Do I Need to Join a Gym to Lose Weight?
If you don’t have the time to read the entire article, the quick answer is, “No!”
You really do not need a gym membership to lose weight.
Every year in January, the sales of gym memberships skyrocket. Everybody and their pet cat has made a New Year resolution to get in shape. By February, over 95% of these “fitness minded folks” have given up and the gym memberships that have been fully paid for go to waste.
If you wish to lose weight, all you need to do is eat less, eat right and move more. That’s it. You do not require Nautilus machines, kettlebells, rowing machines, etc. All these are effective but not a necessity.
If you can walk, you can lose weight. All you need to do is maintain your diet at a caloric deficit of about 500 calories and walk for 30 to 60 minutes a day. Ideally, walking first thing upon waking will be fantastic. Your glycogen stores will be low and the body will access fat stores for fuel.
If you can walk for 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the evening, your results will be much faster. There is no need to pant and gasp at the gym. Usually, people who are embarking on a weight loss plan have led sedentary lives with very little exercise. Even walking will be beneficial and more exercise than they have gotten in a long time.
If you have the budget, you can always purchase dumbbells, barbells, a bench, etc. as equipment and keep them at home. Your muscles do not care where you workout as long as you do.
In fact, many people who have gyms at home report having better workouts since they do not have to share the equipment and wait their turn. You will be saving time and money. There are also no distractions unlike a gym.
The equipment once purchased, will last a lifetime. Unlike gym memberships which can be expensive and have annual fees, your home gym will never have fees. You will also not be intimidated by other people who look like they have stepped out of fitness magazines.
Many newbies to a gym feel inferior and intimidated when they see people who are ripped and look fantastic. This can be depressing and you really don’t need the vexation.
There are a plethora of exercises that you can do without weights. Just go on YouTube and search for calisthenics exercises. Lunges, push-ups, squats, tuck jumps, burpees, mountain climbers, etc. are all fantastic compound exercises that can be done in the privacy of your own home.
These exercises when executed fast in an interval circuit will boost your metabolic rate and get your heart pumping. They are excellent fat burning exercises. You may be surprised to know that many of the muscular, bulky guys at the gym may not even be able to complete a high intensity workout. They just do not have the stamina to.
When you work on your stamina, your body will burn fat fast and furiously. Your stamina can be built with high intensity workouts at home, at the park, at the beach etc. You don’t need a gym.
One who wishes to progress will make a step out of a stone. If you do not have the budget for a gym membership or you just don’t like the idea of being in a gym, don’t let that discourage you. You can definitely lose weight without a gym membership.
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