What are your TRUE feelings about the gym?

**Note to self** Don't **** HG off.  Check!

Hi Mary, I'm not a big fan of the gym, but I know its a necessity if I'm going to succeed at my weight loss and keep it off.  I find that I was always looking for an excuse to not to workout...be it my work schedule, the weather, I have too much that I'm tryng to do, I don't want to work out alone....yada, yada, yada.  Well, now I have no excuse.  I have a personal trainer ($90 a month) that works me out 3-4x's a week.  I joined Lucille Roberts ($10 a month) where I go for Kickboxing and other other cardio workouts.  At work I joined the gym ($50 a year) so I can run down and either walk on the treadmill or use the ellipical trainer on my lunch break if I like, and when I'm at home if I chose to I have the Total Fitness Gym machine, a treadmill, bench press, free weights, stretch bands and exercise videos.  I'm commited and focused and when I decided to have the surgery I knew it was going to be some work involved, I just didn't know how much.  I love the way I look and I'm working harder to look even better.

This was a really good topic - I had to join a fitness center last year when I began my WLS journey for insurance purposes, so I picked one that was close to my house and smaller with a mix of people (ages, etc). I've belonged to LA Fitness in the past but never felt like I fit in.

I did enjoy going to the gym in the beginning because I knew I had the specific goal of getting my insurance approved for the surgery - I got sick before surgery so quit going, then didn't get back after my surgery. I did buy a very good recumbant bike for home and I ride that 5-6 mornings a week, but I've been very sporadic getting myself back to the gym. Its just a matter of me getting back into my comfort zone of walking in there and not having people stare at the 'fatty' trying to work out.

Sometimes I wish I had someone to go with - its a nice fitness center - small, but it has an indoor walking track, indoor pool, plus all the regular equipment. I did get rather annoyed at them, tho, because when I joined I paid for 3 consults from a personal trainer, only to find out they expired in 90 days, so I lost a bit of money on that deal.

I do need to get back there and incorporate other things into my work-out - I know I get a good work-out on my bike, but its doing nothing for my upper body strength or toning. And I paid in full up front for my membership (about $1500 for 3 years) so I hate seeing it being wasted by not using it. I may even try the eliptical machines now that I've lost weight and feel more comfortable doing that. This thread will be my incentive!

Thanks - Kathy

Bottom line......your bottom line WILL expand without exercise.   I am proof positive of that fact.   I was signed up for a gym, $40/mo.   I would have gotten $250 back if I'd gone 300 times a year (does anybody really do that??).   I went 46X.   I have Comcast on demand.   I can dial up a channel whenever I have a free moment; (honestly, I don't have many of those but I need to MAKE them).   I have upteen # of videos, dvds, bands, weights, a treadmill, elliptical, bike and free weights, trampoline.   I don't have $40/mo. to throw away.  What I need is DESIRE!!   I like it once I get there but the getting there is sometimes a chore.....hmmmm, that sounds sectual doesn't it???    
MY GOAL is to get my groove back       "Hey baby, how's about a little elliptical tonight???" 

300 times???? Are the people at your health insurance company a bunch of sadists??? 

Hi Mary,

I think that Norm and Andy, as well as, Dr. P put the idea in my head early on that this tool works best with exercise and for today, I am not about to doubt that.

I, too, can say I don't love going to the gym, but the feeling I have walking out of the gym after my workout, is a good feeling, knowing that I showed up for myself and I actually have felt guilty when I am not able to get to the gym for whatever the reason.  I've had a lot of frustration throughtout my journey, with the many stalls I've had, so recently, I upped my exercise from the, mostly, 3-4 times a week to 5 times a week.  Jeremy, a presenter at the OH Event, could not be more wrong and I could not believe what he was saying about certain forms of exercise, because, while I do weights 3x a week, I do cardio 5x for at least 40 minutes and 2 to 3x a week I do a 5k on the treadmill, which I believe has made the difference in getting my scale to move in a downward direction once more. 

As for what I pay, it's $36 a month for the gym membership that allows me to use any of their facilities, which is part of the reason I joined their gym, so I haven't any excuses not to go, it has a pool, sauna, classes, yoga, jacuzzi tub and they open, during the week at 5 a.m. and close at midnight, weekends I think it's 8 to 8 or something like that, and then I pay an additional $75 a month for a PT that I see weekly, which keeps me motivated and I actually have "guns" according to him, his word for muscles, something I don't recall ever having in my life.  The trainer I will more than likely stop at the end of this year.

I have a very pricey treadmill in my basement, a ball, bands, videos, which are good to have as backup, but I find going to the gym better for me, as in the house I can get too easily distracted and I just really don't enjoy doing the exercise there. . .

Not sure I'll ever love to exercise, nor that I won't get tired of it, but I am also looking into dance classes and such other things to participate in.  I personally feel that when I get bored with something I need to have a back-up plan in place and that's what I'm going to be doing. . .  and when I need it, I know I can count on Norm to give me a good swift kick in the seat of my pants. . .  ;)