Why I Decided to Join a Fitness Club

If you're deciding whether to work out at home or to join a fitness or health club, you're probably asking yourself this question: "Why not just work out at home?" It's a perfectly valid question. Afterall, working out at home can save money, time, and you get to relax in the privacy of your own home. Despite these benefits, fitness and health clubs remain a popular choice as a place to get in your workouts.

There are pros and cons to both choices for your workout space, and, like so many things, it really just depends on what works best for you. I've worked out at home and at the gym, so I've had a chance to decide what works for me. At home I have a great fitness set up. I have an adjustable bench, resistance bands, an exercise ball, dumbells, a jump robe, yoga mats and blocks, and I can blast my music on the stereo. Despite this dreamy sounding gig, I joined up at a local fitness club chain, and here's why:


It boosts my motivation.

When you invest money into something, you want to use it. Now that I'm spending money on a gym membership, I sure as heck don't want to miss out on any of my workout days to get my moneysworth.


It's a one-stop shop for all my fitness needs.

I like that everything I need to work out is in one nice, well laid out building. I don't need to drive to the Y after my home workout to get my swim in, and I don't need to drive to a yoga studio to enjoy a yoga class. Once yoga is finished at the health club, I can head upstairs and go for my run. Once I'm done with my workout, I can go cool down and stretch in the pool. It's one building for all my fitness needs.


I'm inspired by the people around me.

It's as simple as that. Everyone around me is working hard and looking good, and it inspires me to my core.


There are too many distractions at home.

From my cuddly little cat to the smell of my boyfriend cooking up dinner, there are too many things around me at home that break my concentration.


I'm too relaxed at home.

Home is warm. Home is comforting. Home is relaxing, which is not great when I'm trying to get pumped up. The gym has a great environment for fitness, and the temperature is kept just right for people to stay cool but not too cool, but while also not being to comfortably warm.


The temptation to skip a home workout is too strong.

If I'm already at home and it's been a long day at work, working out is just not on my priority list, and with my comfortable couch being a mere 20 feet away from my home gym, it's just too easy to say "maybe another day".


My condo just doesn't have the space.

Not everyone can fit a modest-sized home gym in their abode, and despite my home gym being very efficiently minimalistic, I would just rather have the space for something else. Not to mention I feel a little cramped when I'm working out at home as it is with walls and furniture only a couple armslength away from me at all times.


While I do have some other smaller reasons for why I prefer the fitness club, these are the more important points I wanted to make that may be rellevant to others. If you're still not sure what to choose after thinking about it, give them both a try. To test a home workout, find a body-only workout routine you can try at home (if you have no equipment). As for gyms, many gyms will give you a trial day or period and let you come in and work out for a day to see if you like the place. At the very least, just about all locations will give you a nice guided tour of their facilities. Do what feels good for you and what fits your budget and lifestyle. Good luck!