I havent been to the gym in months... like 5 months at least. I don't know why but I don't like going.... I'm not shy or anything. I find the cardio machines to be extremely boring! I have no motivation to go to the gym and use the machines there (I do like working out just not at the gym like I use to)

I wanna find new ways to exercise. I was thinking about zumba, buying arm weights for home, and exercise dvds.

Right now I walk/run, and sometimes use an arm weight. I know I could be doing more.

What do you think? Is it a mistake? I feel very guilty, like I'm giving up on my weight loss..... but I don't want to and don't plan to.

What do you think?

Or maybe I'm just lazy?

there are a MILLION ways to exercises without having a gym membership. ....Personally I laugh at the folks on treadmills or on other machines. I live in Alberta, so getting out isn't always an option, but I make it one- I dress for the weather!! Nothing is better than FRESH AIR!! You can cycle or walk or run in the great outdoors- I see you're in BC? WHY on god's green earth would you want to exercise indoors?!! Get out clear your head enjoy the beauty that surrounds you.

As for strength training? There are all kinds of bodyweight exercises or you can get into kettlebells, dumbells, resistant bands, etc.

Having to go to the gym means you need to make the trip to go there. Working out from home means a change of clothes. Which one is easier to do? ....You just have to do it! Make the time! Also, its a ZILLION times cheaper. Just because you have a gym membership, doesn't make you accountable or more likely to get your workout in.

Cancel it and use the monthly fees you'd pay to get yourself some good gear and get outside, tis the season! Good luck!

PS: Weight loss isn't going to happen in the gym or because you exercise. ....Weight loss will happen in the kitchen. Fitness will happen with exercise.

PPS: You're only lazy if you don't use your membership and if you don't exercise when you have the chance or chose not to when you're supposed to. It's not always about being balls-to-the-wall hardcore. A nice walk or some gentle yoga- something to get the blood flowing and make the heart pump a bit can be just as good, especially on days where you really don't feel like it.

Cancel it because you're waisting money.

The goal is to find an exercise routine that works for you. If the gym is not working, cancel and find something else that works!

I am probably down grading my membership due to the nice weather and more opportunities to get outside!

if you don't use it, cancel it and save the money....I use my gym membership all the time and knowing that i'm putting out money for it, motivates me to get myself there without excuses

I agree that fresh air is always a good choice....however I personally have major asthma/allergy issues and going for a run outside while inhaling lungfuls of pollen is a really really bad idea....sometimes I do it anyhow just because I like being outside lol

I think you answered your own question when you said you don't like going. I'd cancel it. I haven't stepped foot in a gym and I'm doing just fine.

Youtube has a crazy amount of workout videos! Find your favorites or use them as a starting point to branch out to an activity you might enjoy. The main workouts I use are fitnessblender, Tiffany Rothe and Linda Edler.

I also use lots of workout dvds Turbo Fire being one of my favorites. I just purchased Chalean Extreme to boost my weight training efforts.

Fitness can be gained outside of a gym. Experiment and find what you like!

I love the gym.

I agree that cardio on the machines is awful. I do it as a last resort if the weather is bad and I need to train. Run or walk OUTSIDE.

But other forms of exercise at the gym are a lot of fun.

I like free weights for strength training.

I like attending classes e.g. zumba, boxing for some different types of cardio and I like working out with other people.

I like going to the gym with friends. It's a lot of fun.

Just some ideas before you hit the cancel button!

Don't put your energy into something you don't enjoy, that's no fun. Fitness should be fun, something you enjoy and look forward to! I think I know what you mean though, you feel like you have access to things there and doing it without the gym can seem like more effort but it's not.

I too hate the machines, I can't understand why people enjoying being on a hamster wheel. They're good for bad weather and certain cardio machines and weight machines are good for people with injuries. But I'm an outdoor girl. Just this morning, it finally felt like spring here in nyc and going out to the track at the park was no different than being at the gym. People running, walking, jump rope, soccer, burpees and push ups, trainers and their clients, yoga classes, martial arts groups, it's insane! Except it's great, there are trees and sunlight and it's just a wonderful feeling.

You can put your money towards a fitness class. There's lots of different things you could do, dance, yoga, zumba, martial arts, rock climbing, there are even boot camp style classes. Whatever your heart desires. No need for treadmills if you don't like them.

