I know lots of people who don't workout, and many who do, but I can't think of anyone...not one person...who works out regularly at home instead of in a gym. Is there anybody else out there besides me??

I NEVER EVER go to a gym. It all started when my S.O. and I decided that we'd join a gym and go together, because we don't really have space for exercise equipment or even yoga in our house (it's a teeeeeny tiny house: Kitchen, Living Room, Bathroom, Bedroom, Small Office). Well, we went to the gym and found out that we'd have to have two separate registrations since we're not married. We'd been living together for quite some time, but apparently the gym found it to be under their jurisdiction to pass moral judgement. But I digress.

In any case, I decided that I wasn't interested in supporting a business that was so clearly opposed to my lifestyle. So, I gave up and decided to just stick with home workouts instead. I like to do unconventional exercise.... play frisbee or kick a soccer ball around in the lawn with my guy, that sort of thing. But I try to squeeze in stretching exercises daily in the house.... squeeze being the operative word. I figure the furniture-moving that's part of my yoga is exercise in and of itself, so it works well. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I stretch and do the good old stuff taught in gym class while my son watches Shrek and goes to sleep.

Though I must be honest, lately I've been so tired that I've been falling asleep before the end of the intro song!

Does anyone have one of those pedal things that you can use anytime your sitting down? I'm interested in if it's worth it. I'd love to do something while I'm on the computer.

i went to a gym ONCE and I will never do it again. I "won" 30 days free at a local one. I say "won" because i realized afterwards that everyone who put their name in got invited lol. Anyways, I am 5'5" and about 240 and you wouldn't believe the looks i got and the "trainers" who only tell you how the machine works then walks away were huddled in a corner oogling me like i was diseased. So I stay home with my Tae Bo tape and my favorite Yoga DVD which is called Yoga for the Rest of us. You don't have to twist up like a pretzel to benefit from Yoga.

Yoga is absolutely my favorite too. And I live (with my S.O.) in a small house as well. It pretty much rules out any extra equipment, so no, I haven't tried the pedal things. Although working out while you're on the computer sounds pretty clever.

Space is limited here also but it looked so small that I figured it could sit under the desk and not take up any room.

I would never own any of the large machines even though they say they fold up I doubt I would ever use them unless it was to collect clothes.

ok, I found the thing one Amazon. It's called pedal exerciser and they have several different versions. I'm getting the cheapest one.

Hi! i just joined this group today! I bought a similar product, but it was from AVON. I received the thing yesterday, and bought it to exercise at work. The thing i noticed is that where the peddles join the frame gets really hot. And then the bolt that keeps the peddle to the other part, had broken. The screws came loose quite frequently, so every once in awhile i would have to stop and tighten it with the allen wrench thingy. Mind you, mine is different than that one. not sure by how much though. I saw the website also, at amazon. The sad thing for me is that all of the places will not send to Canada, only to the US. So that sucks for me!

I am going to try and get a new screw, but i've got to figure out how to get the broken bit out. :-(

butterflygirl

I had that trouble too. I put some super glue on it after I had tighten the screw and it hasn't come loose since.

I also found that if I put a bean bag on it it won't slide around.

I lay on my bed and pedal with it against the wall because my son freaks if I use it any place else (except the computer.)

I have a home gym and workout at home.I use weights and jog 7 km a day 6 days a week.I have lost alot of weight doing this but also I find if i dont workout I dont feel as energised so in effect I think I am hooked! lol... It (working out) has changed my life and I dont think I could go to a gym as I dont like the idea of sweating and huffing and puffing in front of strangers as I push myself pretty hard.

I've been to a few gyms and I was never comfy there, not even at the college gym when I was a student.

I like home videos, I've done tae bo, boot camp workouts, belly dancing, reebok step aerobics, yoga etc. NOw that I am pregnant I do walk away the pounds 1 mile, tai chi and bellydancing.

I also try to walk outside 30 minutes or more a day when it's not too hot.

I don't have a lot of space to exercise at home and these are great because aside from tae bo I dont need a lot of space.

