Which exercise environment fits your life best? Home or health club? Alone or group?

It comes down to where you’re most comfortable and fitting your workouts into the realities of daily life.

In the following extract from an article in Delaware Woman, contributing writer, Henry T. Snelling, explores the case for home exercise. Reprinted with the permission of The News Journal. 

Home vs Health Club
One solution is to join a health club and use it regularly. But some people, who have explored that route, don’t like the atmosphere in many clubs—the feeling that they’re on display and under constant scrutiny. Another turnoff: exercising at a club isn’t normally an activity you can undertake spontaneously, since it entails having to get dressed and driving to the facility. If the would-be exerciser has small children at home, the logistics of even a few minutes at the gym may become totally unworkable. The problem: when using a club on a regular basis becomes too inconvenient—or the ambiance is too distasteful—many frequently respond by stopping their exercise programs altogether.

Home exercise and weight loss
One increasingly popular alternative is to set up your own fitness center at home. Contrary to mainstream thinking, a home exercise program can be more effective than group exercise in losing weight and keeping it off. According to a report in Fitness Magazine, a 15-month study by researchers at the University of Florida concluded that home exercisers followed workout regimens and diet schedules more rigorously than their counterparts in group exercise programs. Not only did they lose more weight (an average of 25 pounds, vs. 15 pounds for group members), they kept if off longer. The study’s author noted, “The home exercisers had more success because they became self-reliant, scheduling workout times and sticking to their weight-loss goals.”