Are you spending money on a gym membership that you don’t use? Have you ever gotten all dressed up in your activewear, charged your Fitbit, and went to walk out the front door on your way to the gym only to turn around and go back inside. “Nah I’ll definitely go tomorrow morning before work” Okay maybe that was just me…. but it really is a lot of effort to come home from work, get dressed and drive to the gym. All that before you have even started your workout. Not to mention the anxiety-inducing experience of walking into the gym surrounded by gym bros doing bicep curls and chicks who are hot enough to have a million instagram followers. But I digress. The point is, are our gym memberships really worth the price? For some people, the answer is probably yes but for a lot of others like myself, it is definitely not.
I gave up the gym membership a while back after six months of continually telling myself I would wake up at 5:30 am and hit the gym to start my day. A great theory but in practice, I think I actually did this, maybe one time? I could no longer justify the cost because despite my good intentions I just was not making the most of my membership. So I canceled it and instead now opt for youtube workouts in the comfort of my own home. It really is amazing what youtube can offer you. You can do fitness dance classes, proper workouts with qualified personal trainers, yoga, boxing, and low impact exercise all for free!
Here are some of my favourite youtube fitness channels and some of my favourite workouts.
1. Sydney Cummings She is my number one go too. She posts a new workout every day, 7 days per week. She ranges from hour-long sweat sessions right down to a quick 10-minute burner and she also has different workouts for whether you want to focus on Arms, legs, abs, or cardio.
2. Yoga with Adriene. If you are wanting something a little calmer, then Yoga is a great option. Yoga with Adriene is the biggest yoga channel on youtube. I personally like the beginner videos.
3. Pop Sugar Fitness. Now if you are off a certain age you will probably remember doing one of your mum’s exercise DVD’s. We only had one and my god it does get stale to do the same workout because you only have ONE exercise DVD. Well, the Pop sugar fitness youtube channel has the same vibe as those early 2000’s exercise DVDs. They are fun and happy with the main instructor, the sidekick woman who has a six pack, and then the woman like me who has to do the modified version of the workout. They are great fun and post new workouts as well as new styles of workout so you will never get bored.
4. The body Project – If you like more low-impact workouts just to get the blood flowing then check out the Body Project. Don’t get me wrong you will still work up a decent sweat but you will be able to challenge yourself whilst also not needing to stop every five minutes for a water break.
If you are not really into the online world of exercise there are other low-cost alternatives you can factor into your daily life as well. You can go for a jog or walk around where you live or organise a bike ride with a friend. With the increase of interactive exercise, there are also some fun workout games out there that you might enjoy. I personally use the Ringfit on Nintendo Switch which I find quite fun.
These are just some of the channels I use but there are so many workouts online that will fit whatever type of exercise you are into. So if you are feeling like your gym membership is not quite making the cut then maybe trial some of these alternative workouts and see if it’s something you can stick with. The benefit of bringing some form of daily exercise into your life is so important to not only physical health but also mental health. The effects have been proven, so whatever you need whether its a gym membership or any other alternatives to incorporate physical activity into your routine, just do it.
Pingback: Five things I stopped spending on - No Frills Finance