Only you can decide what is and isn't worth your time and money. This isn't a decision that warrants guilt. Do what you think is best.

Hubby and I faced this same decision recently. We haven't been getting our "money's worth," at our gym this winter for a lot of reasons (including both of us being sick a lot this winter).

We decided to keep the membership, because we want to get back to going regularly.

I'm not a big fan of the machines, but I love swimming, and I'd like to try some fitness classes. For us, we decided that the opportunity was worth the expense, even if we didn't always make use of it, but our situation is different - we both want to use our gym's services.

If you know you won't ever use the gym, then quitting makes the most sense. If your gym offers classes or other exercise opportunities that you would have loved to try, but never did for one reason or another, why not try those things at least once before you leave. It's not necessary if you already know that nothing can change your mind, but if you haven't yet made up your mind, there's a reason for that too. It certainly wouldn't hurt, and would probably help you make a decesion to sample the gym's other programs before you leave.

The gym isn't for everyone. I cancelled my gym membership in favor of doing at-home video workouts. I have all the equipment I need, and despite the fact that I used to go to the gym for an hour a day 4-5 days a week and I worked out hard, I still get better results at home.

I can't work out in front of my TV like I used to, because in this house, the floor shakes when you jump up and down(in protest of fat people I believe). I enjoy walking with my husband outside, but I have to do it later in the evening because, well, it's Florida and the sun hates me. But I have a gym membership that I didn't use for almost a year. A year!!! But I kept mine because I knew eventually I would get back around to it. I like weightlifting. I don't mind machines, as long as I change it up. This does not sound like the case for you. When I lived further from town, I jogged the roads and did tae bo in my house. I also used hand weights and my own body, and I got a great workout. It can be done at home. Cancel if you know for sure you will never ever use it. Just be sure before you do it you won't want to straggle back in later like I finally did.

The only time I use a gym is when I'm staying at a hotel. Exercise dvds, running in the park, and playing sports with my friends are my preferred methods.

Why do you feel guilty? The gym's not for everyone. Quitting it is only symbolic of quitting your weight loss efforts if you become less active after ditching it. Maybe you could invest the money you're saving in other ways to exercise, like a bike or dvds or more weights?

Yes if you're bored with something definitely stop it. I have work out with others to exercise--to keep from getting bored. My husband is just the opposite--he has a gym downstairs--that I never use.

My addiction is Jazzercise--I love it. It gives me a little social time with the girls--we laugh--have a great time--and make new friends--all while we're getting in better shape. Jazzercise is the only total body one hour work out. Dance aerobics--and at the last 20 minutes of class we do floor exercises--work abs--thighs and all those problem spots along with weights--bands and balls. There isn't a muscle you don't work in a Jazzercise one hour class.

The first million times I tried doing the gym thing, I'd be good for a week or so and then I wouldn't. I think a lot of it was that I would just wander from machine to machine not really knowing exactly what I should be doing. It didn't help that those machines were boring too. But I also wasn't motivated to do it on my own at home, at least not for long.

I finally made a commitment to try again. I decided that it wouldn't do any good to try doing the same thing that failed before so I looked into a personal trainer, and for me that has been a huge difference. I needed that accountability factor - knowing someone is going to be reviewing what I've done (or haven't done) to progress. And based on achieving results (32 pounds in 11 weeks), I have to admit that this was the missing ingredient for me.

When I was checking out different places, I made sure that any gym I was considering wasn't just machines. I wanted variety and now I don't spend a lot of time on machines. I have 1 day a week working with my trainer. She has me do a lot of things and very few involve machines. The other days of the week, I fill with the Les Mills group exercise classes offered. After trying one, I found that having other people around who were going through the same thing with me was encouraging, plus I never do the same class back to back so I never get bored BodyPump and BodyCombat are my favorites.

You mentioned considering Zumba...give it a try in a group setting maybe to make it feel more like a dance party (a really sweaty one!) than a workout. If you have a local YMCA, they might offer it on a day-pass basis so you can try it without committing to a membership you might not use or spending money on a workout DVD that you might not like.

I wish you luck in finding "the thing" that you actually enjoy despite the effort of working out