Can't Abide Gyms..... Anybody with me?

There, I've said it.   I don't like gyms.   They're beastly places.  Full of grim, sweaty-faced people with towels around their necks, listening to I-pods & pounding away on machines.  TV screens going nineteen to the dozen.   Slightly stale air with a hint of swimming pool.  No-one talks.  Few smile.   (Not even the 12 year-old professional hair-twirler that mans the reception desk... ) So I rather resent it when I get told in a horrified tone of voice 'but you must go to the gym!!!'  'you'll feel so much better after a workout!!'   Oh no I won't.   I'll just look a damp tomato!

It's not that I'm lazy or inactive, people.  I love outdoor activites like hiking and gardening.   Where at least I get to chat to people as I go along and get some fresh air at the same time.   Much more my cup of tea.

Does anyone else feel the same as I do?  Do you consider yourself very active but gyms leave you cold? 

ABSOLUTELY!

You are definitely not alone. Except, I hate the gym for a very different reason. I hate those sweat boxes because I feel like everyone there is judging me and looking at me like Im not quite fit enough to be there...which is dumb, I know..."everyone is at the gym for the same reason-they all want to make themselves better and healthier" <---Thats what my BF tells me. And its even more ridiculous that I have that thought process because I have a fairly good body: size 3-5, have a 4 pack-working on the full 6, and Ive been in sports and ballet my whole life.

I simply avoid gyms at all cost-but Im okay with being in a workout CLASS.      &nb sp; -Weird I know..I feel more comfortable in those because Ive grown up in ballet classes my whole life.- I also enjoy just working out on my own at home( eliptical, dvds, yoga, pilates) or taking a walk outside.

yep!  i'm probably going to get slammed for this, but i feel like gyms are (aside from being sweaty, germ-ridden, and disgusting) more about cosmetics and being seen than they are about health.  they also seem to provide ready excuses NOT to exercise (the gym is too far away; i can't afford my gym membership; i hate waiting for the machines; my former bff goes there and she's skinnier than me).

i have a (compulsory) membership to a brand-new, state-of-the-art gym with an indoor track (paid through student fees), but i've never used it.  give me fresh air, mud, snow, moose, snowshoe hares, and my happy happy dog any day ;)

I jsut have to say.  I understand why people hate the gym, the tvs, the sweaty people, the self-procaimed experts gazing at themselves in the mirrors...but I still love it!!  It's the only way I can motivate myself - to be with others working towards the same goals, and its much more convenient than trying to exercise in rain and snow!

And yes, I also go there to socialize and see people.  I work in a cube all day, I like to see other faces!

My honey and I are not fans of the gym for sure. Despite that, we have access to no less than 4 decent community rec centers (included with my homeowner's fee). So, since weight training is so important and we certainly don't have the space to set up a home gym, nor the inclination, we're sucking it up and heading our butts to the gym to use the equipment there-- our goal is 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes.

However, I will be looking into other things to do for exercise that I know he likes -- from bowling to golfing to biking and hiking-- I'm hoping we can figure this thing out. Perhaps a dance class would be the thing too.

If I lived in a place where I could hike every day, throw kettle bells around outside, mountain bike, snowboard, etc., I would do it, and probably not go to a gym (at least not as much as I do).  But I live in NYC.  No mountains or gardens!!  Yes, there is Central Park and other parks which are absolutely gorgeous, but they get old after a while.  The gym does as well.  So I just try to mix it up!!  Whenever I leave the city I find a place to go hiking or biking.  I take multiple trips in the winter to go snowboarding.  I go for walks along the river and runs in Central Park.  But primarily I go to the gym most days.  It's just the most convenient option.  I like having classes to go to, people around, a trainer to push me and state-of-the-art equipment.  I also like that the weather doesn't dictate whether or not I'm going to get a workout in. 

