Gym Membership or At-home Elliptical

I abandoned gym for elliptical. The logistics of getting to they gym with two (even one) if just to combersom. Better to have home excersise equipment. Both have the potential to be underused. Personally, I did an in home trainer to get me going and an elliptical after baby number one. Now that I'm working on baby weight after baby number two, its all I can do to do 20 min on the elliptical, I cannot imagine getting to the gym. Ohh, I also found an awsome heated yoga studio close to my house and bought by the class. That way there is no guilt if i just can't manage to get there. My 20 class package will be waiting for me when I can use it.

Whatever you will USE more. We pay the $92 a month for a household membership to our local YMCA because of the fitness classes, handball courts, and if the entire family/household is members-- the kids get free daycare up to 2 hours a day at ours. The group fitness classes keep me motivated and coming back. We also have an elliptical and spinning bike and weights set in our basement -- honestly the YMCA sees more action from us! Our kids like going to the "playroom" (they are 3.5 and 2) and then going to a maze the YMCA has on the top floor for kids after the workouts so they don't mind being dragged there 3 times a week.

Also, really really try OUT the elliptical that is $300 before purchasing if possible...the cheaper ones tend to be much harder on your knees than gym-grade ones.

Good luck, whatever your decision!

Well I have an at home gym (treadmill, bike, weights, etc) But I recently joined the gym and I love it. I find that my workouts are more successful and I get to step away from the chaos at home. I don't like the thought of taking my daughter to the daycare at the gym, so I just force myself to get up around 4:45 or 5 am and get to the gym for my 1 hour workout. I'm back home and get ready for work and am more energized. If you do decide to get an elliptical for home, you need to make sure to get a good one. I am a health professional and work with clients daily for sports enhancement and such. The design of the elliptical is crucial, especially for women because the way our hips are designed. So make sure you test it out and feel that it is a good fit for you.

I have done both. Gym membership adds up year after year. The only thing they offer is yoga, step, spinning classes etc. I have an elliptical and my only advice is to get a good one. Ours was middle of the line and it was $1,200. Cheaper ones have shorter stides and not as smooth. If I were you and you work I would get something at home. That way your kids don't have to go from daycare to gym childcare. You will save a lot of money in the long run, plus pool workouts with the kids in the summer will be fun.

Good luck!

It depends on several things.

1. Are you going to use the gym membership? I go 4 days a week so to me it is worth it. It can be viewed as expensive but 3.75 a visit to improve my health is worth it. In fact I would pay any amount of money to improve my health.
2. Can you get a good work out without the motivation of a fitness class? When I work out at home it is sub-par to what I do at the gym. Going at the same time you meet people and are motivated to return as your friends are there.
3. Do you have time to go to the gym? do you work full time, part time, Working full time and getting to the gym is tough. I went when I worked full-time and it was tough (I would go at 5:30 AM most days). Now working part-time it is easier.
4. Would you trust your kids to be taken care of there? Some places can be sketchy.
5. Are you self motivated to do it at home?
6. Personally I would do both. You can have elliptical at home and can do it when you can't go to the gym. We have a treadmill, weight machine, and free weights. I rarely use them (my husband uses them daily) as I go to the gym or run outside. But I like having them for days my plan changes.

It depends on your personality and level of commitment. If you have difficulty committing to working out then going to the gym group fitness classes can hold you accountable.

Good luck!

Well, it depends. For me, my gym time is my "me time." It's the uninterrupted hour or so that I get to myself 3 times-ish a week. I think the money I pay for it is well worth it, however, that is motivating too--I don't want to pay for something and not use it. My husband is very anti-gym, so I go when he's home with our son so I don't have to worry about childcare. If your K. are old enough and can entertain themselves (or you are willing to do it at night when they are asleep), having an elliptical machine at home could work. Though, at a gym, you'd have the elliptical and so much more. You might get bored quickly with one type of machine. If you don't have to worry about being locked into a contract, it might be woth trying it to see how you like it.

I would skip the gym and get the elliptical. Here is why: packing your stuff, getting yourself presentable, packing up the kids, and driving to the gym adds a huge amount of time onto your "workout time". It is already hard enough to fit in fitness as it is. Additionally, many gyms charge for childcare. Even if is just a few dollars per child per hour, it really adds up, especially if you have multiple kids and are going to the gym 5x a week. The child care may not be open every day or at all hours (I know mine is closed weekends!! lame). Some childcares can only accept x amount of children at a time... how crappy is it to show up and not be able to go do your workout because the childcare is full?
These are the problems I have experienced. I was really excited when we first signed up, and yes, we went a lot at first since it was summertime and they have lots of pools. Now that it is wintertime, the last thing I want to do is go swimming! And life is just a lot busier with the kids in school and less time to drive to the gym. I wont be renewing our membership when it expires (meanwhile I have to pay 50.00 a month).
We bought a treadmill a few years ago and it was worth every penny. I love the convenience of being able to work out in my home and to be able to go running even when it is freezing outside. I love that I don't have to find cute workout clothes or feel self conscious about my hair and lack of makeup. I love that I can just hop on for a few minutes whenever I can squeeze it in. I love that I can listen to my music as loud as I want or watch tv while I do it. I love that nobody is hitting on me while I work out and I don't have to worry about someone else's sweat on my equipment. But that's just me. :)

