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Gymmer or non-gymmer?

(92 Posts)
Baggs Sun 18-Feb-24 15:57:24

Just curious. Curiosity provoked by some comments elsewhere.

I haven't been inside a gym since I left school. Never been short of exercise though.

Lydie45 Sun 07-Apr-24 10:21:19

I can’t walk very well as I have arthritis in my spine so I go to the local leisure centre and have signed up for the assisted exercise machines. I can definitely feel the difference and surprisingly I enjoy it.

LucyAnna Sun 25-Feb-24 07:38:54

Luckygirl3

That's 6 hours of this stuff SkyBird!! When do you get time for life!!??

I think the recommendation is a minimum of 30 mins of exercise daily. If the exercise is enjoyable, then that is life!! In theory the fitter you are, the more you can get out of life?

www.verywellfit.com/how-much-exercise-do-you-need-if-you-are-over-age-65-3435396

SeaWoozle Sat 24-Feb-24 23:57:34

Oreo

I get enough exercise at work, and it’s free!

I wore my step doodah at my old job and I could easily walk 3 1/2 miles in a shift. More than enough for me! 😁

crazyH Sat 24-Feb-24 22:59:08

I couldn’t even go for my walk round the culdesac today 😫
Rain, rain, rain

nanna8 Sat 24-Feb-24 22:43:05

I don’t like gyms, they make me nervous but I do belong to a walking group and enjoy short walks, around 4-5 km.

Mollygo Sat 24-Feb-24 22:36:42

Oreo

I get enough exercise at work, and it’s free!

I can walk up to 2.5 miles including at least 6 flights of stairs, but I like the gym for a whole body experience.

Nannylovesshopping Fri 23-Feb-24 21:59:28

I was anti gym, then hip started playing up, osteopath said nothing wrong with hips, gluts had given up, sent me to the gym, shown which machines to use, ten months on and I feel like I have new hips, toned up lots of flabby bits has been a bonus, I also do uphill walking on treadmill, generally my daughter and two granddaughters are in the gym too, and finish up with twenty minutes in the sauna. Go early bout eight ish, back home in hour and half. Very beneficial for me 😀

Oreo Fri 23-Feb-24 21:55:36

I get enough exercise at work, and it’s free!

Shinamae Fri 23-Feb-24 21:42:49

I went to Pure Gym for six months, but I have recently stopped. I now work with kettle bells at home and watch various YouTube tutorials on keeping fit…

Luckygirl3 Thu 22-Feb-24 08:22:02

That's 6 hours of this stuff SkyBird!! When do you get time for life!!??

SkyBird Wed 21-Feb-24 15:32:58

I do four hours of pilates and two hours of yoga every week. In the summer I swim most days in the pool or in the sea. For me starting pilates was a turning point. It is all about core strength and is absolutely marvellous.

LittleGran51 Wed 21-Feb-24 11:18:44

I do not feel the need for attending a gym just now as I get plenty of exercise with regular walks and volunteer gardening. However, with a slowly deteriorating spine, I know my mobility may be severely comprimised in the future.
Then I will be hot-footing it down to my local gym as fast (or slow) as my little legs will take me!

jocork Wed 21-Feb-24 01:48:19

When I lived in West Oxfordshire my doctor prescribed for me to go to the local gym. I wasn't keen but my GP was also a friend so I thought I'd give it a go rather than admit I wasn't keen. I was surprised to find I quite enjoyed it. I used to go to a session which quite a few older patients attended for rehab after heart attacks etc as I didn't feel so embarassed about not wearing lycra. When my referal came to an end I was worried that I'd struggle to go in the school holidays as I'd have to pay for peak membership since my children were at home in most of the off peak times but my allocated trainer extended my referal so I could keep attending at the very cheap rate. I then took membership after the school summer holidays ended. I got much fitter as a result and went regularly. After moving here 20 years ago I joined another gym but it wasn't in a very convenient location, then I joined another which was nearer but was always filled with very sweaty young men whenever I went so I gave up. I bought a rowing machine to use at home but found it too heavy to move into a space to use it so it has been folded up and hardly used. The gym in West Oxfordshire suited me well as they had sessions that were not too busy during the day.

Now I'm retired I get exercise regularly as part of a 'Simply Walk' group. There is no membership fee, with the only cost being the sociable coffe afterwards. I've made friends there and there is no ongoing committment - just turn up and enjoy the company when you are free. I'm not up to joining a group like the ramblers as their walks are a bit long for me, but 'Simply Walk' are advertised as health walks. The one I go to is an hour long - just right for me - but there are shorter ones too, mostly attended by people who are of a more advanced age.

grannyactivist Tue 20-Feb-24 23:56:54

I don’t go to a gym, but I do have a personal trainer. He was a 70th birthday present from my husband and we now share him. We’re fortunate to have space for a ‘home gym’ and the equipment we have is adequate for our needs.

