Would you join a gym in my shoes? 👟🎽

[40in23]

I’m 40 next February (yikes!) and feel I need to make some changes.

I have seen the medical and physical difficulties the older members of my family have, due to being overweight and having reduced mobility due to getting out of breath.

I have an inherited chronic health condition and it is likely that in 10/20/30 years this will cause associated further conditions, or have complications, as it has with my family. However I feel if they weren’t overweight then things might be easier for them.

I have a BMI of 30.5. I used to be on oral steroids which put weight on me. I lost a bit. But then over the past ten years my weight has creeped (crept?!) up by about two stone.

Apart from my sweet tooth, my diet is actually pretty healthy. It’s the post-dinner pudding/snacking that causes the problem!

But I think the main problem is my low activity levels. I sit all day at work, and then all day at home. Apparently my VO2 is terrible and one of those body scanner things said I have the body of a 57 year old

I feel like I need to focus on upping my activity levels. We don’t have room to swing a cat at home, but there is a gym that looks lovely about a 20min drive away. It looks to have interesting classes on, a ladies’ only weights room, and a pool. However, it’s £55 a month…

Would you do it?!

Would you have time to go and the money? I personally haven't been a member of a gym since pre-kids. The closest one is 20-25 minutes away, so factoring in an hour workout, that's 2 hours out of my day. With small children at home, and a busy career, I just don't have the time. What do you enjoy doing? Can you do that from your front door for free or a few one-time costs?

You said you don't like running. What about cycling or walking or swimming? Or something else you can do at home like yoga? I do like running, so I do that, but I also have a spin bike at home. I really like spinning. It cost me about £250 years ago brand new and I've gotten a lot of use out of it - no time wasted driving anywhere and doesn't matter if it's pissing it down outside.

I was thinking £50 was pretty expensive ...

Me too. I guess it depends on what’s available locally.

Yes do it. I also have an inherited condition and overweight family members struggle much more. I also hate running (can't actually do it). There are so many benefits to resistance training, especially as you get older, that you won't get with cardio alone. The weights room sounds great. I only do weights at the gym.

That said fat loss is about what you eat and not exercise. Apps and watches vastly overestimate calories burned so no point even considering how many calories this or that exercise burns. Exercise for strength and overall health. My gym is a 15 minute drive away and I go three times a week when I don't have Covid

I've just started working with a personal trainer doing weight based training. Honestly best thing I've ever done, I've tried so many things in the past, running, classes etc. I've found I need the one to one support. I've definitely seen an improvement in my fitness already and I've only be going 2 months. I've also made sure I do 10,000 steps a day. I definitely think you need to find something you enjoy otherwise you won't be motivated to go.

I loved my PT. Definitely the best thing you can spend money on fitness wise if you can stretch to it.

I find that the fact I have paid for a gym membership forces me to keep going! Except for December when, for the first time in 10 years I had a whole month without any exercise at all. however my gym membership is only £25pm . When the weather is nice I prefer cycling outside but so enjoy lifting weights. You need to find an activity that you enjoy enough to keep doing - maybe it won't be one activity! Maybe you will fancy cycling one day, rowing another, Interval training on another. That's the beauty of a gym - you aren't fixed to one thing.,

I pay the same for my gym (Nuffield) it works for me because I swim at least twice a week, which works out the same as the local pool but I don’t have to pay parked, it’s a 25m pool albeit too bloody hot but I’ve been swimming in 4 degree lakes too. And the pool is always relatively quiet which is not the case with the local pool when the opening hours are rubbish unless you are 12 and do swim club and open sessions are too busy to swim properly.

@PurpleDaisies

I was thinking £50 was pretty expensive ...

Me too. I guess it depends on what’s available locally.

Yes, I reckon it must do. I’m in a town on the South Coast and the cheapest here that I know of is about £45 a month. The others (private health clubs and a David Lloyd) are significantly more than that.

