For those of you with a gym membership....

D

dpiglet

Cathlete
I think I need a little advice... I have been working out with Cathe (and you guys!!)for about 3 years now and I love it. But we have moved to a much smaller house in Arizona. I simply do not have the great workout space I was spoiled with before. In order to have any workout space at all I need to use the room that really should be my husband's home office. If he does not use this room and I do....I will not have a living room...and that is the main room as you walk in the door of my new house. And for some reason, now that my kids are older, I really want things in my houses to look nice, organized and put together, and that plan does not include all his computer gear and 6 thousand (okay I exaggerate here)networking books all over the place. I am however gymphobic....I am really self conscious about working out. I had a gym memebership many, many years ago and never went. Does any other Catheite use a gym on a regular basis??? Do you think I can learn to like it?? I will still set myself a small space to workout...but I think I really need to do the bulk of my workouts outside the home. Thankfully there are many choices of workout facilities here in Chandler, so I have a lot of choice. Any thoughts would be a big help....I am just stuck....thanks! And if any other Catheites live near me and know of a good gym...that would be great! Thanks.
Donna
 
Hi Donna,

I am actually the reverse story. I have been a gym goer for the past 15 years and although I am very limited on space in my apartment I discovered Cathe this past Jan/Feb on FitTv and was so thrilled to see a show that catered to seasoned athletes/fitness levels. I then discovered her website and have since ordered a handfull of dvds.

I still go to the gym but have grown to love being at home more and more. I have never felt odd being in the gym obviously but since I enjoy more circuit total body type workouts these days, heres something I do that you may enjoy and feel comfortable with. Check out the aerobics rooms in the gym. Find out when they are not holding class and go in there and set up for you own workout. If there is a particular workout you like write it down step by step and do it on your own. When I first saw Cathe on tv, I taped her Legs & Glutes and wrote it all down move by move and took it to the gym 3 days a week. What a blast, I put my headphones on went in the aerobics room and zoned out on my own. They'll generally have steps, mats and weights in the room somewhere. This way you are out of view and can have your privacy to work out. Another perfect example is PUB/PLB, these workouts are easily written down to take with you. I guarantee after a while you will get to know people and realize you feel comfortable. I've had good experiences in gyms, most people are friendly and helpful and they are all there for the same reason as you.
Hope I was helpful, good luck!
Skye
 
i also have been a gym member for roughly 10 years. Going to the gym gives me the ambition to work out harder I think. Sometimes when I am doing a cathe tape and am in the middle of an interval, I'll be like oh I cant do anymore and stop. But at the gym, everyone around is working out and it personally pushes me farther then Id go at home. It would prob take some getting used to to start going to the gym but eventually you will learn to not pay much attention to people around you and just do your own thing. Gyms nowadays have a large variety of fun classes and its even better if ya go with a friend - makes the hour ot two fly by.
 
I forgot to add...definately "try out" the gym before you join. Most gyms give you a free 2 week or month pass to make sure its a place youd be comfortable. Also, in my area (which is nowhere near AZ) but you might have some near you. There are female only gyms - I dunno if that would help you out in the self conscienceness area at all.
 
I am a regular gym "go-er." I have come to really appreciate the time I spend at the gym on me. It is private time that is just about me, not about anybody else. I do not have a gym perfect body, and I still need to lose many pounds. The gym I go to is not a meat market, and everybody who I see there regularly is just focusing on their workouts. Nobody is foucsing on me or how I look.

I do Cathe 1x or 2x a week for variety. I use the gym for heavy weights, circuit training, and cross training for cardio. I really believe I can't do without it. Now, since I discovered Cathe, I have been going less, because I am substituting 1 or 2 workouts a week with Cathe. And I really enjoy the extra time at home, and the fun factor of Cathe workouts. I too, really don't have the space for a lot of equipment. I would like to do more Cathe, but feel I would need more equipment (more dumbbells, a bar bell, medicine ball etc.) and I am just not sure I want to commit to that much equipment right now.

