Why Ditching the Gym Made Me More Financially and Physically Fit (Plus My Favorite At-Home Workouts)
If you follow me on Instagram or know me IRL, odds are pretty high that you’ve heard me talk about OTF. Pre-COVID, I was obsessed and sometimes went 7 days per week. The workouts are fantastic and really showed me how to work out and get that amazing rush of endorphins. I challenge you to find a better feeling in the world. For that, I will always be grateful.
When everything shut down, I noticed a major dip in my mood not only because I couldn’t see friends but also because I wasn’t able to work out as much. Endorphins not only give you a happy feeling but also ward off depression for many (NOT ALL) people, myself included.
I knew I had to do something major to keep myself from backsliding, so I immediately took up some at home workouts. I also spent an obscene amount of evening hours walking around my neighborhood, weather permitting.
Today I wanted to share the reasons I decided to ditch the gym as well as share some workouts I’m loving at home.
The Cost of OTF was Excessive
Any time someone heard that I went to OTF, they’d say “I’d totally go but it’s soooo expensive.” I found it very, very worth it for the reasons I listed above. The workout is fantastic.
However, with Covid, I started to realize that $159/month plus $12 for any time you wake up with a migraine and have to cancel (which happens about once a month for me) REALLY was too expensive. All totaled up, that’s over $2,000 a year!
No More Adrenal Fatigue
Before you start rolling your eyes, hear me out. Since Covid started, I realized how much I was overexerting myself at the gym. There are days that I just NEED to rest and that $12 per class cancellation fee really doesn’t afford that. I also know that if I’m paying a lot of money for a workout, I feel the need to make the most of it and go as much as possible.
Now that I’m not going, I know that I can rest when I need without having to fork over a Chipotle meal’s worth of money.
Better sleep
Pre-Covid, I was an early bird and felt like I needed to do a class first thing in the morning, lest my entire day be screwed up. This typically meant a 6:40 AM wakeup call. While I usually was able to go to bed early, that wasn’t alway the case.
Now that I’m not constrained to a workout time, I do a workout when I can. Often it’s in the mornings. Sometimes it’s during a lull at work. Other times it’s in the evening. I always get it in, but like that I have more flexibility to sleep when I need.
Accountability
I know some people love the accountability of having workout buddies and going to the gym in packs.
I am not one of those people.
When I wake up at 6:40 AM, I prefer the “rolled out of bed” look and the “talk to me and die” look.
Now, for example, my friend and I are doing a squat challenge. We do whatever workout we’d like but have to text each other that we’ve completed 50 squats and 10 pushups. It’s a fun way to connect with another goal-oriented person and keep yourself on track!
At Home Workouts I’ve Tried
Since we’ve been on lockdown for a while, I knew I needed to try various workouts before I settled on one I actually liked. None of these are free. Trust me, I tried to piecemeal workouts from YouTube but realized to get a good, consistent workout, you have to fork over some cash. The cost of all of these pales in comparison to the cost of OTF, though, so I was happy to pay for it.
Pure Barre / Barre 3
Don’t at me. I don’t like barre classes. I know so many people love them, and they’re just not my thing. I’ve done them in person too and just find them boring and frankly, not that great of a workout for me. It’s probably because I’m doing them wrong. I really wanted to like them but I just don’t.
Dance Factory Werk From Home
To juxtapose my distain for barre classes, Dance Factory boring it is not. I know that’s not a grammatically correct sentence, but I wanted to make my point clear–Dance Factory is SO FUN OMG. It’s dance cardio that will have you sweating up a storm. I love the classes and how high-energy they are. Highly recommend.
Beach Body- 21 Day Shred; Focus 25
I was a huge fan of P90X back in the day and didn’t realize that it’s Beach Body until I dusted off an old DVD to try for old time’s sake. When I remembered how great the workout is, I thought I’d give the online format a try and it did NOT disappoint. I love that most of the workouts are around 30 minutes and target upper and lower body. It’s definitely a win!
Peloton
Soooo… big news! I bought a Peloton bike! It’s not here yet but I have used my sister’s Peloton Tread when I’ve visited home and looooove it. I’ll keep you posted but am super excited for my new purchase (which, with its 0% financing is significantly cheaper than OTF each month.. so there!).
Have you made any changes to your workout routine that’s going to carry over when things continue to open up?
Have a great weekend, everyone!
