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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To quit gym and accept that I don't like exercise?

28 replies

LucyDontLockIt · 17/09/2018 23:48

I'm paying £50 a month for gym membership. Started off well and was going 4 times a week, convinced myself I enjoyed it and I maybe did until the "new thing" novelty wore off.
Now, I really don't enjoy it at all. I rarely go and when I do I'm staring at the clock dying to go home.
I stress myself out all day thinking "it's Monday, I have to go ... " but I've been at work all day and to be quite honest, I just want to go home and sloth around in my pyjamas.
I don't like it! Why am I paying for something I dislike?

Yeah I want to be toned and look like a super model but let's be honest, it ain't gonna happen is it.

AIBU to quit the gym, stop pretending I'm something I'm not and accept that I'm a lazy twat who doesn't like exercise?

OP posts:
MsOliphant · 17/09/2018 23:54

I hate it too.

Not because I'm lazy, because it makes me feel self conscious and like an uncoordinated lump jumping about, just like I did in PE years ago.

I am uncoordinated but I'm not really a lump lump. But in classes I stand at the back, do my thing and avoid the mirror and try not to think that I look ridiculous.

I go though. 3-4 times a week, classes and/or treadmill.

I have serous self esteem issues and it honestly makes me hate myself a bit less. That's worth it to me. But it took bloody ages for that to click.

DaysOfOld · 17/09/2018 23:58

YANBU. Life is too short to spend it bored shitless in a naffing gym.

There are WAY more fun and interesting forms of exercise, like going for walks, cycling, swimming, playing badminton, etc etc...

Walking and cycling is cheaper than the gym too. (Well walking is free, and so is cycling once you put out the initial outlay for the bike, which should be no more than £120-£150... )AND you get to see a lot more.

You couldn't PAY me to go to the gym.

StarfishSandwich · 18/09/2018 07:20

YANBU to too paying for a gym membership.

YABU to give uall on any exercise at all.

ShowerOfMonsters · 18/09/2018 07:23

Cancel the membership and use the money to invest in some home exercise equipment.

WeLoveFlowers · 18/09/2018 07:23

YANBU

But we all know exercise is good for us...

I think the trick is to find a medium that is achievable and doesn’t make you unhappy. Can you walk more in your daily life, take the stairs, and find a way to fit moving about into your daily routine? The whole gym thing is very western- lots of women in other cultures stay healthy without them!

AuntieStella · 18/09/2018 07:23

Yes, it does sound as if you need to find a form of exercise that suits you better - I have the gym, but run a lot and do the odd class (Pilates, general fitness) run in a nearby community hall.

What exactly do you dislike about what you're doing at the gym? What parts of exercise do you like? Perhaps we can help you find something you can swop to

Atlantea · 18/09/2018 07:26

Have you got cycle 2 work where you work? You can get a really nice bike with extras for under £300 which would cost around 22-25 a month?

TheTroublesomestTribble · 18/09/2018 07:41

Nobody really 'likes' exercise though...I get a sense of satisfaction and achievement afterwards, but it's definitely a delayed gratification thing - I suffer through my workout (yes, clock watching a bit) and then reap the rewards afterwards.

When yiu are a bit better at whatever exercise you choose, you will enjoy it a more ime, but I think you might need to adjust your expectations a bit, think long term rather then overly focus on the time you actually spend in the gym.

TiaMariaAndCoke · 18/09/2018 07:45

Cardio is dull as ditch-water - no denying it. There's nothing saps the soul more than treadmill pounding with a view of a clock - and it doesn't matter what you've got on your iPod.

Weights are a while lot more enjoyable - you can hang them out fast and building muscle fuels your confidence.

But again... Gyms can be dull. I quit myself a couple of months ago after six months membership.

I used to love the gym. Went 6/7 days a week. Now zzzzz.

I can do bodyweight resistance training at home (I don't! ) But I prefer to do my hobby which is better for body AND soul.

Bubba1234 · 18/09/2018 07:48

I agree with daysofold the bike is just fun

Ethylred · 18/09/2018 07:53

You're being lazy, OP. It's because you're a human being and therefore
very good at making excuses, and also because gym is boring.
Where I go it's full of good-looking people doing ugly things.
What made it tolerable for me was booking a session with a personal
trainer. He gave me a routine and getting gradually better has made it
more nearly tolerable.

lola006 · 18/09/2018 07:57

I pay £35 for my gym membership and only do classes. Someone else does the motivating, made a couple new friends (or at least people to chat with before class) and when I book it I always make sure I go.

