Try brisk walking especially on hills. Not so hard on your knees.
Excellent! Start tonight. Even if you can’t go the whole way, just do whatever you feel comfortable with.
To the OP, go–just go.
To the gym rats that post opinions (i.e. Not facts) as per the above example, you are not helping.
Data point:
63 y.o. Male with rr ms.
Gym 2x per week, 1.5 hrs per session, 15 machines, 3x10 reps per machine.
No longer need my cane to walk, gained 40 pct in strength in first year.
Just go, no one cares how much you lift, what you look like, what you wear, etc.
They only care if you sit on one of the popular pieces of equipment and tap-tap on your f’ing cell phone for 5 minutes. Don’t do this and you will be fine.
Go, just go.
Which is why I specified an average person.
If you can do a 1.5 hour workout at a fast pace, you’ll probably only need 2xweek.
You also wouldn’t be seeking the kind of advice the OP was looking for.
These two posts nailed it!
I have a gym membership but rarely use it because I much prefer being outdoors. Unfortunately, the weather may force me into the gym this week. I hate going in early January with all the ‘resolutioners’ there because there are typically lines to use equipment & people who don’t know gym etiquette (wipe it down when you’re done, you don’t need to sit/stand on the equipment to reply to that text/email/fill out your brand new log book).
There’s a bunch of online resources as to what you can do at home with little to no equipment; situps, pushups, planks, etc. No matter what exercise you do, follow simster’s advice & start slowly. If you overdo it that first, or second, or third time you will be sore the next day & less inclined to get back to it.
But downhills are tough on the knees/quads.
I have never had a gym membership, and don’t have any particular interest in one - but I’m going to share my thoughts anyway.
Currently I am getting fit again by road running (after a 2 year break started in October, now back up to 9km per run). I rather enjoy road running, even if the weather doesn’t always co-operate. Failing that, I am a big fan of cycling, if there’s somewhere relatively safe to do it.
While I do largely enjoy “exercise” - it’s much better for me if it’s for a reason - for example, cycling to and from work would be my favourite (if that’s possible) - one reason I like road running is I can set a target landmark to go to.
For a gym - I would personally be looking for a rowing machine, stair machines and bikes. I’m rather solitary so wouldn’t be much into classes, and I don’t much like the idea of “free weights” - they appear to take more expertise than I’m willing to build. I’d be looking for one or two machines that work on core strength and general fitness so that I can turn up, do my one hour on the machine and then go home.
my two pennies worth.
seconding what everyone said about avoiding the gym at the start, you seem rather “meh” and it would probably be a waste. do the push, sit, pull-ups, the leg lifts, the flutter kicks etc. If you get to where you feel like you need a weight machine you would be better off shopping around and buying one of your own than going to a gym. same with an elliptical or treadmill or any other machine you might use at a gym.
Here is an alternative, which is what we did. We invested in the equipment and set it up in the basement. With a couple of large fans and a TV, we end up exercising 4 times a week.
Gym memberships survive on not all members going there to use the equipment 100% of the time. So depending on when you go there, there might not be equipment available for you which is even more of a waste of your time.
If the equipment is at home, you can use it any time you wish and for as long as you wish. You could break up your work-outs into segments without having to worry about getting access back to the equipment.
Especially during the cold months I hated leaving my warm home in the evenings to go to a gym. The entire thing ended up taking hours to travel to and from. Now when we want to do cardio for 30 minutes, we just walk downstairs, and put on whatever we want to watch and are done. Then return hours later to do some strength training or whatever schedule you wish.
I’m not a fan of the environments of the gyms to begin with and the idea of hanging out there every night I don’t find appealing.
If you are getting back into exercise, I highly recommend you work with a personal trainer at the gym or one that can come to your home, to get you setup properly. Then do things on your own or have the personal trainer come to your home as needed. Hope this helps!
I’ve been trying to figure out what kind of exercise I’d stick to. Reddit says weightlifting is easier to stick to, but my options aren’t ideal (no room or money for personal equipment, apartment gym has limited hours, closest one is expensive, Planet Fitness has better pricing and hours, but is further away, cutting into motivation). I live in a climate where running isn’t pleasant during winter, and I don’t particularly like it anyway; I can’t think of exercise I like, and I have no one availabile to join to help with motivation).
I thought Planet Fitness was my best solution, but this thread has raised new doubts. I’m stumped.
