Dropping gym-going after 20+ years

[Focus]

I've been a faithful gym-goer since my mid-30s. Initially, it offered an endorphin rush, and later it helped me keep the stresses of work in check.

In mid-2017, about two and a half years into retirement and with 60 on the horizon, I stopped going and let my gym membership expire.

This latest gym offered little more than a cheap membership and adequate equipment. In previous gyms, I always struck up casual friendships, but not this one. However, that's not the only reason I dropped it.

As my body has aged, I've found working out has less effect, even after varying my circuit and weights. In fact, after not going for six months, I see (and feel) little difference. It's mainly about keeping the weight off at this point.

I'm considering buying a couple of 20 pound weights and push-up bars and making do with that at home.

Has anyone else found themselves in the same boat? What did you do?

 

[Walt34]

I'm 67 and didn't go to a gym until about three or four years ago, although I did have an exercise routine I did at home.

If I skip a day I can sure feel the difference. If I skip a week it is scary how fast the atrophy sets in. Now I'm afraid to stop going!

 

[HadEnuff]

I recently purchased a Total Gym ( yeah, the one that Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley hawk on TV, or used to hawk, I don't know if they still do),,,
Chances are you can get one very inexpensively on Craigslist. There are a variety of models, so you might do some checking around and look at more than one if you can.
YouTube has many videos on various exercises.
Low impact...
I really like mine. We've made a lot of Chuck Norris jokes and all, but I think it's a good investment if you are sick of going to the gym.
Best of luck!

 

[bloom2708]

I have a spin bike and a treadmill for cold weather. I have outside for walking, biking, running when reasonable out. I did like the gym for 1) Steam Sauna 2) Hot Tub 3) Using their shower/towels 4) Free coffee on my way out

None of those were reasons for keeping the membership. I do pushups and planks and some basic yoga stretches. I set of those customizable dumbells might be a good investment. You can do 5 pounds up to 40 or something by changing the dial. I would like a set of those this new year.

 

[MRG]

We only started a couple years ago. At 60 today, it makes a big difference in how I feel. We took a couple of months off and I regretted it.

We have an excellent faculty, $300 yearly, for two adults. Indoor salt water pool, racket ball courts, full gym, classes.....

 

[RAE]

I've never spent much time in the gym - mostly because I can basically complete my exercise routine at home in about half the time it would take me to drive to the gym and back (and of course, it's free to exercise at home). You can do a variety of basic bodyweight exercises at home without fancy equipment. I do have a chin-up bar mounted in a door frame (bought that for about 20 bucks), and a few weights, but that's about it. I do squats, and some other stand-up core exercises that don't require any equipment. Anyway, it works for me. I am not trying to add muscle at this point in my life, but I would like to keep what I have, for as long as possible.

 

[Marita40]

I finally found a small gym that I really like. It makes a huge difference to me, because on my own I am not motivated to do much. I do spinning and pilates classes at least 5 x per week. The stretching in particular is much needed as I age.

 

[Dawg52]

I figured I would eventually quit too so I never joined.

 

[Danmar]

I belong to a couple of clubs and have fitted out our places where there isn’t a club. I find the cardio part of the workout specially important and noticeable. Been doing regular workouts for almost 40 years. Currently 67. Hope to keep this up for the rest of my active life. It’s a pretty personal thing though. As long as you keep fit somehow.

 

[Texas Proud]

Started to go after retired.... went to Zumba and kinda like it... DW was the one who talked me into it but when I started she was subbing... some of the women thought I was a bit strange... now they know that I am married to DW no problems...

I also do treadmill and once in awhile the weight machines... they have a circuit that I use.. rarely will do some basketball with DD when she is not in school... can still beat her in horse even though my shot is horrible compared to when I was young... the wrist just does not bend like it used too and I did not play for over 30 years...

I wish I had a steam room... we do have sauna but I do not like it as much as steam... and it is broke whenever I do decide to go try it out

 

[frayne]

During my work years I belonged to a nice "Y" and went whenever I could, mainly to play basketball, swim and some light weight room stuff. Since I retired and moved 500 miles south I joined a Planet Fitness and try to hit it at least three times a week, even more when the weather is not conducive to golf. My routine usually lasts an hour to an hour and a half and is more to keep the weight in check and stay limber as opposed to building a six pack. I usually go between nine and noon and have built up some pretty good casual friendships both men and women. As a side note, it gets me out of the house when the weather is cold or bad. The cost is something like $10 a month and it is open 24/7, a no brainer in my case.

 

[Focus]

The cost is something like $10 a month and it is open 24/7, a no brainer in my case.

That's a great deal. If I had one close, I'd sign up.

 

[Bestwifeever]

....

I'm considering buying a couple of 20 pound weights and push-up bars and making do with that at home.
....

Why not? That’s pretty inexpensive and if you find out you miss the gym you can always go back.

I need the cardio equipment (I whine a lot if I have to be outside) in our very nice gym, and the showers and shampoo etc are nicer that what we have at home. I like it so much I’ve joined and rejoined three times over the past decade (it’s really DH’s thing).

 

[Splash]

I went to the local YMCA before work several times a week for 25 years. Then I cancelled my membership after retiring in early 2017. I really missed the energy of group exercise classes and couldn't motivate myself to do exercise videos at home so I rejoined 7 months later. Since I'm no longer willing to get up at 5:00 a.m. to exercise I am going to different classes than before and meeting new people. It's taken me awhile to find my niche again but I'm now enjoying it.

My suggestion is to keep trying different things until you find something that motivates you. It doesn't have to be an exercise class or equipment in a gym but I think it's important to keep moving.

 

[RetiredGypsy]

I went to the gym to lift heavy weights, and I loved the environment. But after the knee replacement, I've been given a lifetime ban on heavy free weights (the machines and their limited range of motion usually hurt my shoulders), so all my workouts now have been at home.