So your main goal is to 'focus on upping my activity levels'.

Joining a gym is one option and yes, if you can afford it (think of it as investing in yourself) to help you achieve your goal, go for it. Even you do it for 6 months until summer when there are more outdoor activities to choose from. It could be good to get out of the house whist WFH.

Otherwise what are your alternative options to up the activity levels and stick at it. Paying £55/month may give you the motivation to keep going which you may not have if left to your own devices.

Do they allow trial memberships? That way you can find out if it suits you. And you can get started right away with walking and body weight exercises (look up YouTube). If you haven’t been very active for a while, just a 10 minute walk every day is great to get you going. (I can’t run either, and I hate group classes - walking plus weights are my mainstays.)

Exercise is great for health benefits but for weight, the instructors at the gym I used to go to said it’s more about what you eat than your exercise levels. If you don’t like running, then find an exercise you do like and see if you can do a more local class that might be less intimidating than a gym. I used to do a lot of Zumba at a local church hall and that was great and then I’d do free workout apps at home. Good luck!

I'd go along for a free trial day if that is possible and most importantly check how long it takes you to drive each way. A 40 minute round trip is a lot just to go to a class or have a swim so you need to think about when you'd factor that in.
My gym is 15 minutes drive away ( it's the only one with an outdoor pool) . I have to be really motivated to go in the evening although I do go on my day off and at the weekend.

In your circumstances the first thing I'd do is buy a pair of comfy trainers, some headphones and an audible subscription. Walking is really underrated as an exercise form but it's cheap and can be done almost anywhere. Start by getting out even 10-15 minutes a day and see how quickly you can build that up.

Definitely do a trial membership. Then sign up for 6 months at a time. If you can afford it, really the only drawback is the distance from your house. I used to belong to a gym until work got in the way, and I loved it! You can also justify it a bit as a place to get away from home for a bit. A change of scenery is beneficial!

Not that gym based on the 40-minute round trip alone. I hate running and much prefer exercising at home but it does require indoor/outdoor space.

Only you know if you'll make good use if your membership or not. £55 is pretty cheap for a good gym.

Why not try for a couple of months paying as you go, then see how many times you've been?

Plus remember - you can't outrun a bad diet.

Have a look at BIWI's low carb (Bootcamp) threads, once you switch over to low carb, you won't need to snack all the time or have sweet craving or be hungry all the time! Lovely bunch over there and loads of support

I would 100% join.

Health is the most important investment

Sorry - work went crazy in the last few hours! About to make a cuppa then settle in and read these lovely replied

*replies!

I love the gym and for me £19.99 per month (JD) is a pittance as I'm there 4-5 times a week.

However, it's a 5 min drive so I'm there in no time. I would hate to have to trek to a gym 20 mins away as it would take a couple of hours out of my evening after work. But if you go and get the gym bug then you might not care! 🏋️‍♀️

Thanks for your your thoughts and comments. I have been mulling them all over and I’ve decided I would like to join.

Some of the comments have mentioned the 20 min drive but now we’re back to work (we both WFH) I feel like it will be good to get out of the house and have some time to myself. There are some closer gyms but honestly they just seem grotty and I don’t want that! I’m prepared to travel a bit more for something that is ‘naice.’

Finally, we are TTC which isn’t going well, and I feel that perhaps the gym, classes and pool can be something that can help distract me and give me something else to focus on - while at the same time helping to get me healthier - which can only be a good thing all round.

Thanks again for the advice!

So pleased you’ve decided to join. But if it’s weight you want to shift, then it’s what you’re eating that’s crucial to weight loss. And significantly how much of it!

Exercise will give you lots of benefits. But pair it with a healthy diet for optimum effect.

And I mean a healthy shift for life. Not a diet.

I would only join a gym with no contract.

Assuming you can afford it, try it for a couple of months. It is much more motivating to go to a nice gym than a grotty one, and to classes rather than working out by yourself especially to begin with.