Gyms—they’re full of sweaty people, loud equipment, and—worst of all—mirrors, everywhere. When we’re at the start of our health journey, gyms can be the last place we want to find ourselves, clad in our old workout clothes.
Plus, a gym membership is one more hit to the budget you’d rather do without.
Do you really need a gym membership to reach your health and weight loss goals?
Today, we’ll talk it through—when gyms can help, how to lose weight from home, and whether a gym membership is right for you. Let’s dive in.
Will a Gym Membership Help Me Lose Weight?
Some studies have found that people who visit the gym frequently have lower body weight and blood pressure.
A gym may help you reach your fitness goals by:
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- Providing a designated workout space free from distractions
- Surrounding you with other people working toward similar goals
- Promoting a routine, especially if your gym is on your commute to or from work
- Supplying resources like classes, instructors, coaches, or personal trainers
- Providing all the equipment you need as you progress to higher fitness levels
But, the majority of health clubs and gyms lose 50% of their new members within the first six months of the year!
Here’s the bottom line: Maintaining momentum matters more than membership.
With this in mind, let’s look at how you can workout for weight loss from your living room.
How to Lose Weight From Home
Exercising from home saves time and money—but does it work?
Consistency and committing to a solid workout program is key to weight loss, regardless of where you work up a sweat.
Your workouts should look like this, then you’ll start see the fat drop away:
- Balanced Workouts: When we see fat build on our bodes, it’s easy to panic and shackle ourselves to the treadmill. We now know, though, that cardio workouts alone can’t get us to our fitness goals.Strength training must be the meat and potatoes of your workout schedule. Lifting weights will help your body burn more calories throughout the day. It’s also crucial to help us push back against muscle loss as we age. Strength training promotes hormonal balance in women, further assisting our bodies in dropping extra body fat.Keep your workouts balanced throughout the week. After decades helping thousands of people lose weight and keep it off, I’ve found that 2 HIIT workouts and 3 strength training workouts each week results in the most fat loss.Your week could look something like this:Monday: Upper Body Strength Training
Tuesday: 30 Minute HIIT Workout
Wednesday: Full Body Workout
Thursday: 40 Minute HIIT Workout
Friday: Lower Body Strength Training
Give these home workouts everything you’ve got. Try to workout in a room free from distractions. Create a designated workout area in your home. Dress the part, put on your best sports bra. Treat each workout like you’re taking a class.
- Progressive Overload: Progressive Overload is a strength training technique that challenges your body more and more overtime. As you grow stronger, you’ll gradually increase the weight, frequency, speed, or number of repetitions of a particular exercise.It’s a lot like taking a class in school. When you took 5th grade math, you increased your mental capacity and knowledge on the subject. After some time, the concepts became easy to understand. You didn’t have to work that hard to solve the problems. Then, you moved up to 6th grade, and the mental load increased once again. This increased challenge ensured that you progressed further in your studies instead of plateauing.
At the gym, you can make sure you progress (and skip the plateau) by bumping up the challenge every so often. For example, you could increase the weights you use by 3-5 pounds every 4 weeks.If you’re new to Progressive Overload, check out this guide where I’ll teach you three types of Progressive Overload Workouts with examples and an 8-week schedule.
- Daily Activity: Your “daily activity” is different than your “daily workout.” Your daily workout is the weight lifting or cardio session you complete within a set amount of minutes. Your daily activity measures how much you move throughout the rest of the day.Both matter for weight loss! Consider them two separate items on your to-do list. First, complete your workout of the day. Second, move your body often throughout the day.My favorite way to track daily activity is with a pedometer (step counter). Walking is powerful for our health and fitness (did you know that as little as 11 minutes of walking a day will significantly lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and mortality overall?)! To lose weight, aim to walk at least 10,000 steps each day. If you’re under this number now, gradually add 1000 steps each week until you reach your 10,000 step goal.Accountability can do wonders for our motivation. Here’s where you can invite a friend the join you. See if you can set up a walking schedule with a friend or partner.
4 Tips to Make the Gym a Tool You’ll Love
Some love the comfort of home. Others need a gym to stay on course. If you fall into the latter camp, these 4 tips can help you find a gym that fits your needs and stick with your fitness goals.
- Pick the right location: Ideally, your gym is on your commute. If you can find one on your way to or from work, you can easily fold it into your morning or evening routine.
- Compare prices: Gym membership prices fall all over the financial map—from a $10 per month Planet Fitness membership to boutique CrossFit gyms that charge $400 per month. If your budget is tight, you can still find plenty of gyms with monthly memberships that cost less than a burrito.
- Dress your best: Did you know that wearing workout clothes you like will boost your performance and increase how much you enjoy your workout? Cute workout clothes are a game-changer. They make us excited to get dressed for the gym and help us feel more confident during our workout. Invest in some new workout clothes that fit, are supportive, and help you feel your best. Set out your gym clothes and shoes the night before you plan to go to the gym.
- Go in with a plan: Aimlessly wandering through your workout will waste your time and keep you from seeing big progress. Regardless of whether you have a gym membership or are working out from home, you need a plan. The three steps above (balanced workouts, progressive overload, and daily activity) apply to gym-goers too. New to gym workouts? You can find dozens of workout tutorials for all levels here.
Your Workouts Won’t Lead to Weight Loss, Unless…
Exercise is only 20% of your weight loss journey. What you put in your mouth matters more. If you want to shed pounds and burn body fat, you have to learn what to eat.
Not sure where to start? You’re in the right place. I’ll teach you exactly how to workout and eat to feel and look your best!
Become a success story, join LEAN today, and start seeing progress this week.
