I finally want to eat healthy and get in shape. Gym questions.
- Thread starter Hyena
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first, you don't need to join a gym to get in shape. you'll receive all kinds of advice about that. second: goodlife is really your only choice. they've bought everybody else almost. and the fact that you can find one in any city and lots around the bigger cities makes them the best choice. presuming the equipment and stuff they offer suits you. price will vry from $400 to $800 depending on who u work for. important question: what "in shape" are you hoping for?
I beg to radically differ. If the OP wants Good Life then so be it. But there are some wonderful gym options throughout the city, ranging from other major clubs (e.g. Mayfair) to dozens of excellent boutique gyms.
I myself have lost 85 lbs and am a member of two gyms. Though I am nowhere near this guy, I worked out side by side with a world-class weight lifter today. There is no shortage of options.
Yes, there are a lot of smaller, more personal gyms but if you want to be able to work out anywhere in Canada (if you travel a lot for work, that is handy), then Goodlife is the way to go. I have no idea what memberships go for these days. I've had mine forever so it's a really good deal.
They will take you around and show you the club but if you want some personal advice on how to achieve your fitness goals, I'd suggest a few sessions of personal training......just to get started.
They have an amazing variety and number of classes if you are into that kind of thing (I know most guys aren't). The Les Mills Bodypump classes are a great workout even for guys! If you try one of these classes, make sure you arrive a bit early and don't be afraid to ask for assistance (you need to get your equipment set up yourself and Goodlife is notorious for not leaving enough time between classes). The instructors and the participants are very helpful and friendly and will help you gather and set up all the equipment you need for this class).
When you go for your orientation, however, don't believe them when they say they will call you if you haven't been in awhile (to motivate you). This is bullshit. They have your money, they don't care whether you show up or not.
If you are motivated enough to work out at home and want some high intensity interval training, I would suggest you check out www.dailyhiit.com. Awesome, SHORT high intensity workouts. I use this site FREQUENTLY and I love it. You have to do your own warm up/cool down/stretch though. They use equipment but you CAN modify the exercises if you don't have the exact equipment they do. They are awesome workouts and I've recommended them to many people already..........and they are FREE!
If you are determined to go the gym route, do your research, call some gyms you're interested in and ask for a tour. A lot of gyms will give you a week for free to check it out. If they don't offer a free week (or 3 sessions or whatever).....ASK!! You will be investing a lot of money into this and you want to make sure it's the right fit for you.
Hope this helps! Congrats and good luck on your fitness journey!
They will take you around and show you the club but if you want some personal advice on how to achieve your fitness goals, I'd suggest a few sessions of personal training......just to get started.
They have an amazing variety and number of classes if you are into that kind of thing (I know most guys aren't). The Les Mills Bodypump classes are a great workout even for guys! If you try one of these classes, make sure you arrive a bit early and don't be afraid to ask for assistance (you need to get your equipment set up yourself and Goodlife is notorious for not leaving enough time between classes). The instructors and the participants are very helpful and friendly and will help you gather and set up all the equipment you need for this class).
When you go for your orientation, however, don't believe them when they say they will call you if you haven't been in awhile (to motivate you). This is bullshit. They have your money, they don't care whether you show up or not.
If you are motivated enough to work out at home and want some high intensity interval training, I would suggest you check out www.dailyhiit.com. Awesome, SHORT high intensity workouts. I use this site FREQUENTLY and I love it. You have to do your own warm up/cool down/stretch though. They use equipment but you CAN modify the exercises if you don't have the exact equipment they do. They are awesome workouts and I've recommended them to many people already..........and they are FREE!
If you are determined to go the gym route, do your research, call some gyms you're interested in and ask for a tour. A lot of gyms will give you a week for free to check it out. If they don't offer a free week (or 3 sessions or whatever).....ASK!! You will be investing a lot of money into this and you want to make sure it's the right fit for you.
Hope this helps! Congrats and good luck on your fitness journey!
My doctor told me I shouldn't work out until I'm in better shape. I said "ok, don't send me a bill until I pay you.."
If possible, get a personal trainer for the first bit. Helps with motivation and if you're new to working out they can make sure you don't hurt yourself.
If you want to start running, I am having luck with an iPhone app called "couch to 5k". It basically just tells you when to walk and run and starts you off really easy so you don't give up. (The first few times you do it, you'll feel like it was pretty easy. Keep going and it gets harder. It just goes easy for the first little bit so it doesn't scare you away...)
If you want to start running, I am having luck with an iPhone app called "couch to 5k". It basically just tells you when to walk and run and starts you off really easy so you don't give up. (The first few times you do it, you'll feel like it was pretty easy. Keep going and it gets harder. It just goes easy for the first little bit so it doesn't scare you away...)
Diet is 70%. I have been eating pretty healthy and less portions. Cut a lot of gluten, wheat and dairy out and am feeling amazing. Also, really cut back on alcohol...well kinda,lol! I have my moments.
