Do I HAVE to go to the gym??

[Coffeeebean]

For context...I HATE the gym.

I find lifting weights so boring and i hate the whole environment of the gym. I keep going through1 the cycle of establishing a routine, doing it for a few weeks, giving up and hating myself for it.

Pilates on the other hand i like, and I can stick to consistently doing youtube pilates (mainly Move with Nicole) 4-5x per week (20-45 min sessions), occasionally with handweights or bala bangles added in.

I like to exercise alone and the though of group classes makes my social anxiety sky rocket. I also have a very busy schedule so cant commit to specific time slots to exercise.

I also walk 10-20k steps per day, and try to fit in 1-2 short (20min) dance cardio videos to get my heart rate up.

My question is, is this enough? Or do i need to be doing something more intense/lifting heavy.

Does anyone here use at-home pilates as their main form of exercise?

Or am i destined to become an overweight blob with osteoporosis from lack of calorie burn and resistance training....

Do i just need to force myself to endure lifting?

Don't go to the gym if it is not your thing. I got into it but I can understand you don't want to.

Yes working out at home can be good enough but make sure you do enough - and do do weights because we need the resistance.

Just make it work basically and only you know if you are doing enough.

This

It's probably worth having some weights at home for some additional weight based benefit, but walking and pilates go a long way for life-long functional fitness.

It’s perfectly possible to get fit at home, you are doing a lot of pilates which is brilliant but you could increase the amount of cardio exercise you do ideally combining with some weights to increase resistance.

What about body weight fitness? All you need is your own body!

Here is the subreddit for it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/s/xkgg5sBmba Body weight fitness

I only go to a Pilates class at a gym. I love walking and it’s been amazing for my overall health and wellbeing and I can see my fitness improved. I like to set myself challenges how far can I walk 2,3,4,5 miles. Being outside my vitamin d levels are also great. I work out at home following YouTube videos and no longer find weights boring either. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it but I found with a home environment I am doing a lot better than I ever did in a gym. I’m just not a gym person and that’s ok some of us aren’t!

I don't have the time for the gym so I do weights at home. The Caroline Girvan iron programme is really effective and you don't need super heavy weights - I started with 5kg and 8kg dumbbells. You can also build muscle with just body weight calisthenics, she has an excellent series which is even tougher than her weight one!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhu1QCKrfgPVs3dCPAqiqOoc3cXZNZ7hG

I do 10 Pilates classes a week, 2 body pump and 2 kettlebells. I’m in good enough shape and never go to the gym.

I hate the gym, get bored and invariably end up doomscrolling on an abandoned rower…. I need peer pressure to stay focussed, and the beauty of a class is that you can’t really slack off or leg it out the door so you stay 🤣🤣🤣

Weight loss and being healthy is more about your diet than the gym. You need to try and eat 80% healthy. Exercise is good in that it makes you want to make better choices and you definitely feel great for it, but it is t essential. What you’re doing is fine, if you enjoy it. You’re more likely to be consistent with it.
I do go to classes and love it. But, there are many people of all sizes who go regularly and aren’t the perfect weight - it really is down to what and how much you’re eating.

You sound a bit like me. I hate gyms and you would have to pay me to go to one! I walk or run about 5 k most days, swim 3 times a week and usually manage 5 yoga sessions via You Tube a week. I do have some 1:1 yoga instruction periodically which helps make sure I'm paying attention to positioning.
I'm 62 and in pretty good shape.

You don’t need to go to the gym. I binned off the gym many years ago and got my own equipment (appreciate you do need the space and money to do this though). I have a treadmill, spin bike and hand weights. I currently use Peloton (have previously used Beach Body, Apple Fitness and Zwift). Do add some strength training. As you get older, strength training is very important for maintaining mobility and muscle. It helps improve bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis / arthritis.