Cultivating a Fitness Lifestyle: Home Gym or Fitness Centre?

Having consistent fitness habits is key to stable health and a happy life. When it comes to exercising and keeping fit, a fitness centre or working out at home are the two possible options. Choosing one or the other will go a long way in determining your success at maintain a high level of fitness.

Each approach to fitness comes with peculiar benefits and drawbacks which need to be considered before a decision can be made. If you are looking cultivate a fitness lifestyle, you first need to choose which approach is best suited to your lifestyle and provide you with the greatest probability of meeting your goals where health and fitness are concerned.

Consider the following when choosing between going to a fitness centre and working with a home gym in order to enjoy the benefits of a fitness lifestyle.

Motivation and Attainment of Fitness Goals

An important concern for individuals working out at home is how to remain motivated to reach fitness goals. While at the fitness centre, it is easy to motivate oneself using the energy of others. One way out is to search for a workout partner.

A workout partner can provide some form of motivation and some assistance for individuals who are weight training, including advice and accountability. This occurs because most of the people present at the fitness share at least one thing in common, they are taking a personal interest in their health and fitness, and working to achieve their goals. In such an environment, the levels of energy and motivation are highly contagious. It is easier therefore, for individuals working out at a fitness centre to stay motivated, to work out as many times as needed in order to meet their fitness goals.

However, a person working out at home alone needs to be highly resourceful in order to boost and maintain motivation levels for a successful fitness lifestyle. One way to go about this is to actively challenge yourself on the criteria for success and to monitor the results as you progress.

Do this simply by paying attention to how your clothes fit, checking your weight, measuring your inches and  body fat percentage, checking up on your resting heart rate, and increase in strength and endurance. At the point where you comfortable achieve a goal, a new one more difficult than the last needs to be set for continuous progression.

Location and Hours of Operation

A clear plus of working out at home is the fact that you do not have to leave the comfort of your home in order to get a good work out done. No packing up of gear, or driving long distances to a fitness centre. This is a number one reason many individuals choose to engage in fitness exercises at home. Most people today lead incredibly hectic and busy lives. It is understandable therefore to see why one would want to cut out the necessary time for getting prepared – cleaning up, getting dressed – and driving or walking to a fitness centre.

Another factor to be considered when choosing between working out at home and going to the fitness centre is the specific time that is convenient for working out, depending on schedule and lifestyle. Fitness centres have their peak traffic times, just like morning and late afternoon rush hour traffic. Peak traffic hours for a fitness centre includes the time in the early morning before work resumes, lunch hour, and the time immediately after work closes. Depending on your schedule, you should choose the traffic timeframe at the fitness centre that appropriately matches with your workout schedule of choice.

It is recommended that you first visit the fitness centre during their peak hours to study the amount of members trooping in at that same period. A lot of fitness centres get seriously busy during their peak hours and a wait time often exists as such for those interested in participating in aerobic classes or in making use of the weight training and cardio equipment. Another ting to consider is that not all fitness centres are open to the public at all hours of the day. Your decision therefore will have a lot to do with how your lifestyle fits into the hours of operation at the fitness centre.

Knowledge and Expertise

Most fitness centres hire qualified personal trainers that can create specific workout routines aimed at helping their clients meet their fitness goals. Modifications to any current workout programs can also be done to improve efficiency of workouts and increase steady gains. They can also provide advice and recommend training techniques to keep you motivated and speed up the rate at which you obtain your fitness goals.

On the other hand, people who want to work out at home may not have the skills or knowledge to deal with the necessary workout equipment, and may constantly need to make use of workout equipment servicing companies each time they face unfamiliar experiences with their equipment at home. In addition, choosing to workout at home means you may require the services of an online personal trainer to guide you in the proper position for workouts in order to avoid injury.

Amenities

A fitness centre comes with real benefits when it comes to amenities. Typically, many fitness centres have a range of weight training equipment, aerobic classes, swimming facilities, and so on, to cater to different fitness needs. Several specialty classes including yoga, martial arts, activities for kids and pre or post-natal care, are also provided by certain fitness centres. Because of the range of options available at a fitness centre, almost anyone can work out the specific exercise routine that will be the most suited to them with time.

Working out at home doesn’t provide you with many options, especially if you are on a budget. You could go for a home gym like the Precor S3.45 Strength System and get as many work outs as possible by creatively making use of only one exercise equipment.

Cost

Both working out at home and working out at a fitness centre holds some financial implications which need to be weighed before making a decision on either of the two. If you are considering going for a home workout, the expenses to be taken into consideration include purchasing of the necessary workout gear and equipment such as workout DVDs, exercise mats, exercise balls, cardiovascular equipment, strength training systems and more.

Remember to take into consideration your fitness goals and required exercises before buying any equipment. Purchasing workout equipment may seem initially expensive, but in the long run, it can be worth it as most purchases are a one-time payment especially when they are well maintained.

For fitness centres, monthly membership payments may be required and depending on your budget, these are usually inexpensive. A downside that must be recognised is that, the necessary payments must be made whether you work out at the fitness centre during the period or not. So, if you are thinking of becoming a member, take that into consideration as well.

These are some of the factors that need to be examined by individuals seeking to begin or maintain a constant fitness lifestyle. Taking them into consideration can help you make a decision on whether working out at home or registering to make use of a fitness centre is the best option for you.