This article goes out to those who enjoy working out for fitness.
As you get more mature (older) and settle down, and perhaps have a family, think about a home gym for your workouts. Time is more valuable and precious. The time you save can be spent with your loved ones or other interests.

When you are younger, the community gym ( Gold’s, World Gym, etc. ) can be a thrilling experience. Shiny equipment and shiny, sweaty bodies of the opposite sex are in abundance. Your youthful zeal allows you to work to failure without a really exhausting effort. You catch someone watching you do heavy curls out of the corner of your eye. You pump even harder. The air is filled with pumped up testosterone and oozing female hormones. There is the scent of the pretty girl’s perfume as her body heats up from exercise and the musky smell of male perspiration. The atmosphere is raging with excitement, male watching female, female watching male, same sex admiration or envy ( depending on one’s personal growth level ). Advice is given. Then it is either taken or thrown to the side. There are trainers to keep you on track,and to keep you coming back. And all in one deep breath,inspiration and frustration fill you psyche.

If you have been working out on a regular basis at all, by the time you are 30 years old or so, you have a petty good idea of what you want out of your workouts, what you expect of yourself, what you demand of yourself, and your goals for your physical well-being. You know what you can or can not do. You do not necessarily need pushed or coaxed by another person.

Personally, I liked the community gym atmosphere. I joined and went to them into my mid to late 30’s. In my 30’s, I would take my 3 daughters with me to the local gym. I would buy each of them a tiger milk bar and a bottle of Perrier. They thought this was a special treat. They would sit and observe all the members working out at that time, and talk with the owners and their daughters. As adults, all three daughters exercise and work out. So I believe this was a beneficial experience for them.

What I did not like about the community gym was wasted time. There was the time to get there, changing clothes, after working out – getting undressed, showering, getting dressed again, the drive back home and then getting my mind back to the home life mode. Sometimes, after working a long day, I just did not have enough energy to get cleaned up to repeat the whole process again.

Money was an issue with my earlier gym experiences. Membership fees were quite high. At the last gym I went to, the one with my kids, I paid a small fee per workout session. Of course, I knew the owner since we were teenagers. We worked out in a weight room in the basement of The Boy’s Club. With a monthly or yearly membership, I would feel guilty or cheated if I could not make it for a workout.

I now, solely, work out at home. At home, there is no time wasted. There is no specific time I have to fit a workout in. There is no traffic to contend with. I can have dinner, relax, then go to my home gym at 8:00, 9:00, or whenever I choose to do so. I have a full gym to meet my needs, including my last and most expensive piece of equipment, a hack-squat, leg press machine.

You can set up a gym relatively cheap. You need a weight bench, preferably with a lat attachment. You will probably want to purchase some dumbbells. Buy a pair every month, 20’s this month 30’s next month and soon there will be no more to buy. I bought my first dumbbells right out of college. I got a pair of 35’s and a pair of 60’s. The price was not much different from today’s prices. You purchase dumbbell stacks. They are kind of pricey. But one stack can range from 5 to 80 pounds, so it saves a lot of space.

Aerobic exercise can be done outside. Eventually, you will want to get a treadmill of elliptical machine for those not so fair weather days. A heavy bag is also good for an aerobic and power workout.

If you are blessed with a better than average lifestyle, I’d say, go for it all at once. Otherwise, pick up a piece of equipment here or there. Pick up a pair of dumbbells once in a while. Build your gym. All of these items can be bought used. Check the want ads. Here in Arizona, we have a chain of stores named Play It Again Sports,where they sell new and used equipment at a substantially discounted price.

If you enjoy the whole community gym experience, then stay with it. I am just telling the story of one guy who tired of it. I am offering an alternative way to make your time, your time. And if you tire of waiting to get your next set in, until some gets of the bench or machine you want to use, then think about a home gym. At the home gym, there is no waiting required.

Out of the many health clubs out there for you to join, the one that is most familiar to you will normally be the one you gravitate to. After all, if it’s well known, it has to be good right?

Can you name another brand name club that has more familiarity that Gold’s Gym?

Sure, you’ve got 24 Hour Fitness, Life Time Fitness, Bally Total Fitness, as well as women’s only clubs like Curves and Living Well Lady. But seriously, is there another name that rings “fitness” like Gold’s Gym?

With that being said, should your local Gold’s Gym be the recipient of your business?

Maybe, maybe not. And here’s why.

Most people don’t know or understand the fact that many of the clubs under the Gold’s Gym “umbrella” are franchised operations. What this means is that each of these clubs is owned by an individual other than Gold’s Gym. These people license the name and systems that Gold’s has created in order to take advantage of name recognicion and business stability.

But this is a good thing, right?

In most instances, it is. However, there are over 500 Gold’s Gym franchises in the world. Do you really think that the Gold’s Franchising Center can actually police everyone to make sure that the Gold’s name is being represented properly?

Some owners form the exception and not the rule in the manner in which they run their clubs. Unethical behavior like slow or no customer service, unclean facilities, poor membership management, hard selling tactics, and other awful business practices plague these organizations and create distrust in the local community.

Of course, most Gold’s Gym franchise holders operate in a well developed manner and will not have anything to do with the practices listed above.

What does this mean to you as the consumer?

Obviously, it means you need to do your homework. Do not assume that just because the name states “Gold’s Gym” on the outside that it actually represents the true embodiment of what Gold’s is supposed to be.

Make sure to do your local Better Business Bureau search and ask around the see if you can dig up any dirt from friends and coworkers.

Should your research prove fruitful and your local Gold’s passes the initial tests, grab a week pass to test the place out. Beware of any hard sell tactics as these are a dead give away of the customer service level.

All in all, just because the name sound familiar, don’t let that sway your judgment until you’ve done the proper research. After all, you know what they say about assumptions.

A big part of completing a successful fitness-training program is maintaining a good level of motivation.
Some people can workout at home alone and not need any external inspiration to push them to train and improve their training.

Some people like to be inspired by attending a gym where they will get to see other motivated people, or people who are in good physical condition, and this will give them the motivation to continue exercising and ultimately succeed in reaching their goals.

There is always the added attraction of having others to compete with by joining a gym and this is good for advancing your fitness.

Some people like the social factor of attending a gym where they get the chance to interact with other people and this helps to make the gym a more attractive place to visit.

Anything that gets you motivated to continue to exercise is beneficial even if it is just for the social factor.

This is a very important decision that needs to be addressed before determining where you are going to spend your money.
If you are the type of person who doesn’t have much motivation then a home gym might not be the best choice, however you might find that it is easier to use the gym at home that to get motivated to get ready and drive to the gym.

The weather conditions throughout the year need to also be taken into account with winter being a particularly unpleasant time in some areas to venture out at night after a hard day at work.

Finances will also play a part in the decision of most people, with gym memberships requiring on going payments and home gyms being one fixed payment or alternatively paying the equipment off over a period of time but owning an asset once it has been paid for.

Ever been to use a piece of equipment at the gym and it’s full of sweat from the guy that just used it? It’s no wonder that many people dream of just having their own home gym. There are certainly some advantages to going this route but there are also some downsides that many people do not consider.

Having a home gym can save you money in the long run. Although there is the initial outlay for equipment, as the months go by you’ll soon be better off than paying a monthly subscription to a gym.

With a home gym you only need to get the equipment that you use. You can completely personalize your environment by getting your own machines and decorating it to your taste. You can put up motivational posters, paint it your favorite colors and have it the temperature you want.

Another big benefit is there is none of your precious time wasted. You don’t have to fight through traffic to reach the gym, only to find that you have to wait to use each particular piece of equipment. You can do your workout on your own terms, whenever you want.

On the downside, some people may miss the camaraderie of having other people and personal trainers around them. However, others would argue that they don’t like exercising in front of people because they are self-conscious.

By working out at home you may miss out on the advice that the gym’s personal trainers can give you. They can help tailor a program to your needs, and help you achieve your goals. If your budget allows, you can pay one to come to your home gym and advise you on a suitable program.

Another important consideration of training alone is safety. If you are weight training you may not have a spotter in your home gym. This may influence the type of equipment you buy. Weights machine tend to be safer than free weights. Alternatively you could consider a Smith machine or power cage.

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“I know I should exercise,” a good friend of mine was lamenting to me late last week, “but I really hate going to gyms.” I have to admit, my initial response to this was incredulity – even in my much heavier days (when I had a BMI of 35, very little of which was due to muscle!), I still loved the gym environment. There’s something about being able to pit myself against machines that really kicks in my stubborn streak. Something in me clicks and I downright *refuse* to let the machines win. But to be honest, she’s not the first person I’ve heard say this.

So I started asking around, and quickly found that my friend wasn’t the only person who thought this way. Reasons for avoiding the gym varied, but they seemed to fall into one of four categories:

1. HYGIENE:

To quote one person, “Having to sit where other people have been sweating just grosses me out!”

2. EXPENSE:

If you’re already struggling to make ends meet, the yearly cost of a gym can feel totally unjustifiable

3. INCONVENIENCE:

The hassle of taking time out of an already overloaded schedule, not just to work out, but the travel time too

4. EMBARRASSMENT FACTOR:

The worry that everyone else on the floor will be either muscle-men or toned, tanned gym-bunnies who’d react with either disgust or derision to any less-than-perfect newbie with the audacity to profane their hallowed halls

Now, I could answer almost all of these objections (except for No. 2 – even I can accept that if the money genuinely won’t stretch, it just won’t stretch) with the suggestion that you just need to choose the right gym (both location and clientele-wise) for you, and follow basic gym etiquette (like always keeping a towel between you and the equipment).

There may, of course, be other reasons I haven’t covered as well. If you like the idea of working out in a gym, but can’t (for whatever reason), please contact me, and I’ll try to come up with a solution for you. However, that’s not what this article’s about. And the good news is, we don’t actually need to find solutions in the first place! Why? Because you really don’t *need* to go to a gym to get – or keep – fit.

Contrary to advertising image claims, gyms *don’t* have a monopoly on people’s ability to move; and that’s all exercise really is. Movement and activity is what’s important to our health, not when and where we do it. We just need to make sure we get enough of it in

Current ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) guidelines suggest that, in order to simply be healthy, you need to move aerobically for 40-60 minutes (not necessarily all at once), 3-5 times each week. If your goal is to lose weight, not just maintain your health, then this needs to happen no less than 5 times per week (although, if you’ve been inactive for some time, you may well need to build up gently to this level!) On top of this, research shows the need to include regular resistance training to help strengthen bones (especially in women), and to help offset (or even reverse) the damage caused by aging.

It sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? Even with all the equipment of a gym available, it can take a little practice for newcomers to create routines that give them all the benefits of the strength and aerobic activities without eating into too much of their valuable time. It can be even harder to manage outside of a gym environment.

With a little planning, however, it is possible to get the activity you need to meet these guidelines without having to sign up for a gym, and Part 2 of this series, we’ll look at how you can do this.

A designer gym bag may look like a normal designer diaper bag or messenger bag. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a bag that is specifically for the gym, instead you can purchase a designer baby bag or tote bag that you can use as a gym bag. Designers are starting to make a variety of size bags to fit almost anyone’s needs.

Handbags are Not Only Small

Nowadays handbags come in a variety of sizes; from itty bitty coin purses all the way up to very large diaper bags. You can find a bag design in any size that you would like. When choosing your designer bag be sure to think of all the possible uses you would like to have your bag for. Perhaps you want to use it as a gym bag or as a designer laptop bag; be sure you know the purpose for your bag before spending hundreds of dollars on it.

If you are not sure how big of a bag you want to purchase consider buying the larger one. It is easier to transform a larger bag to fit your needs than it is going to be to transform a small bag.

Knockoff Designs

If you just want to have the latest designer inspired purse then consider buying a knockoff instead of the authentic designer handbag. Designer handbags are extremely expensive and many people cannot afford to even purchase one of them. For those individuals the idea of purchasing a knockoff design is very enticing. For about one tenth of the price you can purchase a bag that looks like the bag of your dreams.

Since these types of bags are so inexpensive women can purchase several bags to meet all their traveling needs. A woman can have a designer clutch as well as a designer baby bag and still not have spent anything close to what one authentic bag would have cost.

The Laws

If you are considering purchasing a knockoff handbag or a lookalike bag, you should check with your local or state law enforcement agency to see what the laws are in your state. Most places have a law against selling illegal copies of handbags. But not many states have the actual resources to follow up on this law. Your local law enforcement office might not even know if there is such a law.

Most people just purchase their knock off purses, gym bags, and clutches without worrying about the legal repercussions that might occur. But it is best to at least be informed of the rules and laws in your area so you can make a well thought out decision regarding purchasing a knockoff bag.

Spend some time researching before you make a purchase. Also, think about which size bag will work best for you. Perhaps you will decide that an authentic gym bag or larger tote bag will work for all your needs.

Choosing a gym to workout in can be a real chore, especially in this day and age when there’s a gym on every street corner and new gyms seem to be sprouting up almost daily.

With so many gyms to choose from, many people find the task of finding the right gym to be too overwhelming. These people never get around to finding the right gym, and consequently, they never meet their weight loss goals. There are really only a few things that you need to look for in a gym. The first factor in choosing a gym is the gym’s location. If you cannot regularly make it to a particular gym for your workouts, then this is not the right gym for you.

Secondly, does the gym have the equipment that you need to meet your weight loss goals? If you love cardio training, choose a gym with lots of cardio equipment such as bikes and treadmills. Most gyms have an abundance of cardio equipment, since cardio training is so popular.

If you want to focus on resistance training, choose a gym with lots of free weights and weight machines. Free weights generally offer more range of motion than weight machines. Weight machines, on the other hand, are generally considered safer than free weights. I have used both, and in my opinion, both are more or less equal.

Lastly, you should choose a gym that you feel comfortable in. Take everything into consideration when testing gyms, including the music, staff, parking, and other members. Try to find a gym that makes you want to come back for your next workout.

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