After being a member of my local gym for 12 months I have found myself officially bored.  I used to go three times a week without fail, spinning, running, rowing, classes etc.  Now however it is all I can do to go once!

I have started seeing a personal trainer which is a bit more fun but costs a lot more and isn't going to be feasible long term, purely on the financial front.  I was wondering if anyone has any tips to make the gym more fun or alternative training methods? 

Like a lot of people I find it hard to leave the house once I have got home - especially when it's dark and cold (though that excuse will soon be useless I know!) but I don't want to end up unfit like I was at the end of 2006 when a cycling trip to mid wales nearly killed me! 

Gotta go to the gym straight from work.   Have regular days, because then it is a habit, and book things (eg spinning) cos then you "have" to go... once you're in the swing of it it's easy; it's when you miss a week or two that it then becomes difficult again.

Reckon if you have some way of measuring your progress too, then it helps.

I don't do the gym any more, literally the only exercise I get is riding my bike.

Making sure I agree to meet people is the key for me, I ride at lunch with friends (usually on the road bike), in the evening (off road), and at the weekend.  I find it really hard to motivate myself to ride on my own.  Also try to do turbo training once a week with the local tri club, this is harder to motivate myself to do!!

I should probably do some different exercise but I can't be bothered to join the gym just to go once a week, and I don't really like running which would be a good alternative.

Could you maybe get someone to come with you then it is harder to wimp out?  Or get some lights and go night riding?

Hi,

I find the gym incredibly boring too,and lack motivation to leave the house to go there!

I have converted my spare room to my own gym, step machine(£400 from JJB), spin bike(bought recently in sale from tesco-£114 instead of £200 and very quiet compared to turbo trainer! you can also fit your clipless pedals and own saddle making it more like a real bike) and some weights..

I have installed sky plus and record programmes/films that will hold my attention to train for longer..

The biggest difference i made to my fitness last year was commuting to work..15 miles each way which can be tough when working a 12-13 hour shifts. but once you there you feel great,and I have no easy option for getting home..so have to ride back...oh and it saves a fortune on diesel, which hopefully saves a tiny part of the planet

The other thing i did last year was start using memory map to pre plan rides, so you don't ride around aimlessly, you can pre plan your training rides for distance, hills, mileage etc..

Good luck, pedal now and reap the benefits for when the better weather arrives.

 Sinead

Commuting!

I got so bored of the gym, I found myself never wanting to go.  But with commuting there is no choice.  It made such a difference to my fitness.  I went from really struggling on a Wales trip with a load of people off here to really suprising Claire T last time she rode with me at how much better I was.

Claire my exercise is all from riding a bike as well, but since I want to be fit for cycling it makes sense.

Hmm I think if I worked a bit more rural commuting would be a good option but I work in the centre of Birmingham and the thought of dealing with the psycho drivers scares the life out of me!  Plus there is nowhere to leave the bike once I get to work so it would only get nicked.  Apart from  Shecycles rides I don't get out as all my mates think I am mad and bloke is too tied up with other things at the moment.  I can't ride alone as I have no sense of direction and don't enjoy it - therefore get a mile down the road think 'bored now' and go home!

Back to the gym then I guess....

i can't stand the gym. only other activities i do is climbing. at least once a week and when motivated twice a week inside - i don't find it helps biking but its exercise and really enjoyable.

why not try it? all you need to buy if you boulder is a pair of shoes and some chalk. its about £5 per session ( as long as you want )  after that. i

Missgroover, i commute into Coventry for work from Rugby, it is darn dodgy with the traffic i have to agree.. have you looked at other route options? you prob have... i planned longer and safer route which helps.. i lock my bike in the ladies showers as noone else ever uses them (unless they going out on the town after work...maybe gets used by opther people 2-3) times a year!  I will be planning some road rides with some local friends in evenings after clocks change, you welcome to come along..get a folding bike and shove it your office??lol

Ads...i never did get climbing?? you climb up you get back down, you scrape your knees and elbows along the way...not enough speed for me maybe.. each to their own my nephew loves it!

Have to say - the Gym doesn't do it for me either.  I think the key is to find something (whatever it is) you enjoy so it doesn't feel like a chore.  Apart from the biking my other passion is playing rugby which I have done for the last 12 years and it's a great all round workout, running, upper body and co-ordination.  Training once or twice a week and playing a game at the weekend, I don't think I have ever been bored with it.  I thoroughly recommend it to anyone. 

Commuting is a brilliant way to maximise your time if you are lucky enough to have a safe route to work and somewhere to leave your bike.  My commute is a very rural 35 miles round trip so a bit far to do every day but once or twice a week can make a big impact on fitness.  (have to develop the skill of being able to do a full body wash from a very small sink though!).

Try different sports, even if you don't take them up long term.  They keep you interested and enjoying yourself.  Also, as mrs Doolittle says, set yourself some targets to keep yourself motivated.

hi sinead,

climbing ofr me at least - is all about pushing yourself to your limits mentally (so not being a wuss and trying hard when scared) & being really tenacious when bouldering - ie problem solving and not giving up. Its a real achievement when you get to the top. (obviously making it as hard as possible for yourself otherwise it would be boring.)

not great for cardio but strength and core its great. i really enjoy it.

it still feels weird for me how biking has taken my top spot - i always thought id love climbing more than anything. how wrong i was....

i think the speed of mtbing is def one of the biggest attractions for me. so i know what you mean.

 im still grinning from 2 amazing downhills i did on Monday. love it!

yes I think the commute will be shelved - for the time being at least.  Next time I move jobs however I'll try to go for somewhere a bit more rural - with better washing and bike storing facilities! 

