I know a few people have said they feel more motivated at the gym... but I don't work nearly as hard at the gym! I don't want to be dripping sweat all over the equipment (and boy do I SWEAT)... I won't do anything that makes me afraid I'll wet myself (my bladder doesn't handle jumping jacks well :o sorry for the TMI!)... and I don't feel comfortable grunting or moaning. :D All of those are things I can do at home with no embarrassment. Oh, plus, I have to wear a SHIRT at the gym.

I tend not to do well around people so I work out at home. I have DVDs, hand weights, stability ball, weighted water ball and my Wii (with Wii Fit, balance board, Gold's Gym Cardio, and My Fitness Coach). I seem to be doing pretty good with it so far :D

:o

Off topic, but this comment made my laugh. I work from home and it would be a real hardship to have to wear a shirt in the summer.

I've been working out at a gym since November 2007. Love the gym environment. I've made friends and there's always entertainment in watching others or one of the 15 TV's mounted in front of me.No joke! I seriously had to re-evaluate my membership recently. $30 membership + 2 kids going to kid's club 5 times a week = $80. So basically $110/month just for me to work out. They recently changed to a unlimited auto-deduct that is so much better!! $20/month. They were losing people to LA Fitness.

I do cardio outside (running) and go to the gym for weights. I have a fairly extensive weights collection although last year I ditched my bench, but with kids I just find weights too dangerous to have accessible and I need someone to watch them.

Also for me...if I am in the home I can always find something else I "SHOULD" be doing, but at the gym, there is only 1 thing I am there for.

I work out at home, also. I'd love to do it at the gym - when I went to the gym before I never once skipped a workout to sleep in/do laundry/etc. However, with my schedule right now and no 24 hour gyms on my side of town, I'm stuck at home. At least home videos now are good workouts!

I've joined and left two gyms in the last three months! Haha. One was a regular one, but I mostly just ran on the treadmill, the second one was a kickboxing one with a class three times a week.

Now I'm back to doing my 30 Day Shred Dvd at home. It's so much more convenient, considering that I don't have to bus to the gym, just pop the dvd in and go! Btw, all I have is a yoga mat, I use giant crushed tomato cans for weights :p. Whatever works lol.
I do my cardio running outside, which is tougher, cause I have to wake up super early to avoid the heat and the people!

I've worked out at home, then joined the Y because it was cheaper than buying all the weights, barbells, etc I wanted, but I barely used the membership there, so it was really a waste for me. This past March I started at a Crossfit affiliate gym, and it's the perfect fit for me. I'm there six days a week, which is as many days as they are open. Yeah, I'm addicted! So for me, the (right) gym was the way to go, but the wrong gym was a waste of money. For yourself, you'll just have to find your way, and figure out what works best for you personally. If I have to miss the gym one day, due to work or other obligations, then I do work out at home, but prefer the gym, because it has all the equipment and weights, lifting platforms, chalk, gymnastic rings, and all kinds of cool stuff I do not have or could not afford to have at my house.

I bought an elliptical at Walmart in August of '07 (I think) and I used it for a good 3 months and then a few more times here and there. It was pretty inexpensive thank goodness. But it started making noises and I had it in the laundry room which would get so hot because of the lack of insulation. Then, because I know how I am, I quit all together because I felt like the machine was just not stable for me. Maybe because I was too big. The last time I used it was before I went on my vacation and that was in mid April. Before my purchase I also tried DVDs and I could not do it. I guess it's just not me.

In May I joined the gym and I am so glad I made the switch. Of course I was freaked out because of the people who I thought would be just looking at me and judging me and the fear I didn't know how to use certain machine. But my good friend convinced me that everyone at the gym was there for one reason: to work out. And this week was the first week I went to gym 5 days straight. Woot! I change into my work out clothes at work and I get dropped off at the gym for two hours. This works for me because I have the worst motivation ever.

So really it's just a personal choice. But I applaud everyone who works out at home :cp: I wish I could! A friend bought me the "Dancing with the Stars" work out DVD and not even Maksim motivates me :p But at least we are all moving in some sort of way! :carrot:

I have a membership to a wonderful gym. It's part of a wellness center and there are lots of geriatric heart patients, as well as middle aged moms, and a few young college students thrown in to give us all something nice to look at. :) The staff is wonderful and very helpful.

I go to the gym to do my cardio on the elliptical, treadmill, and bike. I used to use the weight machines but have read so much about how they don't really do much and are potentially dangerous. So, I have a set of dumbbells that I use at home and when I get the guts up I might pay one of the trainers for an hour to show me around the free weight section of the gym.

Once I get my own home (and out of an apartment) I plan to put together my own home gym. I do think having my own set-up will be awesome. Then I too can exercise without a shirt. :D

I workout from home now. Over the years, I've joined many gyms and wasted SO much money by not going regularly and well, later just stopped going. I could not motivate myself to go and my gyms have been always on my way to work or home...so very close and accessible. I finally decided that gym and me is not going to happen so it was time to invest in some home equipment. I don't have too much space hence, was limited to what I could buy. I bought a nice set of free weights (which are expandable) and an awesome treadmill. I do own various fitness DVDs and as well as have a netflix account to rent/instant watch any workout dvd if I am bored. I watch old shows or movies while I'm on the treadmill. And, I do go out for my runs on the track too.

Plus, I LOVE to workout in my underwear not something I'd be comfy doing at the gym :D

I had a gym membership for years that I ended up not using because I had (re)gained weight, felt discouraged and beat myself up every time I tried working out (I used to be able to do blahblah /angst), and the club just didn't seem very entry-level friendly. And I sucked at even going in to cancel, or kept telling myself I'd eventually go.

When we moved earlier this year I found another club near me that had lots to do and is associated with a hospital so seemed to have a much more diverse membership -- literally all ages and sizes. I finally cancelled the old membership and signed up here. It's not cheap though besides the recent vacationing + house guest, I try to make sure I get my money's worth. I love the variety and take advantage of lots of free classes -- I find I work much harder when there's that instructor watching, encouraging. The ones I've met so far have been so motivating and helpful.

I also tend to stretch my workout time longer when I'm there, even just throwing in a little extra time on an elliptical or something if I'm not quite ready to go home.

I have never stepped foot in a gym, and I prefer it that way. My main form of exercise is walking. Yes, W A L K I NG. Walking works wonders, AND it's FREE :)
I ended up buying an elliptical over the winter (let's face it, no one wants to walk outside during a Canadian winter) but I don't enjoy my elliptical. I actually dispise it. It bores me. I really don't use it much.

Now i work out at home, but i have had a membership to the Y in the past.
I like home better.
I can wear my tattered gym clothes and no one cares
I can stink
I can watch the shows i want to watch
I don't have to listen to other people yap away on their cell phones
I don't even have to brush my teeth :)

I own an elliptical, and Jillian michaels dvds plus some 5lb, and 8lb hand weights. I also have some resistance bands, a ball, and a pair of running shoes.
Its so much more convenient at home for me and my kids. I don't have to load them up and take them anywhere, and i often do it while they nap. It works out great for me.

The benefits to the gym that i remember were ; the indoor track, the variety of weight machines and the treadmills. I never did classes or swam.

Sure! Here is the link to the workout on Fitness Magazine's website: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/worko...thout-the-gym/

And thanks for all the responses everyone! I had no idea so many people agreed with me that working out at home is better than paying for a gym -- glad to know I'm not the only one. I really think with the right equipment, like some of the things suggested in the Fitness article, working out at home is a great inexpensive alternative to a gym. Plus I agree with people that it's easier to get motivated in the privacy of my own home rather than a public gym!