Are you a member of a gym or health club?

[aubergine]

I was thinking of joining one. So far the cost is holding me back, but it can't be that hard to find £40-50 per month. I want to go a couple of times a week hopefully, so I'll get my money's worth.

How do you think you've done with it?

Any comments on this are very helpful.

[Ara]

If you can look at joining a uni gym if you have one near you. You don't have to be a student to join, they let members of the public in and it's generally a lot cheaper.

I'm a member of my uni gym so i only have to pay about 40 quid for the year, but when i'm at home i go to my local uni's gym and pay the members of the public price of 21 pounds a month :)

I've actually become addicted to going to the gym, which may be good or bad. I feel physically awful if i don't go for a couple of days. Strange but good i guess!

[treehugga]

I love love love the gym.
I can go there if it's stinking hot or freezing cold and it doesn't matter.
I can socialise there.
I go to different classes for variety.
I am in such good shape because of it mentally and physically.
Mine only costs me $40 Aust per month - keep an eye out for special deals.
Go and enjoy. You'll either like it or you won't so sign up for a trial first! :)

[VeganLady]

No, I don't go to the gym. Too expensive for me.
But I do Pilates at home, with a manual for guidance. Works fine for me.

[RachelJune]

I joined a really posh gym a couple of years ago - paid a fortune for a year's membership and estimate that I probably made the effort to drag myself over there no more than 5 times in that whole year :eek: It can be really scary/daunting at first, especially when you are going on your own.

This year however I made up my mind to get fit and found a good local gym. I think I got a good deal - it costs me about £30 per month which isn't too bad really if you are going 2-3 times a week. I also find that I feel so much better when I go regularly and I agree with Ara that it becomes addictive :D

[puffin]

It cost £38 a month at the gym i work at which is pretty good.
I am not a member but i work out in the evenings when things go a little quiet.

[aubergine]

I'm noticing the prices locally seem quite high. It's quite a well off area, and it'll cost too much to travel to somewhere cheaper.

They do have everything I want though. Equipment, squash courts and a quiet pool.

[Kiran]

I used to go to Esporta. http://esporta.co.uk/ . Cost me 42 pounds every month. Quite a big gym but it lacked personal trainers. Not that I needed them or anything. It was in the city center and I was very lazy to get off my ass to go for a workout. :rolleyes: These days I use the university gym. The uni is at a walking distance so I make it a point to get to the gym atleast 3-5 times a week. :)

[veganbikerboy]

Where i used to live i used to be a member of a Canons Health Club, i used to train 5 times a week and was very fit and strong as i concentrated on weightlifting.

I am now a member of the local authority gyms, pretty basic but for £35 i can use any of the local gyms, swimming pools or sports centres. and for that price i can use most of the facilities pool, gym, sauna, squash courts etc.

I am a bit out the habit at the moment keep willing myself to start again.

[maya]

Yeah but I never go.:o I should at least go to use the weights. I do enough cardio on my own.

[puffin]

Maya we get loads of people who join up and never go. We had a student a month ago that joined and never set foot in the place. Had to throw his card away as it had expired.

[DancingWillow]

I've never been been to a gym, although there's a huge gym at my university that I can use for free with my student ID card. I just prefer other kinds of exercise, especially dance and running outside. Now that I'm moving to a different state, where it's going to be too cold to exercise outside half of the year, I think I'll have to get used to exercising indoors. I'd probably go for all the different classes a gym offers rather than the equipment (not my style). Oh, and I tried a treadmill for the first time a couple of weeks ago and I had to vomit as soon as I got off of it, so no more treadmills for me...

[Michael Benis]

No. I lift weights in my garage: it's cheaper, more convenient and more fun....

Cheers

Mike

[codebug]

I find doing the home gym much easier. I have been watching a lot of Lime (www.lime.com), which is all about healthy living. Lime shows Tai Chi, Yoga, and Pilates. I follow the basic workouts and lift weights. I am planning on using my basement as a gym, but the home builder needs to fix the flooding problem first. I put in the paperwork, which is approved for a sump pump, but they are taking their time. Lime is probably the channel best focused on health and fitness, unlike Discovery Surgery/birth (Discovery Health), they have real programs. The only problem with them is most of their cooking shows advocate eating meat. Only occasionally do they highlight veggie dining.

[gogs67]

If only i had a garage:rolleyes:

Punch bag,skipping rope,mat,weights and pull up bar are all you need.

[twinkle]

I go to the Living Well down the end of my road - I think I pay about £40 - I have premium membership but I get quite a big discount because I work for the local council (NHS staff get a discount as well).

It's quite pleasant. I have to confess I don't go to the gym part often enough to get much benefit, but I've definitely improved my stamina since going swimming 3-4 times a week, and it's been lovely to be able to have a dip in the pool in the hot weather the past few weeks. When it gets colder I enjoy using the sauna and steam rooms as well.

[tipsy]

yes, i have memberships with two gyms in my town.

well i should say i have affilations with (and thereby free/cheap usage of) these two gyms.

i go to one cause i get a discount thru my work, and its directly across the street... plus this gym has a 24 hr location three miles from my work. i go there like 5 times a week to swim, strength train, or do classes (mostly pilates, yoga, or circut training).

i go to another cause im on a masters swim team and i get free membership to the gym also... its further away so i only go there once or twice a week (or more if i feel like swiming in a olympic size pool, istead of the rinky-dink one at the other gym)

i guess i like working out at the gym, but i def prefer the women only workout room at the one gym. i feel like such a ditz trying to lift 25lb free weights next to a guy benching 200...:rolleyes: plus not getting hit on while trying to work out is a major plus. "ick, im sweating, leave me alone!":p

[Wildflower]

jj - how do you like the master's swim team? I was thinking of joining up, but it seems expensive - i want to say 50 more dollars a month and I already pay 50 for my membership.

So...yeah, I do have a membership to a health club. I like it, but it is hard to go in the summer when it seems too nice to be indoors! In the winter it is great though. I like it for lifting weights, running on the treadmill and swimming. I also use the stretching rooms/ballet barre.

[aubergine]

Thanks everyone for your help. I've had a look at my finances, and I've decided to go along tonight and join. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks :)