Comments on: Skip Gyms, Exercise Outside

By: keith anderson

keith anderson — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 14:53:25 +0000

Nate, with 8 children it sounds like you have found another exercise, juggling.

By: Monkey Monk

Monkey Monk — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:24:35 +0000

I used to belong to a tennis club that was in the $120 per month range (had to pay extra for court time).

I quit a few years ago and built up a network of people to play with on the many local public courts. I play just as much and save over $1000 per year. The biggest downside was that I can only 7-8 months of the year due to Winter . . . so I took up platform tennis which is an awesome winter variation on tennis that is played during the months you don’t play tennis. Win-win.

By: Steve @ pfstartup

Steve @ pfstartup — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:52:02 +0000

I absolutely agree with this idea. I take it a step further and spend some of that money that I would have spent at the gym on a football, or a jump rope, or medicine ball. Take the gym home by making little purchases a month that over time will accumulate into a pseudo gym that requires no monthly payments.

Many of you might not have jumped rope since middle school, but it is quite the workout. Plus it’s super cool if you can jump rope like ROCKY.

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:32:21 +0000

There are lots of ‘free’ excercises you can do. The catch? Look in the mirror! Push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, mtn. climbers, squats, yoga, stretching, running…etc. The list goes on and on. Bodyweight excercises are some of the best ones you can do to stay fit and takes very minimal equipment and expense. AND they can be done anywhere!! Just do them!

By: Jace

Jace — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:16:39 +0000

We recently joined a fitness boxing club that gives us free access to their weights and fitness equipment and we can take a number of different classes including boxing and kickboxing. It’s better than a generic gym membership because we get a trainer giving us help and tips. We also have scheduled classes so there’s less desire to slack off when you know you have a specific date and time that you need to go. It’s easier to schedule around. We also signed a very aggressive commitment contract so even if we decide to quit we owe the remainder of the year’s dues. Might as well go, we’re paying for it anyway.

By: TStrump

TStrump — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 05:13:44 +0000

I frequently go for walks but I have to confess, I could never give up the gym.
I’m not sure the free options would be enough for me.
The trick is to get a gym close to where you live so you’ll use it.
My gym is a few blocks away.

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:17:40 +0000

I love walking our puppy through the neighborhood, or taking her up to the levee along the Mississippi River. I also like biking along the levee.

My preference is definitely for exercising outsite when possible, but I’m considering a treadmill for bad weather. When we don’t walk I get really cranky!

I’m also considering a weight bench & free weights for my high school son.

Getting the equipment would be cheaper over the long run than paying a gym, and less time driving involved.

The problem is space… I’m planning to clean out the garage in hopes of fitting the equipment in there.

By: jen

jen — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:29:01 +0000

just googled it–it is available nationwide until May of this year. wow! at that price, you can afford to exercise outside on nice days and not feel guilty

By: H-Town

H-Town — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:20:36 +0000

That’s so true for me! When I have a monthly subscription for something, I immediately feel guilty whenever I’m not using it. That’s why I try and avoid getting anything where I pay monthly because I feel the weight of it hanging over me.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 12:38:54 +0000

Srikkanth–did you sign up recently? That is a great deal! I wonder if that deal is available nationwide?

By: Srikkanth Sridhar

Srikkanth Sridhar — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 07:04:10 +0000

I bought a Gym memebership from Costco that is teaming up with 24-hr fitness and offeringm two year memebership for $299. It turns out to be a very good deal at $12.5 per month. But you have to pay extra if you opt for a personal trainer. Still it is a excellent deal.

By: Red

Red — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:07:51 +0000

I go to a gym that costs $99 per year if you pay each year in full by January 1st. It doesn’t offer any classes, but has a more than enough cardio machines and enough weight equipment for those of us that acutally use it. At 99 a year, I don’t feel bad getting a membership and blowing it off for an outside workout over the summer months (or during the two weeks around finals 4 times a year when I don’t have time to sleep, let alone work out). Summers, i hit the outdoors instead. My county has a beautiful rail trail that is great for biking and running in small chunks throughout the summer. I also drag my friends to play a few hours of sand volleyball at least once a week as we have courts at every park in the county. Talk about a good leg workour, good enough to skip lunges and squats for a week!!!

I also, prior to this gym belonged to the local YWCA. Membership was about $20 per month. Equipment was older and didn’t look as appealing, but it got the job done for pretty cheap!

By: jennifer

jennifer — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:23:39 +0000

We finally broke down and bought a treadmill at Costco. (just under $1000). It works for me because I don’t have to drive to/from the gym (saves 25 minutes). I get to pick what I WANT to watch on tv! I get dvds to watch free at the library. I don’t feel guilty when I walk outside (with my gym membership, I kind of always thought I should go there). I don’t have to double check what I am wearing wooohooo! As a large breasted woman (yes, I am blessed), I am always pretty self conscious and end up wearing 2 bras and a shirt—jeeezzz…that is hot sometimes! At home, I get to wear anything! I do miss the exercise classes, but not enough to go back. I go to yoga on occasion at an actual yoga studio–better than my gym. I bought a few free weights and use them more than at the gym–go figure! My husband has a bike trainer and feels the same way. He rides outside when the weather is good and stays inside watching his favorite shows while he cycles. All in all, it has been a a good choice for our family.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:27:00 +0000

my wife pays $134/mo for her gym. Her works reimburses her half, so it costs $67/mo. I couldn’t understand it, but she likes this gym a lot. The gym is very nice, not crowded, very close to our house, and the big seller for her is that all the classes like yoga and pilates do not cost extra like other gyms. They also have a class every day that fits into her schedule and is not crowded. So she goes 6 days a week. Although I don’t like working out in gyms myself, I was finally swayed and the cost ends up being very cheap since she takes advantage of 6 classes a week.

By: Live Money Smart

Live Money Smart — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:09:06 +0000

For the past few years I lived in a townhome community that had a nice gym and pool which I utilized. I know its wasn’t free, but either way I had to pay the HOA fees.

I recently moved to a neighborhood without a gym, so I started looking around for a good deal on a gym or a treadmill. The gyms were all pretty expensive, but I ended up finding a great used treadmill on craigslist for $120.