Personally, I need a 'gym' in order to actually do the work. I schedule gym time as part of my day. Fortunately, as a high school teacher I can use the facilities at work...for free! I do have a membership to a no-frills gym that costs me $20 a month, no contract that I use on the weekends, breaks, and over the summer.

I once had a treadmill. The cat napped on it more than I walked on it. I wound up selling it. I'm someone who loves exercising but just can't motivate myself to do it at home. When I was on my last maternity leave I was able to borrow some stuff from work that we don't use (a step, old weights, and tensor bands) thinking "I'll workout when the baby naps" and that never happened because I always thought "I should nap, too", "Maybe I should take this time to wash bottles or throw in a load of laundry", etc. There were just too many distractions to ever get it done.

$120 is WAY too much for a gym membership- where are you going??? 24 hour fitness- my husband and I pay $54 per month for full access memberships for each of us, and childcare is free (and my girls LOVE the kids' center, they never want to leave), no contracts involved.

Ellipticals are great but if you want a more well-rounded fitness routine, join the gym, provided your schedule permits. Choose the option that you will USE more!

i think it depends
if you have the money and time to go to the gym do it
in my case i can not go bacause i don't have the money to pay for the membership and the child care for 2 kids so i have a mini gym with a bike stepper punching bag and some weights ,i don't have the time i do my 2 hour work out while my kids are taking a nap so that's work for me and the punching bag is for 7 year old he practice all punches from karate there .
so if you really have the time and money do it
if not buy the elliptical but use it at home some people need the motivation of the gym like my sister she has a elliptical and is brand new never used instea she like go to the gym...so is up to you
i would pick the elliptical so i can use it whenever i have some time even at night without going out of the house

We picked the elliptical. But I know myself, I would not make it to a gym no matter how well intentioned I was about getting out there, especially if it meant loading and unloading the kiddos. The hubby and I both use the elliptical pretty regularly. It's quiet, convenient and we actually do it. The only issue is getting a well rounded workout it a bit harder since we don't have the fancy equipment.

Make sure you have both thoroughly tried out the machine if you decide to buy one. It took me and the hubby a while to find the right machine because I would find one I thought felt good and he hated it and vice versa. After many tries, we found one that "fit" us both comfortably.

And an added hint, if you are buying from a retail store, get a prescription from your doctor for the equipment and it will be tax free. My doctor wrote a prescription for an elliptical for "cardiovascular health" and mailed it to me and we saved a little money.

I've done both. Having an elliptical at home is great for when you can't get away to a gym. I would wheel the elliptical out in the evenings into the TV room and work out while watching shows. It worked very well.

Now, I have a YMCA 2 blocks from my work place so I go there at lunch. This is pretty much the only way I'm getting to the gym - I'm not getting up early and I'm not going to take time from my family by going after work. So, lunch is it for me. I love this option now.

So, it really just depends on your circumstances. I'd say yours sound like the elliptical is the best option for you.

We use to have a membership at LifeTime Fitness for the entire family. If you like variety and trying new things then I say do the gym membership. However, we ultimately cancelled our membership and bought equipment and created our own home gym: treadmill with numerous incline opts w/ ipod/mpg3hookup, elliptical, stairmaster, workout barbells, yoga mats, pilates equipment etc. overall cost saves us money in the long run and we don't have to worry about trying to go workout in rain or cold weather. While i'm working out our youngest is playing in her bounce house or running around. In the end...do what is best for you and weigh the options.

I have an elliptical and love it! Although it's hard enough for me to find time just to walk into my garage and use it. I know if I had a gym membership I'd never have time to use it!! I try to get in 3 miles in 30 mins, sometimes it only takes me 23 mins, during nap time. I take the video monitor with me to the garage or I wait til hubby is home and then I can crank up the ipod while on it. This is fav exercise! It's easy to use and I always see results after a couple of weeks of using it! I vote elliptical. You say it will pay for itself in less then 3 months so why not buy it, use it for 3-4 months and then see if you would want a membership somewhere. At least then if you don't have time to make it to the gym you will have a back up at home!

Maybe you and your husband could try P90X? That way, you could work out at home and not have to find a spot for the elliptical. I just started last week (today was my second week second day) and I can already see a tiny difference...mainly a flatter stomach. I'm doing the Lean version which isn't as hard as the Classic version