An important question is whether you just want to get fitter in general (i.e., cardiovascular fitness) or you want to improve strength in muscles that aren’t typically used in exercise like running and cycling. If the latter, the equipment at a gym can be very useful, although there are other ways to do this as well. A set of weights doesn’t take up too much space and there’s all kinds of bodyweight (as in, using that weight as part of the exercise) routines.
What I did was cycle outside and then later I started walking up and down stairs. Stairs that go straight up/down for 30 steps or more are best for this, stairwells in buildings make you turn a lot, to the point of getting dizzy and at least it keeps interrupting your flow. The stairs take a lot of energy and thus improve fitness but with minimal impact on joints, unlike running.
I once went to a gym with a friend who’s training for a marathon. Doing this on the treadmill worked better for him than running outside, especially during the winter. But it seemed pretty boring to me and it takes a lot of extra time to get to/from the gym. On the other hand, running or cycling at the gym is a lot safer than doing this in traffic.
After the stairs I started inline skating, which requires good road conditions (traffic, weather and asphalt wise), but it’s way more fun than walking or cycling.
No-one with even the basics down approaches going to the gym as doing the same old crap and exactly the same things. Progression and variety are key, in every way. Can you imagine being motivated by getting stronger, fitter, more capable than ever before?
Missed the edit window.
Back when I was a self-conscious beanpole nerd with back problems, I chose the home gym option. Just a couple of hefty, adjustable dumbbells, a doorway pullup bar, and a couple of ordinary chairs to do dips in between got me going; these almost disappear into a small bedsitter. The heavy dumbbells came handy even when goblet squatting for lower body work. Eventually I added some more gear - a full-length bar and lots of plates, always seeking out second-hand stuff at garage sales etc. To this day I haven’t entered a gym, have saved a ton of money and time, and have reached my fitness goal of all-around strength @ 190 lbs BW.
A good workout brings immense inner peace and satisfaction, which I now realize is the biggest reason for me to keep on pushing.
I have a monthly-paid gym membership and I go because I enjoy it. I normally only manage an hour or so three times a week but it’s enough to make me feel like I’m doing something positive. Timings often mean that I can’t get to the classes they run even though I’d like to try some of them out but I content myself with two sessions of cardio (interval hills on the treadmill to start and stationary cycle to finish) with resistance weights in between.
When I first went, I got a tour of the facilities and the usual pep talk about why membership is so great - I didn’t get the hard sell because I already knew I wanted to join. There was no mandatory induction but I was able to book a free session with a personal trainer who showed me how all the weights machines work and what muscle groups they worked. He also suggested that I could book another session if I was interested in free weights but I’m not quite ready for that yet.
I would consider myself averagely fit, I have done various workout DVDs at home but there isn’t space for much and certainly no room for full scale gym equipment, which is why I wanted to join a proper gym. Plus it gets me out of the house and gives me a sense of achievement!
Your post just once again reminded me how much I miss Body Pump… 
I’d go to any gym that offered that around here, but sadly it seems none do.
Just try it and see how it goes. Most gyms will offer a free day or week- spend a month trying different ones out. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t.
I used to go on and on about how stupid and needlessly expensive gyms were. Then, I actually tried one. I thought it was great! It became my special “me time”. I loved the choice of classes. I loved the fluffy towels. I loved spending a few minutes in the sauna or steam room after working out. I’d go five days a week because I enjoyed it that much.
I joined a gym with dozens of locations around town, so I could just pop in whenever- after work, at home, while running errands, before going out, etc. I have really fond memories of this point in my life.
Give it a try.
The main thing is figuring out some way to be more active. For some people, that means going to a gym. For others, it might just be walking for 30 minutes every other day. Other folk want to play rugby/hoops/ultimate, whatever.
The MAIN thing is figuring out how to make activity a part of your lifestyle for the long term.
I think there are a couple of different stages. The first/lowest, is simply to get the carcass moving. Walk around the block, or walk or bike for local errands. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. See if you can start doing some stretching, or sit-ups/push-ups on a regular basis . Maybe anytime you turn on the TV, you will first do a set of sit-ups/push-ups, increasing each week. If you don’t feel like exercising, then you don’t get to turn on the TV! In evenings or weekends, walk or bike in a local park or around the neighborhood - for enjoyment!
As you start doing this, consider what you can do to improve your diet. If you eat a ton of sweets, maybe you might just cut down portion size or frequency. If you don’t eat enough fruits/veggies, maybe figure out which you like and try eating more.