A DVR and cable/sattelite tv is a great investment for those who want to exercise at home. I would program in my favorite yoga show as well as a few different shows a week and I'd always have something new saved so it wouldn't get boring.

meg

I do yoga at home at the moment, but once we move I want to find a yoga class in my area, because I do miss having other people around me. I kinda combine yoga, dance, and lifting pasta sauce bottles as weights for exercise, and also go for long walks if the weather's nice.

I've given up on getting fancy exercise equipment. My mother bought and tried almost every single different thing that came out when I was a child and teenager - we, the whole family, would then diligently attempt to do the workout on the latest contraption for about a week, and then it would be folded up and stuffed under a bed or on top of a cupboard with the rest. It's a lot of money wasted if you don't use it, and it just gets so boring doing repetitive stuff like that.

I've also had negative experiences with gyms, but the opposite of Jeanette's. When I was a teenager my mom and I decided to join a gym together and we walked in and the first thing this beefed up bodybuilder trainer said to us (before taking any medical history) was "You're obviously not eating enough, we'll have to fix that with a proper eating plan." We just walked out in disgust. My poor mother had been desperately trying to loose weight for years and was beginning to suffer from early onset osteoporosis - any extra weight gain and her bones wouldn't hold her frame! I eat like a horse, but I have a fast metabolism. I physically cannot eat any more than I do, but I also have heart problems and if I did put extra weight on it would put unnecessary strain on my heart.

I've belonged to many gyms, and benefitted from them. Now I'm off the gym membership again.

My biggest complaint against gyms is the cleanliness. It's no fun bringing home athlete's foot (yep, even with shower shoes), and nothing worse than a man who believes he can wear the same shirt all week and it doesn't smell. LOL! Sorry, but had to mention it.

I bought a stair climber several years ago and used it at home and lost weight. I'm on my second one now coz it's outside in the rain. I'll buy another when this one goes. I can go outside with no shoes and ratty shorts and work up a good sweat and lose weight and keep in shape.

I might try a gym again but I'll probably cancel for the same reasons. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Wow, this topic of working out at home is really interesting. I'm sorry to hear people have had some bad gym experiences, I guess I never realized how fortunate I was with the gym at my college.

I don't belong to a gym now in real life, i.e. post college bc it is so pricey, even with a company discount rate it is $200 initiation and about $75 monthly fee. I also work long hours and don't want to be leaving the gym at nite in the dark. The part of the city I work in is very safe, but the streets are basically deserted after 7 and I don't want to risk that walking a few blocks to the subway.

I recently signed up for a customized workout program that comes on DVD in the mail called Push. Heard about it from Daily Candy and a friend recommended it too. You select a trainer, fill out a fitnes profile (past injuries part was esp. important for me). Should be getting it in the mail soon, so I'll let you all know what I think of it. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Wanted to share with everyone that I got my first customized Push workout in the mail and it was great. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> The exercises were just the right stretch in my past injury areas, and I felt that good soreness and no pain the next day.

Definitely a great deal- $25 a month and each DVD includes 2 toning and one cardio workout. Anyone else heard of Push or doing the program- if so, I would like to compare notes.

I am not familiar with Push, but would love to hear how it's working for you.

Yesterday I tried a recorded aerobics show. I haven't done aerobics in years, and felt like a total klutz. All over the place trying to follow those moves. It was humorous enough to keep me going for a while, and then I started feeling really good. Now I remember why I used to do it. As long as know one's watching, maybe I'll add in a home aerobics class now and then.

Trevy,

I am very similiar when it comes to stuff like aerobics- I am a total klutz and really abysmal at learning any kind of choreographed routine/moves (I can't even do electric slide and other kind of line dances properly).

I am way too embarrassed by my issues with that to ever go to a class- bad enough memories of being mocked by "friends" for my trouble learning dance routines in high school musicals.

So I'm really enjoying the Push program, as I mentioned have found the moves selected for me to be well-suited for the past injuries I have (really appreciated the detailed sign up stuff on their website). My trainer is Jon Griswold, but there are a bunch of celebrity trainers to choose from.