I've been going to a small Goodlife gym in the east end for a few years. It's a good organization, they have plenty of free group classes that are fine when starting out.
What you need to know: your contract will be for one year. You cannot cancel before that time. I see many people show up for a few weeks and then fade away, I'm sure they find out the hard way that they have to keep paying even though they realize they don't have the time for exercise, it's too hard to get up early or whatever.
1. DO NOT USE YOUR CREDIT CARD. Do not give them your primary bank account information! Call your bank and create a companion account. Have them auto-deposit the monthly Goodlife fee into that account, and give Goodlife that account number to use. So if you ever do want to get out of the membership, stop putting money into that account.
2. Join Fitocracy http://www.fitocracy.com It is free and can help track progress and offers programs such as Starting Strength for beginners
3. Diet is very important so get that sorted out. "Eating healthy" is vague but a good start is to keep a food log. Write down everything you eat for a few days in a row. Calculate the calories consumed. Figure out how to improve the numbers and quality.
Nice. There are so many running events in Toronto in the summer. But the one I'm going to suggest to you is the Yorkville 5K in September. (Yes you will have to get up early on a Sunday morning!)
http://www.yorkvillerun.com/
It is $50 which is steep for a 5K but it's a great charity, a fast run, and has the best post-race snacks and goodies of any event. Also you get a good quality technical shirt, last year they gave out shoulder bags that are okay for going to the gym, and a souvenir finisher's medal.
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You don't need a Gym. Buy Exercise Bike, dumbbells, weight bench, a mat. Start with this. There are number of videos and free web sites that will show the different exercises you can do with the equipment you have. Work out every second day. Start slow, 15 mins on bike and 1 rep of weights. Move up from there. Get out and walk for an hour.
Diet is the most important part of your weight loss. Drop anything that comes out of a deep fryer. Drop Ground Beef. Try to eliminate sugar as much as possible.. Get off Diet Pop it doesn't help you loose weight. Aspertaine(sp) is really bad for you. Diet frozen dinners are also really bad for you. Start getting a lot of fiber in your diet. Metamucil will help with this. Start to read labels notice salt content.
You will be surprised in 6 months.
Good luck
Diet is the most important part of your weight loss. Drop anything that comes out of a deep fryer. Drop Ground Beef. Try to eliminate sugar as much as possible.. Get off Diet Pop it doesn't help you loose weight. Aspertaine(sp) is really bad for you. Diet frozen dinners are also really bad for you. Start getting a lot of fiber in your diet. Metamucil will help with this. Start to read labels notice salt content.
You will be surprised in 6 months.
Good luck
You could probably pick up a used stationary bike from simon in a few weeks, once he's bored with it LOL.
I think whether joining a gym or getting home equipment, the key factor is to set aside time every day that will be dedicated to exercising, and sticking to it.
ps it's 6:45 am, time to head out and go for a swim at the local community pool.
Using any gym has to be convenient, or you won't use it. Merely taking out a membership won't get you into shape, so before you sign on the dotted line, make certain you are going to use it. I was a member if the Y for 25 years but when I moved, it was no longer convenient. I ended up buying a good quality elliptical trainer and weight machine and it's proven to be a very good decision since I use it virtually every day, when it suits me. The stuff wasn't cheap... about $5k in total... but over time, it's good value.
Good luck with your plan!
Good luck with your plan!
If you are in the west side of the GTA you should take a tour of LifeTime Athletics. I very recently joined. It is a bit expensive, but I am told that the membership is cancelable with 30 days notice.
The place is huge and their are so many resources to access if you want them. I enjoy the steam bath and pool on the days I am not doing a full workout.
The place is huge and their are so many resources to access if you want them. I enjoy the steam bath and pool on the days I am not doing a full workout.
Go ask GoodLife to pay up front for the year with a money order. They will say no. They will not take a credit card for the monthly payment. They will only let you join if you pay with automatic payments from a Bank Account. So the advise MattRoxx gave is good.
Use a secondary account which you can stop funding. Do a Google search and read the horror stories about all the big Gyms ripping customers off. Look for a private gym in your neighborhood.
If your going to join a gym: Don't sign a contract, pay up front for a discounted price, don't ever give them financial info.
Use a secondary account which you can stop funding. Do a Google search and read the horror stories about all the big Gyms ripping customers off. Look for a private gym in your neighborhood.
If your going to join a gym: Don't sign a contract, pay up front for a discounted price, don't ever give them financial info.
There is one key component missing. You can join any gym, or decide not to. It really doesn't matter.
The main point to achieving better health is making the commitment that it's a forever lifestyle change.
Once you can do this and stay in the zone then your good to go.
The main point to achieving better health is making the commitment that it's a forever lifestyle change.
Once you can do this and stay in the zone then your good to go.
Make sure where ever you get a membership it is very close to where you live, as in the winter when weather conditions are bad it is still possible to go to the gym if the gym you go to is conviently located you will use it a lot more often.