For A LOT of relatively inactive folk, these 2 steps alone will be HUGE in improving overall health, and do not require any expenditure or special equipment. However, there is also a benefit to “stressing” your body, and doing different exercises. A gym can help for that.
Like folk have said, there are a couple of factors to consider. Definitely be aware of the costs, and billing and cancellation policies. My wife and I joined recently - $100 for both of us to join, 2 mos commitment, at $26 apiece per month. Pool, machines, gym, classes. So if the gym you are looking at costs way more, realize there are cheaper options out there.
Convenience is HUGE. If it isn’t near you, you won’t make it part of your regular routine.
The gym should be reasonably clean. You are sharing the space with a bunch of sweating strangers. Gyms vary VASTLY in terms of how well they are maintained.
Check out the clientele. Some gyms are meat/meet markets. Others cater to ironfreaks. Others have older clientele. And some have different vibes at different times of the day. You might be more comfortable in one situation or another.
If you are unsure of what exercise you want, join a gym that has lots of options: weight machines and free weights, various aero machines, classes, maybe a gym/courts/pool. Do you care about things like a sauna/juice bar/towel service?
If you are just starting to be more fit, I strongly believe you can do a lot without joining a gym or buying any more equipment than a good pair of shoes and some shorts/shirt/socks. If you aren’t willing to step out your front door and walk around the block every other day, I think it unlikely you will continue with a gym. But other folk are more motivated by having some “skin in the game.” If paying money motivates you to use it to get something from it, give it a shot.
As others have said, tho, January is the WORST possible month to check out a new gym. Wait a month, and it will be getting back to normal.
Working out at home can be great if you have the self-motiviation to keep going. The flip side is that it’s very easy to skip workouts because there’s always something else around the house you could be doing. It’s very common to think you’ll work out when you have the time, but the time never comes because there’s chores to do, TV shows to watch, family that needs help with something, etc.
For me, having a gym membership makes working out much easier and enjoyable. I do classes 4-5 times a week for an hour each time. When I was running or working out at the house, I would do it fewer times per week and for less time each session. Going to the gym puts me into a workout mindset. When I’m at the house, I’m in the house mindset and I didn’t find the time to workout as often.
So it boils down to whatever works best for you. Working out at the gym is the best for some people, working out at home is best for other people.
If you’re a newbie, I would strongly suggest starting with the gym. If you’re on your own, you’ll have to self-motivate and figure everything out yourself. At the gym, there are many ways to be motivated and you can get guided instruction through classes, trainers, or just the people around you. If you find the gym isn’t for you, oh well, at least you tried and you’ll know what it’s like.
If the gym isn’t an option, one good way to workout at home is to get workout DVD’s from the library or watch one of the many streaming workout channels (I see several on my Roku). They have everything from calming yoga to intense core workouts.
And lastly, when you’re starting out come up with a fixed workout schedule and stick with it for at least 4-6 weeks. Pick days and times when you will workout rather than working out “when you have the time”. What typically happens (at home or the gym) is that newbies initially work out a few times and then other things come up and the workouts get farther and farther apart and then forgotten altogether. Sticking to a schedule will help develop a habit and you’ll see results sooner.
Do join a gym if you think it’ll be what works best for you and you think you’ll use the membership. Gyms can be very helpful. But it’s very common for people to think that once they’ve signed up and paid their money they’ll force themselves to go, since otherwise they’re just throwing that money away. But still the majority of people with gym memberships don’t end up going. It seems to be a common fallacy, or quirk in our brains, maybe from optimism in how we think our future selves will be, or ignoring how we will rationalize each time we choose to go to the gym.
So don’t just sign up and pay and think that you’ll then be motivated to go. Think about if you actually will be motivated to go or not.
Agreed with the comments above. If you are into bodybuilding, a gym membership is pretty much essential because you will need access to their weights. If you are just trying to get healthy, you can do jogging and calisthenics without a gym. The big advantage in that case would be access to instructors and classes, for those of us who are bad at self-motivation.
Well put. My wife and I joined, figuring it was a $200 dollar commitment for 2 months. We could easily afford it, to see if we would use it. I think I’ve gone there and swum just over 2x per week, and have been increasing my swimming workouts, so that works for me. Hoping to increase a tad, but at least I’m getting some regular exercise again.
My wife hasn’t used it as much, but expects to increase now that the running paths have iced over.
I’m 55, with 4 knee/ankle/foot surgeries over the past decade, so swimming is a really good option for me. I go right after work - it is pretty much on the way home, so it simply means I get home about an hour later than usual.