# Not going back in the gym



## Edwin Wine (Aug 31, 2020)

My Gym and pool closed and I was faced with a challenge of how to keep excercising.  In the gym i was running 6km every day or walking up an incline. 45 min. In addition some mat work and swimming 3 times a week. 

In fact it was quite simple. I now walk twice a day about 3.5km each time and follow  short excercise routines from two apps. One a stretching app ( morning and night) and the other a programme of activity you can do at home. Images attached. Takes about 20 min a day. In fact I have lost weight, have less back issues  and sleep better.

Why spend £100s in the gym every year? Hear are the apps. They are linked to Google Fit which also links to mySugr I use for monitoring.


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## grovesy (Aug 31, 2020)

Are you on commission for promoting  these apps, as you posted this before?


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## everydayupsanddowns (Aug 31, 2020)

Glad you have found a system that works for you @Edwin Wine 

I think some people find gyms more appealing when the weather gets colder and wetter over the winter months. Others really value the classes though I never did when I was a member.

I walk twice a day with the dogs, and while I’ve pondered rejoining a gym in recent years, I really don’t have the extra time for it!


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## Lizzzie (Sep 2, 2020)

Hello!   The reasons I'm not going to join a gym, EVER, are: walking everywhere and always having a project, currently trying to do 4 pull-ups (the number varies dramatically - between 1 and 12, not always sequentially as you can tell because I have breaks) and working towards achieving a hand-stand (so lots of practising that thing that involves trying to keep your hands on the floor and trying to walk your legs up a wall).  Free demos available for all sorts of projects online, no apps required


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## ColinUK (Sep 22, 2020)

My gym membership has been frozen since the start of the COVID times. It's unfreezing tomorrow and I'm looking forward to getting back to it. 

I'm not 100% sure what to start with when I'm back in there so will probably just get on a treadmill and a rowing machine for a few sessions before incorporating resistance work again.


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## Edwin Wine (Sep 22, 2020)

As time goes on I am more certain I will never go back in the Gym. I am still on the programme I outlined above. Just finished the Intermediate stage. E.g 2x 1min 40 sec of Planks etc. For me the Gym fee is a waste of money now.


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## helli (Sep 25, 2020)

I miss the gym but don’t feel it is an unnecessary luxury/risk and my gym cannot use their air con so it won’t be very comfortable.
I miss the classes but also miss the varied programs. I am conscious of making sure I don’t restrict myself to one program for a long period of time because it will focus on certain muscle groups only.
At the moment, my cardio is mostly on the bike where I have been pushing myself on the Zwift training programs. I also walk to the shops (downhill there and uphill with full bags) so get some resistance training with the weight of a weekly shop.
To avoid “bingo wings”, I hand knead at least one batch of bread each week.
I also miss the climbing centre but as it is impossible to climb without touching the holds and being close to other climbers, I am avoiding there too.
As I work from home (and have been for more than 6 years), I have to consciously make time for movement.


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## ColinUK (Sep 25, 2020)

My gym membership unfroze today. I may go over the weekend, which is probably going to be just before we go into lockdown again and it’s frozen once more.


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## Renmer (Oct 12, 2020)

I did un-freeze my membership at David Lloyd at the beginning of October.  I never thought that I was a "gym type", but at the time, when I joined, I wanted to get fitter.  It became like a second home for me and I made several really good friends.  I have been out walking with them recently.  I love the Dance and Zumba classes and use the machines once a week.  Being over 60, I pay £77 each month, but I live on my own and I never go out for meals so it is well worth the money for me.


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## adrian1der (Oct 13, 2020)

I cancelled my David Lloyd membership at the start of lockdown in March and got myself a Peloton - the membership fee more or less covered he cost. Loving it although not done anything for two weeks after pulling my back. Think I have recovered enough to do a ride this afternoon


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## DiaWolf (Nov 23, 2020)

I got back into the gym in between lockdowns and now obviously they are shut again. But i'm keeping a positive outlook as it forces us to look into other ways of keeping fit and active that we may have taken for granted such as getting outdoors and going for a walk or a bit of a hike around somewhere scenic. I will go back to the gym but have now found other options that are just as good, if not better for my body and soul!


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## NotWorriedAtAll (Jan 17, 2021)

I have progressed from doing cycling on my exercise bike while watching 180 degree VR bike rides wearing an Oculus Go headset.
I now have an Oculus Quest 2 headset and I visit a virtual gym (FitXR) and do boxing exercises and Beat Saber which is wielding light sabers and wiping out targets to music and I do those for at least 30 mins every day and sometimes more than an hour.  There is an excellent community in FitXR for those who like having that sort of encouragement but I am very anti-social and I only mingle in their Facebook group and I don't workout in a group as most of the others do.  I particularly like that we get individual trainers/coaches who keep us on track during the sessions.  It is a one-off purchase for the application and I am addicted now.


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## grainger (Jan 23, 2021)

I have supported my gym during lockdown and now I have a fixed price for life — includes swimming, gym and clases - I love it as I really enjoy being pushed at classes and I also work out with a friend when we are not in lockdown.
It’s also great to have a pool to swim in.

I understand why some wouldn’t want a gym but many people do. It’s my ‘me’ time when I’m not just a mum so it’s really valuable to me.


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## Maco (Jan 24, 2021)

Personally I couldn’t get by without the gym! For me it’s a massive part of my life, you’ll all of heard about people’s mental health coming in to play with gyms being shut etc but that really is me down to a tee. 3.5yr ago I was 18st & now I’m 12.6 & training at a bodybuilding gym, I have no intention of becoming a bodybuilder but I certainly want to be in a really good shape where I feel confident with my top off. Now I have to train at least 6 days a week & I massively struggle to even have that 1 day off. As well as feeling great after a good session it’s all about the community side of things for me, catching up with friends having a chat about any worries etc & basically putting the world to rights. I don’t drink, don’t take drugs not interested in going to the pub on a Saturday and drinking 10 pints I’d rather be in the gym with a group of lads/lasses pushing each other on.. the type of training I do & the weight I lift I’d have to spend thousands to get a set up at home anywhere near good enough.

Also I don’t go to a big named gym it’s just a small family run business, so it’s nice to stick £25 a month in there pocket.


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## Wee eck (Jan 31, 2021)

Just 9 months post diagnosis of type 1. 
At 67 and a regular at keep fit it was a shock. Don’t drink or smoke and always been athletic. With closure of gym and pool I walk even more. Exercise bike, Swiss ball, stairs and weights all at home. 
My question is, how quickly should I expect blood sugar to drop with moderate exercise?

HbA1c
93
49
45


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## Chris Hobson (Jul 5, 2022)

Liz and I love the Total Fitness gym. Liz and her sister have a joint account with a personal trainer who shows them how to use the equipment and has programs to improve their strength and fitness. I have access to the swimming pool and have my own personal swim coaches. We love the big bubbly spa bath too. At the moment we can easily afford it, if in the future we have to tighten our belts and have to give it up, we will find other ways of staying fit and we will deal with it then.


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