Is It Really Necessary to Go to the Gym to Get Fit?

If you've ever suffered from gym intimidation, you're certainly not alone. In a recent survey from the American Council on Exercise, more than 1500 people were polled to find out their excuse for not working out. 19% of the participants revealed that they feel they are too out of shape to exercise and may be the only person in the gym who isn't fit.

This is one classic situation where people often put the cart before the horse. Those looking to get in shape that feel intimidated by a traditional gym setting often want to get fit before joining a gym. Although that sounds backwards, it can be nerve-wracking to step foot into a gym with dozens of toned, tanned people pumping iron and running on treadmills.

Exercising without Gym Equipment

If you feel that a conventional gym isn't the right fit for you, or if you can't afford a gym membership, there's a perfect alternative. You can use the great outdoors and the power of your own body to get in shape and get the same results that you would with a personal trainer in a gym, as long as you're committed to your workout plan.

Instead of investing in a home gym with weights, barbells, and machines, you can use bodyweight training to condition your body with planks, squats, push-ups, lunges, and the like in an outdoor or indoor setting.

For novice exercisers, using bodyweight training to get in shape is certainly less intimidating. It also poses less of a risk of injury since you won't have to worry about dropping a weight while training or using an exercise machine improperly.

As you begin to advance in your workout regimen, you can modify your style of training to make exercise even more difficult. Even veteran gym-goers often fall into a slump and hit a workout plateau by doing the same exercises on the same machines again and again. With bodyweight training outside of a gym setting, you can control your level of difficulty and increase intensity as needed to improve results.

Exercise Alternatives to Joining a Gym

If you feel that you need additional support in your workout plan and still don't want to join a gym, joining a sports team or local class may be the next best thing. Signing up for a sports league like an Austin indoor soccer team will give you the opportunity to meet new friends, interact, and workout as a group, taking the chore out of traditional exercise.

In this type of group setting, the intimidation factor is low. Instead of entering a large gym without any idea of how to use the machines from wall-to-wall, you'll be coached as a group and can receive support and feedback from your peers on the team.

For most exercise-phobics, working out as part of a team makes it easier to stay committed to exercise, especially when you want to skip a workout or two. When your team members are counting on you to make it to practice, you'll be more likely to lace up your shoes instead of curling up on the couch!