Here’s the deal. Every year everyone looks forward to transforming into the best version of themselves. They want to be better, do better, and even look better than the year before. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to improve on yourself, the reality is that not everyone sticks to those kinds of goals.
Especially when they are made at the beginning of the year and involve transforming your body.
Now of course there are people who actually do follow through with those goals, and by the end of the new year they end up literally being the best version of themselves. However, there are probably even more people who don’t. Why you might ask?
To be honest I don’t know, but if I had to guess, I would say it’s because everyone thinks that in order to transform their bodies, they have to get a gym membership. A gym membership symbolizes some kind of commitment to workout and follow through with working out consistently. Therefore, everyone rushes to the gym to begin their transformation journey.
The reality of setting personal goals that directly impact your health and wellness is that its’ not something that magically happens overnight. You have to work hard at it, day in and day out, until you get to that desired goal. And even then, to maintain it you have to remain consistent. Otherwise I promise you all that hard work will slip right between your fingertips.
And believe it or not you don’t need a gym membership to get the job done.
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Why You Don’t Need A Gym Membership to Get Fit
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It’s not free
Now I’m not complaining about having to pay for someone’s services, especially when it comes to a gym. From personal experience I believe that gym memberships aren’t really all that expensive. In fact, the most expensive gym membership I’ve ever stumbled upon is $10 a month. While that’s great and all I’m here to tell you that you don’t need it.
You can get fit, be healthy, build muscle, tone your body, and even lose weight without a gym membership. How? By simply working out and changing your eating habits!
Trust me, you don’t have to go to the gym religiously in order to get in the fittest and healthiest shape of your life. It literally can be done right at home. And the best part is that you can keep that $10 a month in your pocket. I know this may seem like a stretch at first, or like it may be too good to be true, but I promise you it’s not.
You can start working out at home literally at any point and time when you are ready. It can very well be right now after you read this post! Something to keep in mind is that the only big difference between working out at home and working out at the gym, is that at the gym you may see results quicker. But none the less, it’s the same process, the same hard work, and the same commitment and dedication needed in order to see your desired results.
Save your money, that’s all I’m saying.
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You’re in the comfort of your own home
My personal favorite reason to workout at home versus a gym is because I’m in the comfort of my own home! This means that I don’t have to worry about feeling uncomfortable, not fitting in, or even feel tempted to compare my journey and current results to that of others. It’s a real thing that happens at the gym. I mean it happens in every day life, but comparing yourself to others just seems amplified at the gym. Especially when you’re just beginning your journey.
So why not just skip that whole process and start your fitness journey off right? Start working out in the comfort of your own home. That way, no matter how well or how bad, how fast or how slow you are to finding your groove, you don’t have to worry about being embarrassed about it. You can just focus on you and your journey.
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You can enjoy your leisure activities while working out
Another personal favorite of mines, I can literally do almost anything I want while working out. Of course, there are limitations as to what this may be exactly, but the sky is the limit. At the gym the most you can do for enjoyment is listen to your music or socialize with your workout buddy. Well I don’t know about you, but I don’t always want to listen to music when I’m working out, and sometimes socializing with others is a big distraction for me.
Instead, I like knowing that I have the freedom to watch TV when I’m working out my arms. Or that I can listen to a podcast without any headphones/earbuds. Sometimes I like to get creative and incorporate my house chores into my cardio workout. I can do all this and more in the comfort of my own home! I don’t like the idea of being confined and limited in what I am and am not able to do while working out.
The gym is great for meeting new people who too are on a fitness journey, and in some cases, it can even be great for motivation. But ultimately it can feel really lonely because everyone is there to work on themselves, not pay you any mind. So just stay indoors where everything is much better. You’ll feel a lot more comfortable and can potentially get a lot more done.
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Before and after workout meals on the ready
To eat before a workout or not to? This is something that I find myself asking myself every day. Truthfully, I usually don’t eat before a workout unless I’m really hungry or feel like I need to. While there are some who will tell you that you have to, and others who will say it’s not necessary, I think the important thing to do is to listen to your body. Only you will know what you may or may not need before beginning a workout.
Whether you choose to eat before a workout or not is completely up to you, but at least when you’re working out at home you don’t feel pressured to make that decision immediately. You also don’t have to worry about beating yourself up because you didn’t eat, and stopping by somewhere to spend money and get some food.