So, although it would be nice if I didn't have to use a gym, I have less options living here in NYC, and I can't say that I hate it.  I truly ignore everything going on around me for the most part--I just get to lifting/spinning/whatever-ing, do what I gotta do, and get out.  Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's not, but it gets the job done!!  If you don't like it, and are active in other ways, of course you don't HAVE to go to the gym!!  Just have fun :)

After years of paying gym membership, I finally gave up and dedicated that money plus a bit to martial arts and dancing.  I go to both of those regularly.  I only recently joined a gym (24HR fitness) because it is open 24x7, it has a hot tub which I do use and a tiny pool and the cost was very inexpensive for 3 years.  Now I'm looking at weight lifting to improve my martial arts.  As a supplement it's great, as a primary method of staying in shape it doesn't work for me.

i am SOOOOOOO with you.  i take dance classes, go for walks.  i joined a gym again and i find it so hard o go (at least it's only 60 bucks for 4 months).  however, i think i will still join a ymca after the holidays (my membership at the current one ends dec 31), because they have classes there.  i like doing classes.  doing machines makes me feel like a lab rat (especially because my gym is in a very glassy and open part of my school, so people watch you.  like lab rats...)

My husband and I recently joined the YMCA.  I hated the thought of a gym and had anxiety attacks just thinking about walking in.  After a couple weeks, it's not that bad.

The facility is really clean, has lots of machines available and everyone is really friendly.  My husband and I are horrible influences on each other - our time together is generally spent in the most slothful ways - and going to the gym together is a step toward changing our lifestyle.

Of course, we still walk our dogs and hike and play outside but the gym provides structure when we need it. 

I definitely DO NOT like the gym... not only do I hate being judged, but I don't like the atmosphere, or the smell, or being bothered to sign up for trainers or any other extra crap... 

I absolutely love my exercise routine now.. My b/f bought a $40 weight bench at KMart and we just buy new dumbells when we need to increase our weights.. Plus I grunt and sweat and make all sorts of faces that I'd rather keep in my apartment... and I workout in shorty shorts, and sometimes a sports bra and I don't need my whole city to see that... I also invested in an elliptical.. $700 and 2 years later, I still love it and it gets used about 3x a week.  And, my b/f and I love the outdoors.. we make it a point to hike every weekend for 2-3 hours. My last part of my perfect routine (for me) is a turbo jam class right down the street from me with 2 of my close friends.. we act goofy and sing along and have a great time while we workout :) good stuff!!!

so yeah.. gym is in no way right for me :)

Original Post by krrpt08:

Plus I grunt and sweat and make all sorts of faces that I'd rather keep in my apartment... and I workout in shorty shorts, and sometimes a sports bra and I don't need my whole city to see that... 

i talk to myself.  to the dog, too.  this morning there was a little fresh snow, so i could actually see the tracks of all the animals whose scents my dog was following.  it was mostly hares, and at one point here were so many i said, "Oooh, the bunnies were partying!"  but we also followed blackbear tracks for awhile ("I guess that answers whether or not they're hibernating yet," and "Don't chase those!")  we also saw a coyote - our first in the eight months that kenya and i have been together ("coyote, kenya!  that's exciting!"). 

yeah, there's a whole running commentary to my exercise routine ;)

I love my gym for the same reason several people have cited already (or at least I think they have): motivation. I'm a very competitive person, despite not having an athletic bone in my body, and I like to start secret little competitions when I work out. I find that trying to "beat" the person next to me or in front of me on the exercise bike, treadmill, or elliptical keeps me going. I get bored easily, and if I have the frenetic, energetic atmosphere of the gym to keep me pumped up, some TV to watch, and people to see, I like working out. Mind you, I don't necessarily "have" to beat the person next to me, nor are they aware that I'm doing it. It's just a little mind game I play with myself, sort of like a "well, if  I were in a race right now and they were in front of me, would I stop before the finish line? Of course not! So I'm not going to stop before my time is up now either." It's stupid, but for me, it works. I actually miss my school gym when I'm away (I'm a University student) and my home gym when I'm at school. Rather attached to them, yanno. It's worth mentioning that I go to a big sports school, and our gym was just built four years ago, and it's all new and shiny and state-of-the-art, plus they get all new equipment periodically to keep up with the times. So yeah, I'm spoiled as well. 

I cannot imagine myself working out in front of strangers.

I know it is perfectly okay to do so and that my embarrassment modesty shyness is a shortcoming, but I would be miserable.