In short, I highly recommend a gym. If you look, you will find one that has the right flavor for you. I love the gym and find that cross training with Cathe and the gym has really furthered my fitness goals.

Good luck!
 
Hi Donna: I have been a gym member since '98. Up until then I had never set foot in a gym, now I'll never be without a membership. I rarely use the cardio equipment as I prefer the group dynamic of classes and find that I am extremely motivated by others who push themselves. I have the choice between a women's only facility and a co-ed facility. I don't prefer one over the other but use the women's more often as it is closer to home. Many women prefer this environment for various reasons. I think it's great that most gyms will give you a trial membership at a pretty reasonable rate. Check out the classes, the good thing about your having worked out with Cathe this long is that you are pretty much off of the learning curve regarding things like choreography, terminology and form. This should help with your confidence level, you have learned from the BEST! I love the gym for fitness and I love meeting like minded individuals who like to challenge themselves physically.

Good luck to you!

Take Care
Laurie:)
 
This has been my own experience with gyms, I wont give names of them, but I was in two, I feel the pressure of going because I pay and they deduct me from my bank account every single month, if I dont go I am giving them money for free, and they dont care if I go or not, that is my feeling, and I work out on my own, I run every day and bike on weekends, do my work outs with Cathe at home, I mean I felt and thought: am I nuts or what? I love the workouts at the gym, my fav. was kick boxing and I loved to use the machines, but I was tired of taking the subway to go there, so I thought, I have to make a decision here, I save the money and buy me a super dooper road bike that I am wishing. so I quit my membership, I feel better not going to a gym.

The older I get the more I love me.

http://www.geocities.com/norma123nyc/MyJourney.html
 
Donna,

I actually have two gym memberships (one at the gym at work and one at a gym in the city I live in).

Reasons why I love working out at the gym as compared to home

1. More Space
2. Larger variety of equipment(especially weights for heavy workouts) than you could ever have at your house(well unless you are Oprah)
3. Loud EVERY CHANGING Music (this is plus for me because I like to sing aloug during step)
4. Whole building filled with people who are interested in being fit and don't think its strange that you work out
5. Seeing the efforts that everyone else puts in makes me kick it up a notch
6. Many different instructors with many different moves
7. Can try a variety of classes and machines so you won't get bored or injured
8. No distractions from family wanting something done that you have to stop stepping, running, lifting to take care of NOW!
9. Sauna, steamroom, and maybe a pool
10. Cathe only has so many DVDs and everytime I work out at the gym and spend a couple a days away when I come back to her everything she does seems fresh and challenging to me again.

One thing I do is actually take Cathe with me to my gym. If at the time I want to go to gym no classes are being offered and I don't want to run (I never want to run ;) )then I just ask to use the workout room which at my room has a DVD and VCR in it and do her tape using their weights and steps.
 
Donna,

I actually have two gym memberships (one at the gym at work and one at a gym in the city I live in).

Reasons why I love working out at the gym as compared to home

1. More Space
2. Larger variety of equipment(especially weights for heavy workouts) than you could ever have at your house(well unless you are Oprah)
3. Loud EVERY CHANGING Music (this is plus for me because I like to sing aloug during step)
4. Whole building filled with people who are interested in being fit and don't think its strange that you work out
5. Seeing the efforts that everyone else puts in makes me kick it up a notch
6. Many different instructors with many different moves
7. Can try a variety of classes and machines so you won't get bored or injured
8. No distractions from family wanting something done that you have to stop stepping, running, lifting to take care of NOW!
9. Sauna, steamroom, and maybe a pool
10. Cathe only has so many DVDs and everytime I work out at the gym and spend a couple a days away when I come back to her everything she does seems fresh and challenging to me again.

One thing I do is actually take Cathe with me to my gym. If at the time I want to go to gym no classes are being offered and I don't want to run (I never want to run ;) )then I just ask to use the workout room which at my room has a DVD and VCR in it and do her tape using their weights and steps.
 
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