When you’re at home it’s all right there. You can eat before your workout or you don’t have to. But if you skip a light meal before your workout you want to make sure that you’re eating something right after. Usually within a 30-minute time frame, and some type of food or meal that is healthy and has protein. Being at the gym it’s not always a guarantee that you’ll have your after-work out meal on hand. And taking in commuting time and other plans after the gym, it may be a while before you have something in your system.
So instead of worrying your pretty little head about it just put yourself in a position to have instant access to it when you need it!
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You can work out whenever you want
Do you prefer your workout in the morning, the afternoon, or at night? These are things to consider when starting a fitness journey and they’re very important to know. Life gets crazy and things don’t always go as planned. So sometimes when you have a gym membership, you’re left with the decision to either go to the gym when you usually don’t, or to skip it altogether.
This right here is a big trap to fall into! It’s the easiest way to slip up and starting making excuses as to why you can’t workout for the day. Avoid this trap by being able to have the flexibility to workout whenever you want to. You got time in the morning? Ok knock it out! Your afternoon was busy? No worries get it in before bed!
Whenever you choose to do it doesn’t really matter when you’re working out at home. While consistency is important the reality is that sometimes things happen and schedules change. At least you’ll have the flexibility to accommodate as necessary.
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Save on gas and money
Plain and simple you can save a ton of gas and extra money that may have been otherwise leaving your pocket to help get you to the gym. Now if you live within walking distance of the gym, or maybe you bike, that’s well and all, but for those who don’t, you’re just letting some good money slip right between your fingers. At least at home your gas and money are not a determining factor for getting in a good workout. Only your schedule is, which as we talked about earlier can allow for flexibility.
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You can find a fitness coach online
The gym is not the only place you can get a fitness coach. I’ve been working out at home for years and I’ve been doing it with the help of Cassey. You can literally find a fitness coach online through YouTube or other fitness blogs that offer services like that. Heck you can even go onto Instagram!
This is yet another reason why you don’t need a gym membership to get fit. You literally have access to everything that you need to get fit right at your fingertips. From learning how to eat healthy, to dividing your days up where you focus on specific areas of your body, you have access to it all right at home! There’s nothing a gym is going to offer you that you can’t provide yourself. And you can bet on it.
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You can buy your own equipment
Now hear me out before you scroll right past this!
Yes, gym equipment is expensive, but its only expensive for the moment. Once you have that equipment in the palm of your hands you never have to drop a big amount of money like that ever again. Or at least not until and unless you want to purchase more. At the gym, yes, they have just about every workout equipment imaginable, but you’re paying monthly to use them.
It’s just more convenient to buy your equipment, set up a gym station or room all your own at home, and not have to pay monthly to use it. Remember, it’s just expensive for the moment, but once it’s yours, it’s yours! If you’re not doing payment plans of any sort then you don’t have to worry about making a monthly payment to use the gym equipment in your own home. But for some, even with a monthly payment, this may be a better and more convenient idea than going to the gym to use equipment.
You just simply go into the other room and use it.
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You don’t have to wait for certain stations to be available
One thing that always bothered me about the gym is the fact that I couldn’t just use any station when I wanted to. If I spent 10 minutes on the treadmill and then wanted to move over to the bikes, usually I’d end up waiting. This would only make me have to be at the gym longer than I may have wanted to, or skipping out working on a specific area of my body altogether.
While this may not be an issue for some, for others (like me) it may be a huge annoyance that you’d just like to avoid altogether. So instead of having to compromise with yourself about what you will and will not do, and convince yourself that it’s ok, just know that you can do everything you intend to do at home. You don’t have to wait on anybody. You can just get your workout done and over with during your scheduled time.
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No outside interference
Last but not least you don’t have to worry about any distractions of any sort. I’ve heard many stories from close women in my life who find it hard to workout at the gym. This is due to a considerable amount of reasons such as guys checking them out to the point where it’s uncomfortable and they can’t focus, and even with guys going as far as trying to conversate in a flirtatious way with them. Not to mention that depending on your gym clothing (which should be whatever you’re comfortable with), you may run the chances of getting harassed or catcalled by others inside and outside the gym.
Believe it or not, not everyone at the gym is there to work out. When you’re working out at home these are things that you don’t have to worry about. You can literally focus on working out and not on keeping all the pervs, creeps, or just everyday people who you don’t want to engage with away from you.
While I understand that working out at home isn’t something that everyone wants to do or enjoys doing, it can be really beneficial in the long run. However, it’s all a matter of personal preference. Which do you prefer?
-Xo
Kimora
