Why I gave up my gym membership

Up until my second pregnancy, I had been a member of a gym or fitness center ever since my childhood days at the YMCA.  I did most of my reading and studying for my B.S. degree while using the cardio equipment at the university gym.  During my first career as an engineer, I changed job locations six times, but I made sure that every work facility provided an on-site fitness center.  The one exception was the national headquarters building, but that employer offered a free membership at the city's most exclusive fitness club just a few miles away.  Having access to a gym was always a priority for me.

For many years, I paid for a  membership at Gold's Gym, but it changed ownership at least six times before the facility finally shut down completely.  The only other gym option less than 20 minutes from our home did not provide childcare.  I could not find the time to drive over 30 minutes each way to a gym every day, and I did not want to pay 2-3 times higher fees for an exclusive facility that provided decent childcare.  By the time our son was born, I forfeited gym membership entirely.

As a life long gym rat, I expected the transition away from the gym to be difficult for me.  I do miss the friendships I found there.  I miss the long talks about things of eternal significance that I would have with complete strangers while working out.  There are many more things, however, that I do not miss such as:

• Long commutes and busy traffic
• The aromas of hundreds of people (each having different personal hygiene standards) sweating all around me
• The long lines to access my favorite pieces of equipment 
• Sweaty equipment and constantly looking for the spray bottle and towel so I could clean each piece of equipment I used
• The annoying squeaks made by multiple machines whirring all at once, with each machine needing a major tune-up
• Offensive movie videos or cable TV shows projected from TV monitors posted in every direction I would turn my head
• VERY offensive and headache inducing music blasting loudly from the speakers
• Having no control over the thermostat
• Having no control over which way the fan is blowing
• The loud grunting noises made by body builders (Now that I also lift some weights and have personally found myself grunting to finish a set, I realize that not all those guys were simply showing off to draw attention as I initially assumed.)
• The "meat market" atmosphere and my counter attempts to look frumpy and disinterested
• Concerns about all the sick kids in the child zone who could be exposing my child to germs
• Half naked men and women who do not value personal modesty
• Steamy locker rooms that always frizzed my hair
• The hassle of packing a gym bag every day
• Feeling pressure to wear decent looking workout clothes with colors that actually coordinate 
• Feeling like I must take the time to comb my hair into a neat pony tail before working out
• The hassle of renting lockers and trying to remember the combination
• Feeling self conscious while working out because of concerns that someone from the upper mezzanine may be watching me embarrass myself
• Driving all the way to the gym to discover that it was closed for a holiday, maintenance, or some other excuse
• Feeling perpetually disappointed that all my favorite workout classes were scheduled during times when I was not available (Now, I can just play the video of my choosing whenever I please.)

It has now been five years since I have had a gym membership, and I am stronger now than I ever was when I had a membership.  While I do wish there was a nicer YMCA close to our home for our children to enjoy, I have no regrets about quitting and have found that simple home workouts are far more effective in promoting fitness than any gym quality Nautilus or Cybex equipment.  Those machines are designed to prevent lawsuits. They are safe, but they really are not that effective.  They isolate muscles instead of training them to all work together, and they do not build muscles proportionately as required in real life situations.  Free weights trump weight machines.  Rocky was right, and research is being published that proves it.

When I decided to move my gym to our house, I bought a few workout videos, several free weights, and a chin-up bar.  If we weren't trying to sell our house, I would install mirrors along a wall in our home gym so I could check for proper form.  We have three sets of staircases in our home, so we certainly do not need a stair climber.  I did buy an elliptical, but that isn't necessary for most people.   I try to run at least once a week outside and then mix up my workouts inside for the rest of the week.  On the occasional night when insomnia strikes, I'll go to our home gym and workout for 20-30 minutes (even at 3am), and that tires me out just enough to fall fast asleep. Homeschooling parents are all about flexibility, and I really like the flexibility that having a home gym provides.

I am finding that my home workouts can also be fun for the children when I include them.  Sometimes, I ditch my regular free weights and use the kids as free weights instead.  The following photos, which were mostly taken by a squirmy 7-year old, illustrate some of my favorite "child weight" (as opposed to free weights) exercises.  These photos also remind me how much I need those mirrors so I can work on my form!

One of my all time favorite free weights

I usually try to begin and end my workouts by rolling out all my tight muscles to help address and prevent knee tracking issues.  The more weight I apply to the foam roller at the trigger point, the easier it is to loosen the muscles.  My son is always happy to offer his assistance by adding his full body weight.

Rolling out tight muscles

There are a variety of different push-ups that I like to do with a child weight on my back.  Standard, wide, military, and side-to-side push-ups can all be done with an agile child on your back.

Push-up: going down

Push-up: coming up

While down on the floor, I usually flip over and do several different chest presses with one of my child weights.  The arm-pit grab keeps my arms close together and targets the arm and the chest muscles.

Chest press (armpit grab): step 1

Chest press (armpit grab): step 2

The 90 degree variation of the chest press works the pecs and shoulders.

Chest press 2:  step 1

Chest press 2:  step 2

Chest press with a side-to-side variation

Kids love piggy-back rides. So, while I'm toting the kids around on my back, I'll usually do a few squats.  It is important to keep your back straight and to make sure that your knees do not track over the toes.

Squat: step 1

Squat: step 2 (Not the best form here)

As I carry the kids around, I'll walk with deep lunges to strengthen my quadriceps.  Since a knee injury has kept me from doing much running since last October, my calves need some serious rebuilding.  So, I guess I should add in some calf raises whenever I'm giving piggy back rides.

Calf raises (back should be straighter than pictured here)

There are so many possibilities for incorporating children into your workouts.  I recently bought a bike for $5 from a neighbor. I have enjoyed biking with the kids each evening, but it is really hard to make a women's 10 speed bike travel down hill at a kid's bike pace.  They bike slower than I run, so I think I'll start running when they bike and then bike alone another time.

"I want to ride my bicycle...I want to ride my bike!" (Queen)

 What at home exercises do you enjoy?  How do you involve your children?