Sunday, May 15, 2011

Are You a Gym Member? « A New Way of Living

I recently had a dilemma. Should I go to the gym in the morning and then head to work? Or should I work and then go to the gym afterward? I went through this "dilemma" over and over again for about a week. Since I play volleyball, I have to work out to stay in shape so I don't die too badly during preseason.

Then I realized something. I could work out whenever I wanted if I didn't have a gym membership. I could simply run outside or bike outside. Why didn't I think of this before? I thought that I needed all the fancy equipment to be working out. Yes, I will lack A LOT of equipment that is essential to my workout, but I'd rather save my time and money.

I have dumbbells at home that go up to 40lbs. That's more than enough for me. Unfortunately, I won't be able to squat very much, but that's never been my biggest concern. My goal this summer is to start trimming down. I'm not considered overweight for my height and build, but there is some extra flab I would like to get rid of. I have two legs and I have a bike. That's all the cardio exercise that I need. Lifting is a different story. Again, not my biggest concern at this point.

It's true that I won't be at my strongest when the season comes- at least I'll be in shape. Also, I'll get to enjoy some fresh air. I'm even considering going on hikes on the weekend just to get in to nature- never been my strong suit. Despite weather being my biggest enemy, it doesn't rain every single day (unless it's like June 2009). I can still work out the other days its beautiful outside.

Get rid of your gym membership and go outside instead. You can get the same cardio workout for free!