Here's their website if you want to read up on it:
http://www.push.tv/

I'm lucky in that my Physical Therapist allows his patients to continue to come work out at his place, just like a gym, for less than the cost of a gym membership. And since many of the people there were not in great shape to begin with, there's no "body conciousness" to worry about.

The only thing is, you have to have been a patient in order to qualify. Good for me, but not the rest of my family. But there is an excellent gym in our community that is good for the entire family, and there are all ages and sizes using it all the time.

I do work out at home. I use the large ball and some free weights right now. We have a weight machine and an ab loung that have laid dormant for quite a while, to begin with because I was not motivated; but now that i am, my therapist wants me to hold off until i am ready. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue2.gif" alt="" />

There is nothing to motivate a body like being told you can't do something! <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> LOL

There is nothing to motivate a body like being told you can't do something! LOL

Exactley...That is how I lost 100 pounds.My father told me I could not do it and now that I have done it he denies he even said it! Love it! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I use to do the gym thing. Now I go to light aerobics at the church around the corner three times a week, as well as do yoga, and use a tread mill at home.

A friend who surfs the web a lot shared with me a contest to win the Push program, looks like it is a contest of the day so a few hours left to jump in- a chance to win a whole year's membership subscription.

http://www.divavillage.com/

I actually do <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I got a nordic track and started it in January. I've been pretty regular at 3-4 days a week. Everyone else I know goes to the gym, that just didn't work out for me :shrug: Oh well... I like my routine!

I exercise at home and have fun at the same time. About 5 years ago I was noticing the flab was getting bigger. What do they call it Flab Handles.

I loved music, especially that of the 60's it reminded me of when I was say 16. I took up dancing, in my case line dancing, a lot of my friends took up rock n' rolling. The weight has fallen off, have met so many different people, out dancing 4 times each week and my social life as improved so much.

Hope this is helpful to others. Take Care.

I started walking 1 to 1 and a half miles every other day last summer, but quit over the winter. We just started back last month. Last week I joined a Christian circuit training group for the days that I don't walk. There are 12 stations (separated by a stepper or a jogger tramp) that you move between using music and a timer. It only cost $20 mo. The summer special included no initiation fee. ($5 /mo for sauna if you wanted it, but I passed).

It gives my heart a good workout and makes me feel more energetic. With 6 or 7 other women always coming and going, starting or finishing, it is fun to have someone to visit with and set the pace. The really good thing about doing something like this for yourself is that it even helps me control what I eat. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have a recumbent bike and eliptical machine downstairs that I am going to use when the weather gets too hot and humid to walk.

Trish

Good on you trish! You are doing a really good thing working out the way you are.dosent it feel great?
I love the feeling you get after exersise - it is so addictive <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I do yoga at home - it's a 40 minute workout tape - and I do crunches and pushups. Other than that I run everyday at lunch. I don't really like to do a lot of regimented working out because I don't think it's fun....what I do try to do is be active in things I do enjoy...hiking, bike riding, tennis, swimming. In the winter my husband and I do a lot of snowboarding on weekends.

I do linedancing, practice every day and go to 4 different clubs. Feel fitter now than when I was a teenager.

Apart from the exercise, you make new friends and have plenty of laughs

I exercise at home all the time. I used to find the treadmill boring until I rediscovered some Donna Summer music. Now I basicallly boogie for 20-30 minutes while on the treadmill. Much more fun and makes the time fly. I got the idea actually at my Jenny Craig center (been doing that for a LONG time - medical offices are loaded with sweets) and Kirstie Allie was quoted saying "dancing is exercise". She's got that right!

I also do a ab ball and we have a home gym.

My kids think I'm insane when I'm dancing while treadmilling but I'm in the best shape ever due to it. Give it a try!

I prefer exercising at home and have completely stopped going to the gym. As a ballet dancer and gymnast in my youth I am very used to practicing wherever there is space. I do ballet, yoga, and Lotte Berk Method workouts at home, as well as walking.

