curves, gym, or what?

[dontgoggilme 0]

so i'm trying to figure out what exercise regimen i wanna start with and wanted to get some opinions. here's the things i'm considering:

option 1:

joining curves (again). i have been a member there two times in the past but never really went like i was supposed to so i never really saw any results. not to mention that the locations were inconvenient to me. still are kinda although i'm not working right now so i have more free time. has anyone had any real success with it if they go like they are supposed to?

option 2:

joining the gym (again). i have had a gym membership a few times before but once again didn't go like i should have so didn't really see the best success. the one time i did go religiously and followed my trainers program, i actually gained and gained instead of losing so i just stopped going. i'm kinda torn about joining the gym cuz i'm not sure how i feel about working out with all these strangers around. i don't have a workout buddy. and i've noticed that the "fit" folks at the gym tend to look at the not to fit ones with a judgemental eye and i hate that. and if i join a gym, i'm not sure what kind to go for. snap fitness 24/7? fitnation? fitness lady (local)? the free gym on the base (i'm a air force wife)?

option 3: home workouts. i'm already about to get an elliptical and maybe even a treadmill, too. not to mention that i have workout dvd's and plan to add more to the collection. not sure how motivated i will feel about just doing everything at home though.

i wanna go ahead and get my plan together for what i'm gonna do and i want input. my husband says i should just hit the gym on base but i feel really wierd about going to workout with a bunch of fit air force folks. especially men!

i like the idea of curves but am not sure if i'll ever get real results there. however, at this point i'm not so much looking for awesome results but just something to get me motivated and in the habit of working out again. something that i won't get burned out on or dread going to and lose motivation. i guess you might say i want something "easy" to start with and then move onto harder things but i dunno. i'm so undecided.

tell me what ya'll think please!

[Pam92 0]

Hi there ! Congrats on getting banded. Remember it is a "Journey" not a "quick trip". As far as exercise plans go, if you want something that will make you confortable at first I would go with Curves. It is only for women and (I have gone to Curves) the women who do go there are generally very supportive. When I went I lost several inches along with going to Jenny Craig. Once you see that working maybe you will be confortable enough to go to the gym on the base for free. If you are going to have to move with the service, you should always have a gym available to you.

I belong to 24 hour Fitness. I used to be uncomfortable going to the gym because I thought everyone was checking out every one else, but you know what? Everyone was too busy checking themselves out in the mirrors to worry about anyone else!! LOL. No, really it is true !!!!

Good luck to you, I hope everything goes well for you.

[marfar7 1,533]

I went thru these same questions just last week! I decided to join an all-womens gym (today) and I start my orientation hour with a trainer on Thurs. I haven't been working out at all. And I felt the same way about people judging me - especially men. So curves is a great idea or the womens only gym. Or heck, if it's free, I wouldn't care who looked at me at the base gym (I miss that perk - I used to be in the Army)

Good luck and congrats on the decision to do it now instead of waiting almost 6 mths like I did before staerting to exercise.

Best wishes!

Marci

[BetsyB 9]

I am a former Curves member, and am anti-Curves for a number of reasons. The most important is that I don't believe the use of hydraulic equipment is as safe as using other forms of resistance.

The machines at Curves are hydraulic. They provide more resistance the faster you work. The gimmick is that you get your cardio and weight training simultaneously. The reality is that you vastly increase the risk for injury.

Resistance training is safer and more effective if you slowly move through a range of motion. Hydraulic machines do the opposite.

There are now orthopedists who refer to certain injuries as Curves Injuries---I kid you not.

So, that was one thing that prompted me to un-enroll.

Another HUGE problem with Curves is its hours. It's owned by a man who believes that women belong at home with their families--which is totally his prerogative. But, it impacts the hours the facilities are available to the very women they serve. If you want to work out at lunchtime or in the evening, you might be out of luck. (Some franchises are open longer hours; check yours before you enroll if it's important to you to have flexible hours.)

Thirdly, it's a routine that is VERY easy to outgrow. Yes, you can work ever faster and faster---but the regimen does not change, and it's...well, boring after a while. It's definitely nice to be able to sort of mindlessly do a workout while chatting with others, but it's not, IMO, the best workout for your workout dollar.

Finally, the owner of the company donates a great deal of money to American terrorist organizations of the sort that shoot physicians who provide women's health care services and bomb clinics.

I am not interested in supporting him in any way.

Not that I feel strongly about it or anything :thumbup:

I guess if I had to give a short answer, I'd say, "Check out the Y first. There's more to do there, the hours can't be beat, the whole family will love it, their values are strong, and it's less expensive."

ETA: Since you're not sure you want to join anything, how about Option 4: Lace up a pair of shoes, slap on your iPod, leash up your dog (if you have one), and head outdoors for a good, long walk each day? You can vary the terrain, the speed, the distance---and make it a really good workout.

Edited March 24, 2010 by BetsyB

[chrisdirects 0]

My previous experience at Curves, while not unpleasant, also didn't do anything for me, so that was out of my box from the beginning.

I already had a membership at Gold's when I was banded, but wasn't using it (I know, stupid waste of money!)...so, now I'm back there. I don't really care what others are thinking. I've been alternating between the elliptical, the treadmill, and their ski machines, and today, I'm taking advantage of one of my free trainer sessions to set up for starting to work with weights.

