Is a gym necessary?

A lot of people think that a gym is the best place to exercise. They have great equipment, staff that can show you new exercises and an environment that promotes fitness. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford a gym membership and others are not comfortable visiting one. So is the gym the only place you can get a good workout or can you get in shape another way?

Equipment

The truth is that a gym is a very good place to start if you want to get in shape. Most of the machines are hard if not impossible to get injured on, the free weights provide a good range of motion and the personal trainers can give you that extra motivation you need.

Gym-Free

There are however, other options you can use to get into shape. For starters, you can dust off that old bike that’s sitting in the garage and start riding it. Biking is a low impact, pretty easy exercise that can help beginners increase their endurance. You can also start running, swimming and playing sports. For strength training, you can do push ups, pull ups, sit ups, body weight squats and lunges. You can also buy a few inexpensive and lightweight dumbbells from a sporting goods store.

The Bottom Line

While the gym is definitely a nice amenity to have, it isn’t necessary to get into shape. Don’t let the fact that you can’t go to a gym turn into an excuse for being unhealthy and lazy.