If you have never worked out get a trainer for a few sessions so you learn the ropes and learn proper form. Also if you are not easily motivated to go to the gym then you definitely need to get a trainer usually trainers give you bundle packages for $250-500 for up to 10 sessions.
Also a gym should cost you any where between $45-70 a month.
There are a lot of good gyms out there it just depends on where you live, try finding a couple of gyms in the vicinity of your home and go visit 3 of them and then pick 1.
If you don't know any gyms around your home tell me where you live and I can give you a list.
Fuck Gyms and diets.. If you're just getting started then you're probably not ready for them yet.
First, I would fully recommend getting the FitnessPal app for your phone (if you dont' have a smart phone you can log on online). It's basically a calorie counter. The trick is you have to be consistent and honest with it.. Yes, there will be many days/weeks you will find yourself over eating (and you'll see yourself routinely go over your recommended calorie intake) and it will get a little depressing. But you have to keep up with it. You'll notice (on the weeks that you don't over eat) that you actually DO lose weight. A lot of people give up on diets and exercising because they don't see the results. By using the FitnessPal app you're keeping tab of everything. Additionally, you won't be able to say to yourself "Aw, how much harm can one more slice of pizza do" because you'll actually SEE how much harm it will do. You'll quickly realize the little differences you can make to your diet. For example, I drink 2 to 3 coffees a day and used to get them "double double", but by switching to "regular" (1 cream 1 sugar) I've saved myself 300+ calories a day.
Apart from that, do some cardio. Doesn't matter what kind of cardio or how much (at least in the beginning).. But do something, and make sure it's easy and entertaining enough that you'll do it everyday. I started with 10 minutes on my stationary bike every morning and build from there, and I'm now up to an hour every morning. Once you're doing a minimum of a half hour everyday (and you're finding that you're able to stop yourself from making excuses to NOT do it) then add something else (stomach crunches or push ups for instance). But build your stamina through cardio first 'cause if you're wheezing like a fat pig after doing 10 push ups, then you're not going to be inclined to do anymore (even if your muscles aren't even close to "burning" yet).
And if you're doing 30 minutes of cardio a day and one particular day you feel like you could keep going forever, then keep going until you DO feel tired. Don't let "routine" stop you from pushing yourself as far as you want. Nothing feels better than a personal best.
First, I would fully recommend getting the FitnessPal app for your phone (if you dont' have a smart phone you can log on online). It's basically a calorie counter. The trick is you have to be consistent and honest with it.. Yes, there will be many days/weeks you will find yourself over eating (and you'll see yourself routinely go over your recommended calorie intake) and it will get a little depressing. But you have to keep up with it. You'll notice (on the weeks that you don't over eat) that you actually DO lose weight. A lot of people give up on diets and exercising because they don't see the results. By using the FitnessPal app you're keeping tab of everything. Additionally, you won't be able to say to yourself "Aw, how much harm can one more slice of pizza do" because you'll actually SEE how much harm it will do. You'll quickly realize the little differences you can make to your diet. For example, I drink 2 to 3 coffees a day and used to get them "double double", but by switching to "regular" (1 cream 1 sugar) I've saved myself 300+ calories a day.
Apart from that, do some cardio. Doesn't matter what kind of cardio or how much (at least in the beginning).. But do something, and make sure it's easy and entertaining enough that you'll do it everyday. I started with 10 minutes on my stationary bike every morning and build from there, and I'm now up to an hour every morning. Once you're doing a minimum of a half hour everyday (and you're finding that you're able to stop yourself from making excuses to NOT do it) then add something else (stomach crunches or push ups for instance). But build your stamina through cardio first 'cause if you're wheezing like a fat pig after doing 10 push ups, then you're not going to be inclined to do anymore (even if your muscles aren't even close to "burning" yet).
And if you're doing 30 minutes of cardio a day and one particular day you feel like you could keep going forever, then keep going until you DO feel tired. Don't let "routine" stop you from pushing yourself as far as you want. Nothing feels better than a personal best.
Yeah, that perineum should be a nice deep shade of purple right about now, and so incredibly sensitive that any slight change in temp or pressure should be shooting lightning bolts of pain that would blind the average man. Oh the joys of taking up 'cycling' when you weight 300lbs. They just don't make the padded seat that will save you after you've spent years sitting on a nice soft truck bench LOL! (as a long time cycling instructor, I know that of which I speak) Oh, Magic Eight Ball - do you see a stationary bike 'for sale' sign in the immediate future?
At the community center gym you can pay as you go/monthly. About 95% of people join gyms and never continue to make use of the membership. I used to be a regular member at the gym, would see so many people show up, go work with the weights, and never show up at the gym again.
Start slow at home, stretching, walks, jogging, see if you can commit to a routine. If you can, then join a community gym where you can figure out what you enjoy, and can talk to other people about the gyms in the area.
