Exercise: Home Or Gym?

Making the decision of where you will go to exercise is a very important step in reaching your fitness goals.  A lot of factors will go into this decision, and each one should be evaluated well before you start exercising.  Once you have made a decision on where you will go to exercise, you can move on to deciding how you plan to work out.

Image by Ed Yourdon via FlickrAs you probably know, exercising at home has many advantages.  The finance department is one of the best ones.  With the gas prices being what they are today, it is quite obvious that you'll save money on fuel as well as wear and tear on your vehicle by choosing to exercise at home.

Memberships to a gym can often be quite expensive and may include other things that you don't need such as child care or swimming pools.  You also won't need to be concerned about the latest trends of exercise gear as you most likely will be exercising by yourself at home.

But keep in mind that working out at home does require a bit of financial obligation.  Even though you may plan just to go running, for example, it is very important that you have high quality running shoes.  This statement applies to any type of equipment that you may purchase to use at home.  If you go out and buy cheap equipment, you'll probably end up getting hurt or getting frustrated because you aren't making any progress.

Along with the financial advantages, exercising at home may also help those who don't like to work out in public.  If you are worried about how you look in gym clothes, it is very comforting to know that the only person who has to be with you when you exercise at home is you.  Also, when you exercise at home, you don't need to worry about the time involved in getting to or from the gym, or being away from home (you can even do certain chores - such as laundry - while you are working out).

But for those of you who are motivated by being with people you know or come to know while working out away from home, a gym may be a better idea than working out at home.  At the gym, you'll  also have more of a selection of equipment as well, far more than you'll have at home.

Image via WikipediaIf you need other services than just a few weights and equipment, the gym may be the best place to go. Rather than buying a ton of equipment, you can just use all the equipment that is already there, for a small fraction of the cost of buying it all yourself. If you plan to swim a triathlon, you'll find the swimming pool at the gym to be just what you need to prepare yourself.  Swimming is also a great exercise for your body and cardio, as it will work muscles in your body that you probably didn't even know you had.

Gyms will also offer classes that you may find very fun and motivating.  If you attend class on a regular basis, you may be motivated enough to continue, as you see the progress you are making. You can also meet new people in class, and even help others along if you choose.

All in all, making the choice of exercising at home or at the gym is a choice you should make based on your goals, personality, and personal preference.  The most important decision you'll need to make is to determine what type of environment you want to be in and how you want to accomplish the fitness goals that you have.

Once you have given it some thought and weighed out the pros and cons, you'll have no problem making the choice.  And of course always keep in mind that once you've made your choice, it's not set in stone. You can always switch if you aren't happy with the choice you made, or combine the two and just work out occasionally at home and the rest of the time at the gym, or vice versa.