Have you ever told yourself ‘Tomorrow I’m going to start working out’? I know I have countless times. Health is a priority for a lot of people, but finding the time and the money to work out can be a challenge. Is it better to sign up for a gym membership or to make yourself a home gym?
Prioritizing Your Health
Working out is a core part of a healthy lifestyle. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends two and a half hours of moderate activity and two days of muscle strengthening activities per week.
Where and what you do for exercise is totally up to you. As long as you get your heart rate pumping, you can run, climb, or spin. Weight bearing exercises, like lifting weights or body weight exercises, are important for bone health, while cardio is great for burning calories and increasing your wind.
Used Home Equipment: Pros
Buying used home equipment has several major pros.
-The equipment belongs to you
-You can work out whenever you want without leaving your house
-You buy equipment just once, and don’t have to pay a monthly fee
-No need to commute to the gym
Having used home equipment in your own home is one of the most convenient ways to work out. Owning your own equipment can save you time and money, since you have the tools you need in your own home.
But there are some drawbacks to owning your own equipment. Firstly, you’ll need someplace to store all of it. Secondly, some equipment can be quite expensive. While things like dumbbells are affordable, if you want to have a machine in your home it can get expensive. Consider the Bowflex PR 3000, which is over $700 on Amazon’s pre-owned list.
Gym Membership: Pros
In 2015, over 55 million people in the US had a gym membership. You’d be in good company if you decided to opt for the gym membership. Here are some of the pros that come with one.
-You can shower at the gym, saving you time and money on your own water bill
-You don’t have to invest in any equipment of your own
-You’ll have a wider range of equipment at your disposal
-You can usually take classes
-You have the option of working with a personal trainer
If you’re serious about getting in shape you might be better off with a gym membership. The variety of classes, machines, and tools to you at a gym will be much deeper than pretty much anything you can buy for your own home. Plus, gyms have trainers who work there. While personal training does come with an extra fee, it’s well worth it to learn the correct form for certain exercises, and to talk with someone about hitting your fitness goals.
Which is Right For You?
Before you make a decision on either thing, ask yourself what your health and fitness goals are, and what you’re willing to do to bring them to life. If you know that you need flexibility with your workouts, owning used home exercise equipment might be the right fit. If you know that you’re dedicated and you just need to get back into a routine, joining a gym might give you the challenge and the tools you need.
Any exercise is good for you, so there’s really no wrong choice here! Tell me, what do you do to work out? Do you own any equipment or do you belong to a gym?
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Kara Perez is the original founder of From Frugal To Free. She is a money expert, speaker and founder of Bravely Go, a feminist financial education company. Her work has been featured on NPR, Business Insider, Forbes, and Elite Daily.