Nannan2 Tue 20-Feb-24 23:56:06

Good grief no!

Gwenisgreat Tue 20-Feb-24 21:35:12

I do the exercises given by various physiotherapists and that is quite enough exercise for anyone!

V3ra Tue 20-Feb-24 21:27:02

I like the Leslie Sansone "Walk at Home" videos on YouTube.
I play them on my television and join in with her and the gang. (Some of them are very amusing!)
She has lots of variations on a theme, workouts of different lengths and intensities.
I like the way she talks you through the different steps and stages, there's no pressure and I find it easy to follow.

I learned about her from another Gransnetter years ago, so thank you and I'm sorry I forget who it was 🙂

M0nica Tue 20-Feb-24 20:47:50

I will stick to Tai Chi in the village hall. You do not get hot and sweaty, you can do it at home if you cannot get to a class, in fact you can do it almost anywhere you can clear a space about 4 foot square, and have 10 minutes to spare.

Tenko Tue 20-Feb-24 18:12:23

I’ve always exercised . I played hockey and netball at school and when I left school the Jane Fonda aerobics classes became a big thing , and one of my friends became a teacher , so I’d go to her classes .
I used to run regularly but developed problems with my Achilles tendon . That’s my only injury . Actually my injury was a result of running on roads and uneven surfaces. Running on a treadmill is better for your joints .
I’ve been a member of various gyms over the years and enjoy going . I’m a member of our local council run one on pay as you go basis .
My mother has osteoporosis and balance problems. So I do resistance training with weights to help bone density and yoga for balance and flexibility . I also walk my dog twice a day for an hour each time .
My gym isn’t full of super fit young people . I go during the day and there’s a mixture of older retired people and young mums .
Nor is it hot , sweaty and smelly , we have aircon . And everyone cleans the machines after they’ve used them . There’s loads of sprays and wipes around the place .
And the instructors are helpful and encouraging. Definitely no shouty ones.

nipsmum Tue 20-Feb-24 17:18:12

I was a nurse from I was 17/+until I was 68. That was enough of a workout most days. I have never been in a Gym since I left school.

Dianehillbilly1957 Tue 20-Feb-24 16:47:40

Since leaving secondary school I have never set foot inside a Gym. Really struggle to see the point when you can virtually exercise elsewhere and not in a hot sweaty room! I go to ceilidh dance classes during the winter months, love doing weekly Tai Chi, have done yoga, mow the lawn every week in during the summer and walk my dog on average two miles daily, more when away on hols and when the weather allows, cut and store wood and then lug it into the house for the fire most days, clear our drive when it snows, chase toddler grandson around and play football with his older brother. NO I don't think I need a Gym! I'm knackered !!🤣

alisonsmith4 Tue 20-Feb-24 16:26:16

I love the gym and I’m 73!

Bellzy Tue 20-Feb-24 16:20:50

Ooo I love using the gym, classes or weight training. I had to give up several months ago because of caring for my mum and I miss it terribly.
I don’t buy expensive gear ( have been known to get it from charity shops, but usually Sainsburys or Matalan, that kind of place), I’m never the best or worse in my classes, I just do what I can do and love seeing little improvements. And I keep myself abreast of new exercises for the actual gym so I can vary my workout depending on how I feel that day, and pootle around humming along to my Spotify workout list and completely ignoring everyone else! I’m sure some of the jocks find a grey-haired overweight gal lifting weights and quietly singing along to Earth Wind and Fire ( well I THINK it’s quiet!) either highly amusing or faintly peculiar, but I couldn’t care less! And boy oh boy, do you see some sights, both pleasant and, ahem, less so!!

Vintagegirl Tue 20-Feb-24 16:01:46

I am gym member but only use it for swimming as there is no other swim pool facilities near me. It is enough and do not feel like using the exercise machines that would involve different 'gear' and add to time. I try and keep as active as I can doing chores etc.

GrammaH Tue 20-Feb-24 15:38:31

I joined the local Bannatynes a few years ago when I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Swimming is very good for the condition and for a while, I only went in the pool. I then discovered yoga and started a weekly class and from there, I went on to NIA - originally called Non Impact Aerobics but is a lovely mixture of tai chi, pilates and dance. Recently, a new solo Latin dance class has started and I'm totally hooked! It's really Latin line dancing & and it's such fun! I've made lots of good friends through getting involved and the classes and swimming give me something to get up for, even on my worst days. I've never been in the actual gym....