Running on a treadmill or using a cross trainer just won’t happen for me, I’ve accepted that.

PeridotCricket · 18/09/2018 07:59

I find doing a class like circuits better....in get encouraged (shouted at) out...

Then walking or cycling outside.

00100001 · 18/09/2018 08:00

Skip the gym

Do couch o 5k

Go cycling

Play football /golf/netball

Basically get outside and exercise. A MILLION TIMES BETTER

Fairylea · 18/09/2018 08:00

I would be bored to death just going to the gym. But I love dance cardio so I do an hour of that 4 times a week. You need to try lots of new things and find something you enjoy, don’t just give up on exercising.

SunnySomer · 18/09/2018 08:04

Once a personal trainer took me round the gym and explained what real life activity each machine replicated. It really was a ‘scales from eyes’ moment. You can keep your body fit just by doing real stuff. Go on a hike, a run, carry your shopping home from the supermarket, do the gardening... all the fittest people I know are people who are active in their day-to-day lives, not gym bunnies.
I’m all for giving up gym membership (though I miss the sauna), but you can’t replace it with lying on the sofa eating crisps

Oblomov18 · 18/09/2018 08:18

I hate it too. Always have done. I don't know why though?

MsOliphant · 18/09/2018 09:33

You can of course keep your body fit with real stuff but the point of that equipment is that people don't have time to intregrate that into their daily lives. I work 11 hours a day. If I didn't, I wouldn't need the gym.

Blobby10 · 18/09/2018 09:39

I pay £25 per month for my gym membership and go 5 mornings a week - its good value.

I was getting bored though so when a PT that I knew moved overseas but started up an online PT app I started using that. For £60 a month I get a structured workout straight to my phone that is tailored for me, changes every 4 weeks (I get easily bored!) and has given me a new lease of interest in the gym! Plus I'm starting to look really tones and have a perky bum!

FullOfNothing · 18/09/2018 10:13

I think a lot of people who exercise don't enjoy it, hence why so many people read, listen to music or audio books, or watch television while working out. It is more a necessary evil then an enjoyable activity.

Exercise shouldn't be about looking like a model it should primarily be about looking after your health.

I would look for a cheaper gym or alternative types of exercise or both.

HeckinGoodDoggo · 18/09/2018 10:16

Try a spin class!

NotTheFordType · 18/09/2018 10:27

If I didn't watch Netflix on my phone while doing cardio I would basically never go.

I do find weights rewarding. It's satisfying tracking my progress and getting new PBs (personal bests.)

But if you don't like it, you don't like it, and at £50 a month (!) it's pointless continuing.

Thursdaydreaming · 18/09/2018 12:42

OP, I know how you feel. When I had a gym membership, it made my life speed up - as the days between my gym days went by in a flash. (the actual classes felt like they lasted for hours). My whole life was a cycle of dreading the class, the thought of "oh god, only x number days/hours til the gym" was never far from my mind.

So for me not worth it. But warning I'm overweight and unfit, so don't necessarily take my advice.

Xenia · 18/09/2018 12:44

Yes I wouldn't pay any more. I have only ever joined because the children wanted to go. I was just outside garadening. The other day I sawed a tree down. Later in the week i will be taking tree branches and trunks to the tip. Never mind lifting a lot of luggage soon. There are lots of ways to keep fit which aren't using a gym. Even just a walk every day suits some people.

Bloomcounty · 18/09/2018 12:52

I hate the gym too, and can't always get to it as I don't drive. Plus, the last one I looked at was a bit funny about me, as I have epilepsy and they didn't want to "be responsible" for me whilst I was there.

So, what do I do instead? I walk, I do online classes on youtube (free), I have a set of kettlebells and a step that I use at home, and I treated myself to a spin cycle for my 50th birthday. I don't have to wait for a shower, or for any pieces of equipment, or wonder what my bum looks like as I squat in my cheap leggings that no doubt go entirely see-through lol. I can listen to my choice of music, podcasts or even, in the bike's case, watch a dvd whilst I'm spinning.

Yes, there was a bit of a cost involved at the beginning, but nothing like the 12 x £50 you're spending on a gym you never go to.