A big plus is that my Gold's offers Zumba classes, which I love...I'm planning my first post-op try at that this Saturday. I figure, if I run out of steam this first time out, oh, well, I'll just do the best I can.

I've also had good luck with the Leslie Sansone in-home walking tapes, when I know I need to move but can't get over to the gym for whatever reason.

Best wishes!

Christine

[sld21 26]

I'd go to the free gym on base. If you end up slacking at least you didn't lose any money from it. Plus it's close and you might be able to make friends with other army wives doing the same thing.

[RavenClaw779 2]

Check out your local hospital. Often they have a fitness or wellness center that is used by cardiac patients, the staff, and community members who pay a fairly low monthly fee. They generally require a note from your doctor(clearance) and have on staff certified fitness instructors who'll moniter you and help you design a program around your schedule, goals and needs.

I'm going to dig into Besty B's info on Curves - have one locally and called to get some info but no one called back. It's hours are weird 7:30am - Noon and 3pm to 8pm...even though I telecommute, I'd like more flexibility than that!

Good Luck!

[vlp1968 83]

I would go for the free gym on the base. Because well, it's free lol. Don't worry about other people, they are busy with there own thing, not worrying about you. Just think, you are working on your shape and will be going there looking better and better each time.

The benefits of excersise are just too numberous to miss out on. Sooo, whatever you decide just decide to do something. You can start off slow and work your way up. Best wishes, you can do it!

[coilygirl 0]

dontgoggilme - we always seem to have the same questions. I am glad you posted this one.

Betsy - thanks for reminding me why I quit Curves to begin with. My job pays for free membership there but I can't support the anti-woman owner even though individual franchise owners may be good.

BTW...I think you should go to the base because it is free and sounds convenient. Those people would probably be more supportive than you think.

[giggles&curls 0]

I'm an Air Force wife, too! I know exactly what you mean about working out at the gym on base next to all these pretty fit guys that are just trucking away on the treadmill. But I think that's you're best option. You don't have to pay a monthly fee and it's super accessible. I've noticed that the base gyms are usually pretty busy early in the morning and later in the evening so try to go between those times. You're still going to find the fit guys but just not as many! Good luck with your decision!

[dontgoggilme 0]

so i think the decision has been made. i'm getting an elliptical for the house along with a handful of new workout dvd's (i love the leslie sansone walk a mile in your living room ones) and going to the gym on base. i loved all ya'll's input and my husband also put in his two cents saying that the base gym is the best option since it's free and easily accessible. so i guess that's what i'll do. :Banane20:

[Jachut 487]

The thing about Curves that annoys me is that they claim you cant outgrow it but I think that's complete rubbish. I was fit when I joined and there was no way I could get any kind of valuable workout from it - there's only so fast you can work those machines without sacrificing form and safety. I am also very cardiovascularly fit and a workout in the "target heart rate" zone for me is no workout at all, it does nothing for me, I need to work at a much higher level.

So you CAN definitely outgrow Curves or be too fit to benefit from it.

Trouble is, I think most gyms with their almost untrained "personal trainers" are very similar, well, they are here. You get a cookie cutter workout designed to target the big muscles in fairly sedentary people. You need guidance or knowledge for gym to be really beneficial and the formula of a walk on the treadmill and an hour of throwing machines around works well at first for the out of shape and then you outgrow it like you do Curves.

Both are FANTASTIC to start with, it just depends if you want the more woman friendly environment or not.

Longer term, I've never had exercise results like I've had from bootcamp which is a workout on another stratosphere of difficulty, but again, you have to get to the point where you can do that. So easier things are much better for you at first. They get you to greater levels of fitness.

My body overall though responds to lots and lots and lots of cardio. I think everyone's different in that regard. I am not a muscular person (I am toned and have muscle but not bulk, and I dont desire to be any different) and lots of running keeps me trim, very long and slender rather than bulky, and it enables me to just eat and eat and eat (well, it feels like it anyway). Cardio like this isnt really fashionable now, it gets a bad rap, but that's not my experience. Four runs and two boot camp sessions a week is my routine.

I think find your niche, the environment you like and what YOUR body responds best and that will be YOUR best exercise.

[adagray 1]

If you can find a Jazzercise class near you, I highly recommend trying it out. Go to www.jazzercise.com and you can search by your zip code. It is the only exercise that I truly love. And, it combines aerobics (which you can do low or high impact - every move is modifiable), core work, resistance, and stretching. There are a limited number of moves which are combined into different dance/workout routines and put to music. I know 'Jazzercise' sounds old fashioned, but the music is current and it is really fun. Its an hour long workout, but it just flies by for me. I've belonged to a very nice gym here paying $120/month and never went as much as I go to Jazzercise for only $40/month.

[BetsyB 9]

Cardio like this isnt really fashionable now, it gets a bad rap, but that's not my experience.

I couldn't agree more.

I also think that it has enormous value ...I want to say emotionally, but that's not quite the right word. But for lack of a better term, the psychological benefits of cardio are huge, at least for me. The sustained exertion just reaps all kinds of rewards.

[marmar 0]

Finally, the owner of the company donates a great deal of money to American terrorist organizations of the sort that shoot physicians who provide women's health care services and bomb clinics.

WHAT!!!!!!!!! Gary Heavin is a christian buisness man who also supports pro life. how does this make he and his company bad? I think that was so off the subject.