I made a big decision recently. After almost 10 years, I decided to go back to the gym, which I wrote about in this post.
I loved my home workouts. I did them for years, and was able to use bare bones equipment to progress my strength bit by bit.
Things changed when I got pregnant.
As a previous physiotherapist, I know the benefits of strength training in pregnancy. As well as its safety for most people. But quickly into my first trimester, weight lifting made me very nauseous. I had nausea all day, but lifting weights would send me down a nausea spiral that I couldn’t stop. I went from hour-long weight lifting sessions four times a week to 10 minutes of body weight exercises twice a week. And then I even had to stop that.
I was disappointed. I’ve been touting the benefits of physical activity in pregnancy as a physiotherapist and as a physician, and yet I could only manage a short walk every day.
After giving birth, I was excited to get back into weightlifting. I started slowly, with 1-2 sets of bodyweight exercises a couple times a week. It was okay, but disheartening to be so far away from where I used to be.
And then my baby got bigger, and working out at home became more difficult. He would always want to be in my arms while I was lifting weights. A 10-minute workout would take 30 minutes, because I’d need to feed him halfway through.
So, after almost 10 years of home workouts, I decided to go back to the gym for my New Years resolution.
And it feels awesome.
I don’t get distracted or interrupted. I can get through an entire workout, drink my protein shake, and then start my day feeling great.
In this post, I’m going to go through my pros for working out at home vs. at the gym. Yes, I said pros and skipped the cons. Since the pros and cons of each overlap, I thought I’d focus on the positive!
Pros of Home Workouts
1. I can workout in my pajamas
Enough said.
2. It’s more affordable (especially with just a few pieces of equipment you can use for years)
My husband and I bought a bench, barbell, some plates, and a pull-up bar for less than $700. Then we used this equipment every week for almost a decade. That’s much more affordable than a gym membership for two people every year, at least in Ontario.
3. I can be creative with my workouts
It’s fun to be creative: What can I do with minimal equipment? How can I keep making exercises harder month after month?
4. I get to focus on the essentials
Not that I can’t do this in the gym, but at home I stuck to the basics of weight training: squats, deadlifts, bench press, pull-ups, rows, tricep dips, lunges, push-ups, bicep curls etc. It removed a lot of decision fatigue with trying to choose which exercises to do.
5. No commute time
Since I didn’t need to change, put things in a locker, or commute to and from the gym, my home workouts took only as long as the actually working out part. So nice when you have limited time.
6. No self-consciousness
I didn’t have to worry if I was sweating profusely, watching tv loudly, or lying on the ground when I worked out at home. At the gym, I’m more conscious of certain things that I really didn’t need to think about at home.
Pros of Gym Workouts
1. It’s motivating to workout around others
No matter how hard I think I’m pushing myself at home, I’m always able to push a bit more at the gym. I also make sure my technique for each exercise is on point.
This is one of the main reasons I wanted to switch to gym workouts. Even though home workouts are more convenient for me, I was ready and motivated to challenge myself with different exercises, equipment, and workouts.
2. I feel more accountable
I paid for the membership, so now I feel accountable to show up and use it.
3. It’s more social
Although I haven’t made any gym friends yet, it’s nice to see familiar faces and say hi to fellow gym-goers. There’s a sense that you’re in this together.
4. My toddler, husband, and dogs don’t interrupt my workouts
Doing push-ups with a toddler trying to pull your hair and a dog trying to crawl underneath your legs is difficult. I adore my family, and concurrently love having my gym time away from home. I can focus on myself and my health (which doesn’t happen very often in my usual workday).
This list certainly isn’t complete, so let me know what your pros are!
Stay well friends,
-Dr. Kuhnow
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