Videos instead of a gym?

While recuperating from an injury, I'm discovering video workouts as a great alternative to the gym -- I'm getting more variety, I can pick and choose the trainers I like, and I can schedule my workout whenever it suits me. If you use videos, how do you use them? Are they the mainstay of your workout routine? Are you able to consistently motivate yourself to do them month after month? I'm considering dropping my gym membership and collecting a library of videos and wondering if I'll be able to motivate myself without others around. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Mon. Nov 13, 9:49am

Well I have a few Pilates DVD that I use. I also invested in an elliptical machine for my home. For me personally the extra drive time to get to a gym made it difficult to find time to workout. Working from home is great for me and I have no problem with motivation. I think it's all about knowing yourself.

Monday, November 13, 2006, 10:44 AM

same for me. if i am at home, there are few reasonable arguments i can present to myself to justify not working out with a video or on my eleiptical machine. but when i used to go to the gym, inclement weather, lots of traffic, local school/firehouse/church functions which create slow driving patterns-these all could turn into viable excuses for not going on those days when i felt least motivated. working out at home also entices me to keep my living space neater, so i have maximum room for my workouts.

Monday, November 13, 2006, 10:51 AM

I've done both - I belonged to a gym for about 3 years going 5 days a week. Now I workout from home 5 days a week using my treadmill (2 days a week) and videos (3 days a week). There are pros and cons to both, and for both you have to motivate yourself to actually do it.

Videos are great because there is a huge variety of exercises you can do - I have videos for kickboxing, pilates, and weight lifting. You can do a lot of different types or just one that you like, and you don't have to fit your schedule around the class schedule at your gym.

Here is a link to a website where you can check out lots of exercise videos You can actually watch sample clips of the videos, and the reviews are pretty good. (I've used this site to find a video I wanted to try, and then went to froogle.com to find the website that had it for the cheapest.)

Good luck to you!

Link

Monday, November 13, 2006, 11:13 AM

don't forget about your local public library when it comes to videos. it's a great, free way to experiment with different types of workouts and various types of trainers.

Monday, November 13, 2006, 11:15 AM

I liked "the Firm" an abs video. It's only about 30 mins. It has 3 workouts on it beginner, intermediate and advanced. When I get the drive, I can do the beginner workout every day for a week and i can tell the difference. Unfortunately, every time I get on the floor to do situps, I get attacked by a dog and a 3 yr old.

Monday, November 13, 2006, 12:07 PM

TO 12:07

i can totally relate to the floor-interference issue!! my two dogs used to get all up in a frenzy when i would do my leg workouts, too! what a bit of comic relief when exercising!

Monday, November 13, 2006, 12:10 PM

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