but cycling is great, and modern bikes are much much better than they used to be.
 

Maze Runner

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Do something you like to do. Don't know what that is? Experiment. For me, it was karate and kickboxing. Haven't done either in a couple years, which is why I'm out of shape right now.
 

Teckmeister

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What do we think? I'm not overweight at all, but I'm kind of squashy.

On the other hand I'm pretty old, and squashy is fine for old people, isn't it? Or should I join a gym?

*sigh*

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

I guess it depends on where you live and what kind of people you hang out with?

Take myself for example. I go jogging every now and then. Maybe 3 or 4 days per week. That's because I live right next to a park. So it's really easy to persuade myself to go for a run.

Also, do you have friends who would go to the gym together? For one brief period, I was exercising more than usual. That's because I made some friends who were into fitness too and we made a commitment to meet up every week for training. So it's easier to get exercising when you have friends to give you a push.