I have another confession to make today:
I pay for a gym membership.
Now, I know that doesn’t seen so odd, right? Except that I have my very own fitness studio. Oh, and did I mention it’s a half mile from the gym?
Before you look at me like I’m crazy, let me explain: I pay for a treadmill.
Okay, maybe that didn’t help. But it’s the truth. Our fitness studio doesn’t have treadmills, we aren’t that kind of gym. We have TRX, kettlebells, pull-up bars, boxes and more fun pieces of equipment, but treadmills aren’t on the list and likely never will be.
So when the weather is cold, rainy, or extremely hot I have the gym treadmill to keep my running workouts going smoothly.
I’ve told Dan (he wants to drop our membership completely) that if we got a treadmill then I would cancel it in a heartbeat. I would march my booty in there today and tell them to rip up our monthly contract.
But of course not any old treadmill will do. I’ve had my eyes on this baby:
The Pro-Form Boston Marathon Training Treadmill.
A girl can dream, can’t she?
The second I find this at my doorstep, it’s good-bye gym.
Getting a treadmill is one reason to cancel a gym membership, but there are tons of others. Others that may overshadow the treadmill and have me wanting to cancel anyways.
10 Reasons To Cancel Your Gym Membership
10. 3/4 of the equipment there is useless.
The gym floor is covered with fancy looking machines and those machines are practically a waste of time. Unless you’re a body builder or recovering from an injury, using isolation machines isn’t going to improve your overall health and fitness. Here’s a previous post on why gym machines are a waste of time.
You don’t need much to make a home gym of your own. More details on this down below!
9. Cheaper ways to get better workouts.
You have to workout with cardio equipment and free weights to get a good workout. NOT!
The sky is the limit when it comes to working out. And most often, people aren’t pushing themselves hard enough during a “typical” gym workout to get the results they are going for. There are other options like boot camps, spin studios, circuit classes, etc that are not popping up all over in studios.
Studios are great because you can often spend less than $12 for a killer workout and then you’re not stuck in a year long contract so you can continuously have fun with workouts by trying new things.
Who said that workouts even have to be “workouts”? Roller blading, hiking, etc are great options.
8. Gyms are one of the most germy places.
Gyms aren’t exactly known for their cleanliness. Sweaty hands and bodies transfer germs everywhere. And while you think that wiping down your bench when you’re done is great, it’s not helping you very much.
Did you know that the highest concentrate of germs is found on barbells and dumbbell handles? Make sense because who wipes these babies down? Also, who knows if the person before you took the time to spray down their bench before. I’ve made it a habit to try and always wipe down the bench BEFORE and AFTER I use it.
Grose.
7. Nothing is available when you need it.
The other day I grew so frustrated that I almost left before my workout even got started. First, every treadmill was taken, then when I went to use the sled I was informed it was still in use (well then use it!) and THEN when I decided to work on squats, all of the squat racks were occupied.
I finally took a deep breath and improvised but I wasn’t happy. It’s as if to get a good workout in, you have to go at 3pm when no one else is there. And let’s face it… not many of us can be there because we’re equally busy.
6. Creating a home gym isn’t hard to do.
If you are comfortable making up your own workouts and you don’t need the help of a trainer or group workout, then think about a home gym. Considering that you can get an amazing workout with nothing but your body weight, there really is no need to spend much money at all.
If on the other hand, you love having fund workout gadgets, it still isn’t expensive.
The home gym gear I recommend include:
- Jump Rope
- 1-2 Kettlebells (much cheaper than going with pairs of dumbbells)
- Good music
- Interval timer (there are tons of free apps)
And of course, there are sites like Fit Womens Weekly to provide you with your at home workouts!
5. Its become too much of a place for comparison.
Getting fit is suppose to help boost your confidence. Yet some gyms become far too much of a fitness contest.
My current gym is getting a bit out of hand with all the people walking around as if they own the place. If you spend more time focused on what others are doing or feel as if you are constantly comparing yourself to other ladies around you, it might be time to walk away.
If you feel worst about yourself when you left than when you walked in, then you’re not getting that awesome benefits of exercise.
4. You can’t workout in the clothes you want to.
This might sound crazy and you might be raising an eyebrow but hear me out.
A large gym chain (that claims to be a “judgement free zone”) has been known to throw clients out for wearing clothes that are too “attention grabbing”. You might be thinking this means that girls are working out half naked and in just a pair of itty bitty shorts and a sports bra.
No, this particular gym has thrown young ladies out that were wearing capris and tank tops. Inappropriate? I don’t think so.
I am sorry, I don’t want to be told what I can and can’t wear. Sure, if you’re going without a shirt on, that’s one thing. But really?
Come on.
(Can you tell I was really put off when I read this story?)
3. Save money.
Who doesn’t want to save money? When it comes to working out, money is better spent getting professional help and programs.
When I calculate how much money I can save each year by dropping my membership, I roll my eyes. All the groceries I could buy, all the kettlebells I could add to our collection… ugh!
2. Get Vitamin D and have more fun.
Being Vitamin D deficient is an extremely common issue in America because we spend so much time indoors.
Get out with your workout, make it fun and enjoy 20 minutes of sunlight on your skin! Not only will you increase your Vitamin D levels, but working out in the great outdoors is also proven to boost happiness!
Go to a local park, do sprints on your street, find a big building with stairs and do a fun circuit workout… get creative and find joy in exercise and breathing fresh air!
1. Too many attention grabbers.
How many times have you gone to the gym and then wasted about 15 minutes by talking to people or staying on a treadmill instead of going into your strength training because of the show that was on?
There are so many things there to take our mind off of what we’re there for. If you don’t have a structured class or trainer, then it’s really hard to focus and zone in on your workout.
To be honest this is why I wear earphones at the gym, even when no music is playing. It helps me tune everything out and stay focused.
But when I workout at home or at the park, those distractions aren’t there and the workout goes so much better!
Do you have a gym membership?
Do you prefer working out in a gym, studio, or outside?