I have adjustable dumbbells that go up to 25 pound each, but I've been using resistance bands, and I like them so much more. For $30, it was cheaper, and so much more versatile. It doesn't hurt my knee to pick them up like it does free weights, and I have a much greater degree of resistance I can use.

I also bought one of those pushup/pullup bars that hook around door frames, and that's been great too.

A thick yoga mat, an exercise bike, and I have a home workout setup that cost less than a year at the gym. And it can all fold up and be out of the way in a minute when I'm done.

I still miss the gym environment though. And some of the views.

 

[akidagain2018]

This is the first time (Jan. 1) that I have not had a membership to at least one gym in....let me think....like 33 years. I would go, and also run 5+ miles, each of 5 days a week, more or less. Swam lots of miles too. Made lots of friends but less and less as everyone ages. It is surprisingly liberating not feeling I need to go to the gym. I had to back off due some injuries I just could not recuperate from without stopping the exercising. I was a member of the gym and hardly using it for the last couple years. So that was a waste, and so unlike me. But on average over the years I got my money's worth and then some. My older friends want me to join a place with nice spa features, not much of a gym. And I don't even want to go visit. It feels like my days of being locked inside at the office or in a gym are dwindling, and this is a major step in that process. My gym was closing and I could have moved to another nearby lesser quality gym in the same chain, but instead gave my notice of termination. It feels good to have more time to enjoy my life and my home and vacation home when I am there. Fear not, there is life after quitting the gym and it is sweet. It is filled with walks and hikes in nature.

 

[Music Lover]

I gave up my gym membership a good 25 years ago. I bought a bunch of weights (used, of course) along with a good squat rack/power cage and have been working out at home ever since. I don't miss the gym membership at all...when I had a membership, it was close to work so if I stopped after work it was always the busy time, and if I went home first I rarely drove back.

There is no need to spend thousands on fancy machines...you can do a lot at home with just a set of dumbbells, a bench, and a chinup bar. Over the years I've tweaked my workouts to maximize their efficiency and keep myself in what I think is great shape on just a half hour a day.

 

[athena53]

I'm almost 65 and I love my gym. I work out daily. Just got back from a road trip to the Carolinas and even then managed it- hotel gyms or the local Planet Fitness (I'm a member). My workouts burn 700 calories a day. I weigh the same as I did when I graduated HS and wouldn't trade bodies with most of the 20-something women I see. I'm on only one prescription and it deals with a symptom of menopause.

Frankly, I'm afraid to STOP working out! I prefer a gym because, although I've owned equipment at home, eventually it wears out and it's cumbersome and expensive to get it out of the house. I'm pretty sure the gyms also buy better-quality equipment that can handle heavy use.

 

[Ronstar]

I used to go to the gym a lot - in the 1980's. Probably only been to a gym 5 times since then. I found that as I got older, I could get just as good of a workout at home. I have an old Bowflex, Bowflex adjustable dumbbells and a treadmill. (I seldom use the treadmill.) But I do get a lot of cardio outdoors.

So I believe that OP would maintain fitness just as well or better at home as compared to a gym.

 

[Music Lover]

So I believe that OP would maintain fitness just as well or better at home as compared to a gym.

I agree, but it depends on the person. Some people with a home gym might find it too easy to skip a workout because it's not costing $XX per month and because they can work out "any time I want", so it sometimes becomes easy to skip a workout.

 

[supernova72]

I've found that home gym means basically no gym for me. Im 57 and having been going since I took my corporate job at 23 yrs old. I'm a bit strange that way and even workout on vacations.

Different strokes however but now the gym is one of my social outlets as well. Before it was just in and out after working 8-5. You might not see the physical gains you once did but it may be helping in other ways (home or at the gym). Good luck!

 

[Ronstar]

I may be wrong, but maybe gym/no gym is a extrovert/introvert type of thing. DW is somewhat of an extrovert and goes to the gym 4 times a week. She prefers to exercise with others. I'm an introvert and never go. I like to exercise alone.

 

[UtahSkier]

I may be wrong, but maybe gym/no gym is a extrovert/introvert type of thing. DW is somewhat of an extrovert and goes to the gym 4 times a week. She prefers to exercise with others. I'm an introvert and never go. I like to exercise alone.

Probably not. I am INTJ and have been going to the gym many times a week for 30 years. I go when the gym is not busy and talk to no one during my 2 hr workout.

Sometimes, someone will try to talk to me. I am sure my charming personality convinces them to bother someone else

I have a home gym and have a gym membership so I can maintain functional strength. At home, I have a set of Bowflex adjustable weights, an adjustable bench, lifecycle bike and a bar for pullups.

Now, I'm a skier and Mtn Biker. (skied 31K icy vertical feet just today!!!!) I have a variety of physical aches and pains that I have to address through a variety of workouts. These activities keep me in the game.

I read a lot about aging and physical fitness and these are my 3 takeaways;

1. Maintain and improve muscle mass
2. Bend bones
3. Maintain and improve balance.

Item 3, I do at home with a variety of DVD workouts.

But, the first 2 require the kind of equipment found a the gym.

 

[Focus]

I have adjustable dumbbells that go up to 25 pound each, but I've been using resistance bands, and I like them so much more. For $30, it was cheaper, and so much more versatile. It doesn't hurt my knee to pick them up like it does free weights, and I have a much greater degree of resistance I can use.

I hadn't even considered resistance bands. Thanks for the link. I'll look into them.

 

[Texas Proud]

I am curious how many people have SilverSneaker or something like that name... free gym membership as some healthcare plans pay for it...

I know that my mom is on it and hers is free...


https://www.silversneakers.com/learn/gym-fitness/