I am much happier outside, on the seawall, in the park or on the mountain trails. I just wish I had the room the have some sort of exercise machine at home.

pgeorgian - you made me miss snow

~k

I love the gym.. I am such a gym rat.  I like to people watch.. seeing other people working out makes me work harder I think :)

Great point GI - Jane, I am a personal trainer and I do like certain aspects of the gym, socially it feels good to meet new people and I also love how body pump classes transform my body so I enjoy that class.

Other then body pump my gym offers Pilate’s and I LOVE it, apart from those classes I do not go!

I may be a personal trainer but I prefer my cardio to be a fast walk along the beach, using the soft sand and hard sand, and I walk a lot instead of driving my car, so I am keeping active enough to feel great AND it saves money and has a purpose; I much prefer it to running on a tread mill purely for exercise.

I ran almost every day for about 2 - 3 months this year for 30 minutes minimum and I DID enjoy how it made me feel, but I enjoy walking and hiking and incidental exercise more!

Every one as different tastes in music, clothes, art, partners so the way in which we chose to exercise is just another part of who we are that we don’t need to change.

We have a yearly triathelon here in Bend.  It's called the Pole, Peddal, Paddle or PPP for short.  This year one of our local news anchors decided to enter the PPP, but first wanted to lower his BMI.  We got weekly updates on his progress and by the time the PPP took place, he had successfully lowered his BMI to a new and healthy one.  HOWEVER, these updates mainly focused on his gym workouts.  There were no overweight people in the background, only those that were already "there".  It was inspiring to me to watch Lee get healthy (all this was before I started CC), but seeing it on TV, all the slim people, made me think that I could never go there, looking like I looked at the time.  You will never find me clothed in those slinky work out clothes in public.  (I haven't owned a swim suit since I was in the 6th grade).  I think the gym is a mental aversion for me.  I've been told that I have nice legs.  In my mind, those nice legs are attatched to a lumpy body.  I still have 20-25 lbs to lose, and I know I will do it, but without going to a gym.

Original Post by katonick:

I am much happier outside, on the seawall, in the park or on the mountain trails. I just wish I had the room the have some sort of exercise machine at home.

pgeorgian - you made me miss snow

~k

well, we're even, because you made me miss the seawall ;)

I love, love, LOVE the gym. Even though I sometimes feel self-conscious, I try not to let it get to me. We have no TVs at our gym (in fact, I've only recently heard about such a thing), and I go before noon on week days, so there are hardly any people either.

Truely, the only thing that makes me sad at the gym is seeing a 'large' person come in, return for 2-3 sessions and then never come back. I wish I could just let them know that no one is judging them, and that they should keep it up! We have one of those 'fairy tale' gyms you hear about, where everyone looks perfect (or nearly perfect). 

There used to be a gym in LosAng I went to that had separate men and women's areas along with joint areas for both if they wanted.  I really liked the layout of that place because i felt more comfortable in the women's part.  It has nothing to do with how fit I was; just that it was more comfortable for me.  I don't go to a gym now because if I did I would never see my 4 year old daughter. At least at home I can lift weights and ride my stationary bike and get to at least talk with her and spend more time with her between stuff, and she can do it with me.  Maybe some day when she doesn't need that attention, I will go back.

Ok, but what are the alternatives? Sure, I hate gyms for the most part too. But I am there to get a job done.

I don't have the money and room for a full home gym. If I did, that is exactly what I would do. I would make an awesome 500-1000 sqft custom home gym.

Other than that, I go to the gym by my work so I can work out during my lunch hour which gets me away from the office, curbs my lunch eating, and then I don't have to take time for exercise before or after work.

But even if I didn't workout during my lunch hour, I still can't afford the money and space of a complete home gym.

I am in my own little world when I am at the gym, sure I might look at you while I workout. But that doesn't mean I am judging you or checking you out. (you is a general term for anyone here), I am just occupying my mind with thoughts both in and out of the gym.

I hate going to work too, but the alternatives are not really an option right now. During the summertime I did free outdoor running and walking for cardio. But now it's wet and cold and I am also adding weight training. So I need indoor cardio and weights. Gym is the cheaper and no space at home option.

who said you had to go to the gym, its about being active period, however you choose to do, nobody said it had to be at a gym.