I have some things i do due to issues with my arms and shoulders, like streches and other things. i also have a pulley set up and an orbitrex, stationary bike and a power rider that helps strengthen my arms.
i aslo walk my dog when it is not too hot.

I workout at a gym about 2-3 times a week - taking spinning class (in which I'm now an advanced member, even if I don't have the best body) and doing weight training. The rest of the time, I workout at home. I have a set of Shape DVDs that combine cardio and weight training and feature various lengths of workouts (from 5 minutes of abs to 35 minutes of cardio).

The gym where I go is on the military base where my husband works, and I'm generally there at a time when all the other wives are. They are not all very fit, so I don't feel particularly self-conscious.

I do. I have never entered a gym. When I exercise it is always just before my showers so I do it at night before going to bed.

I walk outside. Other than that I do stretching inside the house.

I used to think that walking was not really an exercise but I realised one or two years ago when talking to people here that it really is. I love to walk, started when young too. One of my dream is to travel by foot, I would love to cross one country just by foot and even more than that, maybe one day I will get up and pack a few things in a backpack and just start walking .

I always try to find time to exercise at home. I turn up the music on the stereo and get on the stepper or treadmill.

The best exercise is free. Simply put on a comfy pair of shoes and walk. I try to walk several blocks or more a couple of times per week.

I love to stretch - I figure it's hard enough to get down to the floor - so I'm going to do everything I possibly can while I am down there! It feels so good to stretch and find tight muscles all over.

For ongoing health reasons I use the recumbent bike every day. I need non-weight bearing work. I have pulleys and bands that I use daily - they don't take up much room and can give a pretty good workout. I have foam rollers that I use on the floor. Lucky for me I have a large enough master bedroom that all this can be done in privacy and with the television on - that helps to keep me going!

Exercise has been a regular daily routine. I usually wake up at dawn and do my morning routine from stretching up unto walking and jogging. A few calisthenics and crunching on the sides. Recently, I added a few dancing routines,which I feel awkward since I really don't like dancing simply because dancing hate me and I have both left feet (lols!) And to top it all and put some challenge in it, I watched music videos of the latest dancing trends on the net. And 'twerking' has become an easy add on dancercise routine. If somebody will see me and will try to video me during my morning exercise routines, they'll probably LOL and ROLF! really... Anyhow, I won't mind at all since after my morning routines, I feel great and well. I once told a doctor friend about it and she told me: So long as I am okay and I feel great, no matter what kind of exercise routines I do is fine. Be it foxtrot, strut or twerk or whatever steps I call it, if the body enjoys it will contribute in the healthy toning and perking up of the body.

So, let us all dance to whatever move and groove we know! ;)

I have a horrible time motivating myself to go to the gym - however I will say IF I can get there I do enjoy the workout. I have found working out at home is more enjoyable, I feel more comfortable and I think you can be creative in the types of workouts you can do. I can try different types of workout videos (thanks to my local library) and find the style that suits me best.

I exercise at home. I like to dance, so Zumba is a great work out for me. I must admit, I have to motivate myself. However, once I get started I don't want to stop.

I need to start. I used to work out at home over the summer. Must get back on track.

I need to but it seems that I can never find the time or motivation when I'm home. I'm thinking about getting a gym membership for the new year. (I know everyone does that) lol

I realised the past months that I only focused on weight gain not toning. I turned forty last months and the past year or so it is showing that I forgot about that. So, when I will start exercising again (from home - anyway theres no gyms here i think) I will start with toning probably. I should hurry up though since my tummy will not get back to normal by being lazy!

Yes, I do, Treadmill and yoga sometimes but what every exercise you adopt do it on regular basis,

I am more comfortable exercising at home.

I have never ever been into a gym. Reason behind it is that going into the gym is one of the reason in which one can go for the options to learn about the ways that are working well and making the things to work properly. I always look forward to some of the healthiest way, that I can use and get my body to be fit and makes me to stay near the environment. And thus, playing freezby, skipping, football, and other outdoor games are some of the reasons why a person can get the best ever options for promoting their health.

Yes...using blogilates.com calendars (free)