I have a friend who climbs loads and I have done some - indoors only.  I enjoyed it immensley until I did something painful to my shoulder whilst hauling myself up...took 2 years to finally settle so am reluctant to try it again in case it flares up.

Sinead - could be up for joining you in the summer, Rugby isn't that far from me.  Let me know when you start planning

I just recently started a body pump class once a week which made me limp for a week but now is ok and I sooo see the difference in my legs and and arms...I also do pilates to keep me supple and ride only at the weekend at the mo..oh and run as much as possible too.

 i must get commuting its not far 4 miles or so just up the most mahoosive hill and we dont have shower at work ( nice hair)

 The gym is a necessary evil in the winter and to be honest I bet I go once a monthin the summer...  all the spinning classes start at 7pm and I am like everyone else and have to go straight from work or not at all.

Our gym has a running club...try it out its great for fitness and weight loss.

For me exercise has to be convenient, otherwise I find too many reasons (excuses!) not to do it ...on which basis running has always worked for me - much more convenient than biking as it doesn't involve as much organising of kit etc to get out the door. It always fits in with having to travle to cities a lot for work - it's easy to just take trainers and shorts with me.

Plus ... I really enjoy running - and that is the biggest motivator of all.

Second the communting - again it fits in to my day-to-day life, but I'm lucky in that most on it is on very quiet rural roads. I completely understand why commuting in the middle of a big city wouldn't be the most enjoyable experience. Would running to work be an option for you instead? 

the thought of going to the gym makes me wince......women reading magazines whilst on the exercise bikes, and sweaty guys managing to cover everthing in their sweat, plus being incredibly boring.  I used to go to the gym religiously 2-3 times a week for up to 2 hours doing cardio and weights, but  it ate into my evenings so much, that I never got anything done. 

i got myself a turbo trainer for this winter, and a dvd that tells you when to change pace or level of effort which is pretty good as it keeps you going, whereas just riding on the turbo for 30mins is very dull unless you are very good at pushing yourself.  The trainer just folds up and leans against the wall when I'm not using it and it works with my mtb with slicks on (which I use for commuting).

I also bought some other dvd's, a power yoga one, and a core endurance one.  Which are quite hard work.  The core endurance only takes 20mins, which I think is key for doing dvd workouts: again it's difficult to motivate yourself if they take longer.  As someone else said, it's about getting into a routine too.

I've just started commuting to work a couple days a week by bike.  Fortunately it's only 8miles there and 8 miles back, but there's a couple of big hills to get over.  If I can't face the ride in first thing in the morning, I cycle to the train station, catch the train in and then cycle to work.  Would this be an option for Birmingham city centre - you cycle to a point where you can catch the train into the city centre, so you don't have to cycle in with the horrid traffic?  or alternatively, one of my friends does alternate days i.e. she drives to work with her bike in the car, then cycles home...then cycles in the next day, and drives home.  Which if you have reasonably secure parking gives you somewhere to leave your bike.

I'm quite lucky as the roads on my work journey aren't too busy, but I get enough idiots in their cars on that short journey, so I sympathise with you not wanting to cycle into the city centre.  Although saying that, a lot of cities have cycle paths into them these days.  The other thing with the bike is, you have bridal paths, unadopted roads, cycle paths, disused railways, canal paths etc that you can use on a bike but not a car, so you could find a more fun way home or to work without the traffic.   

hi to be fair if i watched my diet, i would be a stick but:

I have started to commute on my 10pm finishes and i agree with sinead when you commute and work a long day in the nhs it is perfect exercise... oh and i add a couple of extra miles on the way home and use my singlespeed

 I tend to go to the gym straight from work when i can cos theres no excuses and spin where possible. I do have a personal trainer once a week and focus on core stability for my joints...

I have just invested in a gym ball at home to try to do more while watching telly too!

I gave up my gym membership 4 years ago when I realised I was paying £45 per month to use their jacuzzi twice a month!  I got to the stage where I would rather go out in a hurricane than hamster away in the gym.  At the time I cycle commuted 3 or 4 times a week and MTBed twice, however I changed jobs to one further away and that commitment to cycle commuting got more difficult so I took up running as it was more convenient though painful.  I have recently joined a running club (man, some of them are so so fast) and am loving running almost as much as MTBing  - particularly off road running where I can run on tracks/paths I'm not allowed to ride on, its also been easier to make myself go out on dark stormy nights when running with the club.  I climb on the indoor wall regularly for general strength/core and flexibility work. 

The key for me is actually doing stuff with other people, which suprised me as I didn't think I was actually very sociable but there you go, also being outside is pretty much essential .  All my climbing, MTBing and most of my running is now done with others the only thing I tend to do on my own is commute, a short run or the occasional road ride.  Routine is also important, if you think about it too much you probably won't do it.

Another good thing for increasing motivation is to enter an event, preferably one that will challenge you then you have to do something or you'll die!  My big event this year is a 15 mile trail run over the Garburn pass  (wibble, wibble) if I don't put the miles it will be very, very painful whereas if I train it will just be painful.