What stops you from going to the gym?

I feel so lucky reading some of these.

I started at my place nervous and bricking it, as a right old fatso no mates. That was enough to put me off joining for a good two years!

I'm still fat, but I am now tons fitter, massively stronger and I have lots of gym friends who I can train with, who all congratulate each other on achievements and new PBs, egos get very much left at the door and there's free car parking right outside too. It's full of strong amazing women to inspire me.

Body confidence

Have just fallen in love with gym again after years of laziness
I have made my own playlists on Spotify and that really helps as don’t have to listen to their music
I just wear a big t-shirt and gym trousers and while most others are in lovely gym gear I don’t feel out of place, am lucky that have found a gym that’s not cliquey and there’s all ages, shapes and sizes
I was thinking of PT as a kick start but have now found my own rhythm and it’s become my happy place again, also open 24 hrs which is great for insomniacs like me

CV 19 will be stopping some folks now I guess.

PRL73
I'm thinking of Will Ferell in Blades of Glory now begging for chicken whilst on the treadmill.

I don't go because it's too expensive and my last local gym was full of twat peacocks. The type that don't wipe off the equipment afterwards. They also felt it necessary to give me advice, whilst standing over me dripping sweat whilst swigging on protein shakes.
I have an online gym now and join their classes for a fraction of the price of a gym. I also have a pull up bar, resistance bands and a ball.
So much cheaper.

Childcare. I would love to have a PT come to the house but it's way too expensive and I dont have the motivation to do any exercise on my own.

I love working out. I go to classes as a specialised gym, swim 3 x 1km a week, run 5k and bike ride 10k. Love it.

I have no real idea how to use a gym. I like the idea and have used a PT but I didn’t have confidence in her ability (it made my knees hurt and I put on weight and inches. I wasn’t eating more - I tracked my macro and micro calories).

I’d love a PT once a week - someone who wrote a plan out for me to work out on my own. I love the feeling of my muscles being worked.

I purely do classes at a very expensive gym but work pay so I don’t care about that.
I used to be quite confident using the actual gym but once had a PT try to sell me sessions by pointing out my technique was wrong in front of the whole gym and I totally lost my confidence. I also don’t really know what to do. I know how all the machines work but no idea which of them I should be using. I find weight based classes much more straight forward.

I’ve written it in a way that it sounds like I’m joking and I am sort of but it is genuinely my fear 😂

Maintaining the routine. I need someone to come and get me really.

Honestly think sometimes I need to hire a dog walker. Can you hire them for people?

I pay for the gym, but I rarely go. Despite an induction years ago, I have no idea how to use half the machines. There's never anyone there to ask either. I'm just clueless.

I’ve been once or twice but mainly I have an mental image of me being on a treadmill and all the fit people throwing mars bars at my fat ass

I would probably eat them too 😭

@GymPossibilityFitness I go because I have to but I hate;

The noise (music too loud)
The changing rooms (often too small)
Sometimes other people lol.

I should really join a masters club but haven't because I suspect it shall be full of ex-swimming club members who are much younger than me and a few middle aged men but not any middle aged women.

Where I go, the masters lot are coming in towards the end of a class I do. Some are younger, but I have definitely seen at least one woman I reckon is older than me (I'm late 40s,) so it might be worth checking out where you are. Maybe they do a trial session to see if it suits you?

I just prefer being outdoors and it’s free.
It is hard in the winter when it’s cold and dark though.

Childcare is the biggest reason. If I’m not at work I have my child with me and no one that could have her for an hour or so for me to go to the gym. When she was little I had PT sessions that allowed you to bring them in their car seats as long as they weren’t too upset about it. This was brilliant and I managed to get up to 6 months when we couldn’t do that any longer.

A gym that had an area - a room with glass so you can see in and make sure they’re okay but they can’t get anywhere near equipment would be my dream. I suppose putting a bit of CBeebies or Netflix on for an hour won’t do them any harm with some basic toys. My daughter’s gymnastics classes have this room for siblings so you can drop off the younger kids in that room and go watch your other do their gymnastics sessions but still be able to see the younger ones so they’re supervised. I’ve always thought it was an excellent idea.

Saying that my husband still has time to go to the gym as I would be looking after my daughter to enable him to do this but if we had an option to take her we could be go together (as well as setting a good example for my daughter)

Childcare is a big one for me. Plus I've found an amazing app that means I can do it all at home which makes it so much easier to fit it all in.

Good luck with your business. It's a very over saturated market. I know a few people who have tried and failed. It sounds like you have a USP which will help. If your aiming at those you described above I think affordability will be a big issue.

Lazyness which means -

It’s too far to walk, not that I don’t want to as I’d love to swim and do classes

It’s not child friendly - the crèche is too expensive for me to afford to put him in there

I agree about the loud pumping music. That would put me right off.

Also, as someone over 50, I’d feel massively out of place if most other gym users were a lot younger than me.

Childcare and it's really expensive for PT sessions

Not necessarily being able to use the equipment I want when I want.

The thought of someone else's arse sweat on the bikes.

Hence I use my own equipment at home while watching cheap second hand DVD's. I am becoming quite the expert on crap and/or obscure films

I do daily exercise so maybe not your target but I wouldn't join a private gym because I've never found one with a decent pool. Swimming is my main exercise and I should really join a masters club but haven't because I suspect it shall be full of ex-swimming club members who are much younger than me and a few middle aged men but not any middle aged women. I also do yoga but the classes are early evening and clash with the DCs sporting activities so I don't go to those any more, we now have yoga at work at lunchtime and I'm doing that because it's convenient. Otherwise I use youtube videos (but that's not so great if you are a complete beginner). So timing and female spaces are important.

I get regular exercise by building it into the commute, jogging before work twice a week and once once on the weekend, and a weekend class. Occasional YouTube yoga session.

Working full time, commuting and parenting responsibilities.

Personal training is too expensive for most people IMO.