Different Ways to Exercise: At Home vs A Gym

There are many pros and cons to both practices, and neither one is right or wrong. But, since I am struggling I thought it was a good idea to share my thoughts, some benefits and other aspects to do one or the other or both; to help others who might be in the same boat. 

Exercising At Home

Going to the gym, exercise classes, sports or even just outside are great ways to incorporate exercise into your life. However, with busy lives and increasing prices it can be hard to do those things, that’s where exercising at home comes in. 

Benefits 

With it being convenient, cheaper and easier on your schedule, it is a great practice to try and introduce into your life. 

It is convenient because you are home anyway. So this way you don’t need to leave the house to exercise, you can just do it at home.

For the most part, it’s also cheaper due to not having to pay for a membership. However, you may need to buy some equipment or purchase a membership on an app if you wish. This aspect depends on what you already have at home and what you want to do.

Another benefit is it is easier on your schedule. Instead of having to carve out time in your day to get to the gym, you can just use some of the spare time you have at home to do it.

Equipment You May Need

Depending on the workout or exercise you want to do there is some equipment that you may need to get. 

This is what I was talking about earlier with the benefit of being cheaper. Because exercise equipment can be expensive and if you need a lot of it, it can add up.

Some examples of at home exercise equipment:

• Dumbbells
• Barbell
• Yoga Mat
• Running Shoes
• Resistance Bands
• Kettlebell
• Exercise Ball

So as you see it can add up, however you don’t need all the equipment to workout at home. You even don’t need any, again depending on what you are into and wanting to do at home.

At Home Programs

Exercising at home has come a long way, especially with COVID. There are many options for working out at home now.

There are many apps you can get on your phone, tablet, laptop or even your gaming system. Some examples are:

• FitOn
• DailyYoga
• GymShark
• Peloton
• And so much more!

A lot of apps are also free or have a monthly or yearly subscription. 

YouTube also has a lot of workout options to do at home as well. You can go by a certain type you like or even a certain trainer you enjoy. And the best thing is most of the time (if not all the time) they are free!

Some YouTube channels I enjoy are as follows:

• Isa Welly
• Jessica Valant Pilates
• PopSugar Fitness

Exercising At The Gym

Exercising at home can be great and works for some, but definitely not all. Some struggle to have the willpower to actually go home to workout (I may be like this sometimes haha). So that’s where going to the gym comes in.

Benefits

Going to the gym is a good way to get out of the house and socialize. Especially in the winter months when you just want to stay at home, going to the gym is a good alternative to having a reason to get out.

Who knows who you may run into and people you may meet. It can help expand your social life or even just get you some of the socialization that we all need. Even if you don’t talk to anyone, just being in other people’s presence helps.

Additionally, most gyms offer extra bonuses when you go. Some have classes like Zumba, yoga and cycling. Others have tanning salons and discounts off of products and merchandise. 

The nice thing about going to the gym is there are endless possibilities to what you want to exercise. It isn’t restricted to whatever equipment you have at home.

Gym Atmosphere

Many find going to the gym intimidating because of all the bodybuilders or the lost/I don’t know what I’m doing feeling.

But, speaking from personal experience and working at a gym for 3 years, no one cares. In fact, the big, tough looking guys that look so scary are usually so nice and want to help. 

Local gyms tend to have a community type feeling to them. And once you start to be a part of that you feel more comfortable and welcomed. 

Even if you don’t get that feeling in your surroundings, physically going to the gym gives you the motivation to exercise for yourself. Whereas that willpower and attitude can be hard to obtain at home. 

Workouts Themselves

Another big obstacle about exercising at the gym is many don’t know what to do, and I mean fair. So then it is even harder to get to the gym because you don’t know what to do, and don’t want to hurt yourself or look silly. However, there are options for this too:

• Get a Trainer – gyms have business cards of numerous trainers that work out of their gym.
• Seek out a professional – talk to someone that knows about working out and will give you advice on where to start.
• Pinterest – there are many apps like Pinterest that you can find a full workout for all areas of the body.
• Research – look into it. Find what you think might work for you or even learn about different aspects of it so you can tailor it to you.

Like I’ve said before, a great thing about going to the gym is the variety of exercising things you can do because they have the equipment or classes available. 

You can weightlift, do cardio, boxing, etc. One day maybe do one thing, then the next do another. This helps you broaden your skills and helps keep you interested. 

Gym Commitments

Many worry about the cost of going to the gym and is a big reason why people don’t go. However, you need to weigh the pros and cons of not having a gym membership vs having one. And I hope this post helps with that.

Numerous gyms have different types of memberships to try and appeal to lots of different people. Some examples are:

• 12 month membership
• 1 or 3 month membership
• Punch cards
• Day pass

So yes, you don’t have to commit to the gym for a full year and pay for it. You have options to give it a shot or try it out for a few days to see how you like it, then maybe get a bigger, more permanent membership.

Either Way

I can’t stress this enough, but no matter how you choose to workout make sure it is okay for you. Know kind of what you are attempting and go slow to start. You don’t want to try something, at home or at the gym, and end up hurting yourself. 

That’s where the things I’ve mentioned above come in, like online programs, guided workouts, or trainers. To help you get started and kind of understand how to begin.

No matter how you choose to exercise, it is good to exercise and stay active. I’ll link this article as to why. 

For me, I do some of both. I actually got a gym membership so I would be forced to go out of guilt of paying for it. And it’s actually helped. I enjoy going to the gym and always feel good after. However, for the lazier days I have some equipment at home and apps on my phone that I use. 

Either are great to do, just find what works for you. What do you like to do for exercise? Is it at the gym or at home? Or both?