“The word ‘aerobics’ came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we’re going to charge $10 an hour, we can’t call it jumping up and down.” –Rita Rudner, American comedian.

The amount of gym memberships always skyrockets in the first few months of the New Year as people decide to recommit their lives to fitness. However, as everyone knows, very little make the cut and within a few weeks or months the gym wins out with the big bucks.

Most attribute this drop in members to individuals lack of will power or as mentioned in a previous blog #resolutionfails. However, many other factors often contribute to a person’s decision to stay away from their local gym.

One gigantic reason is due to the fact that money does not grow on trees.  According to CNBC, the average gym membership per month is about $40-$50. Although, due to the initiation fee a person may owe their local gym about $800 a year. I don’t know about you but I would love to have an extra $800 in my pocket right now.

In addition, many cringe at the judgment. Not everyone left the womb looking like Keira Knightly or Arnold Schwarzenegger. In some cases the extremely fit visitors of the gym act as its watchdogs. Beginners often feel too self conscious to stay.

Driving to the gym and driving back also wastes a whole lot of time for some people who live far away. A thirty minute workout at home is simply a thirty minute block out of one’s day. However, a thirty minute workout at the gym plus transport is guaranteed to be at least a few minutes longer.

Common Misconceptions

 The conditions at home are not adequate

Many believe or rather want to believe that the conditions at their home render exercise impossible. Perhaps their home is too small. Perhaps the weather or the neighborhood is too bad for a run. However, the actual space required for exercise is not a whole neighborhood or even more than twelve feet.

For example, someone living in a small house on a rainy day could jump rope for cardio, do jumping jacks or burpees all without getting wet or running out of space. Creativity always has a place, especially in fitness.

I often use exercise videos which only require the space in front of the TV. I still get an exhausting workout while staying in the confines of only a few feet. Environment does not have to be an excuse.

I need the gym’s equipment

As mentioned before a jump rope suffices for a run around the block. In the same way many common exercises are capable of taking the place of gym equipment. The key is in finding which exercises work which group of muscles.

In addition, some of the best workout moves use only bodyweight. Take planks for example. They work arms, abs and gluts all at once without lifting a single weight.

“People hear ‘bodyweight training’ and immediately think ‘boring.’ But there are so many more options than pushups, planks, and squats! Think Spider Man pushups, wall sits, and criss-cross kicks. With a little creativity, your options are virtually limitless.” –Shape

Granted some equipment is unique to gyms and may be harder to find a substitution for. For the most part however, home workouts dish out the same results. If a person is truly set on a certain piece of equipment they may want to consider purchasing it. In the long run, the piece of equipment would cost much less than a full time gym membership.

I need someone to train me

Gym classes and personal trainers do serve a purpose. However, the money involved with these ventures often exceeds the benefits.

Newbies and fitness gurus alike need some amount of training and motivation.  Although, this doesn’t necessarily mean large amounts of money need to be involved. As mentioned before, workout videos serve as great instructional and motivational tools. There exists many such videos on the market for different levels of fitness and for an affordable price.

In addition, many phone apps and You Tube videos also help train up those interested in fitness most often for free.

Benefits of going to the gym

Though often impractical in my opinion, gyms still serve a purpose.

• Community- Often people at the gym make friends and band together in a sort of community. These people besides becoming great friends also often encourage others to set and achieve goals. The same sort of fitness community can be achieved by getting friends together to workout (though it might not be as easy).
• Motivation- If a person is not scared off by the gym’s fitness gurus they may be motivated to become like them. People at the gym often work extra hard to seem adequate. Though a stressful form of motivation, it may often times work.

The gym appears to posses more weaknesses than strengths. A person can work out just as hard at home, while saving money and time. Do not believe that in order to be extremely fit you have to own a gym membership.

The choice is yours. Will you be nutty about health?

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @skylerklee and via Email: Skyler Lee.

For last week’s installment of Health Nut read  Health Nut: Coconut Craze.