As a professional in a physically demanding field , law enforcement, staying in shape is about more than just fitting into my favourite jeans, it is a part of staying alive. Like most of my badge wearing friends, I have drifted through a number of different gyms, and find that each one leaves me feeling far less than motivated. And there is always the problem of cost. Gym membership prices keep going up, but I haven’t seen anything that makes the cost increases worth it. So I decided to kick my gym habit and I’m healthier than ever! Here are five reasons I decided to leave my gym and how you can get into shape at home.

1. Gyms are too far from home. After working ten or twelve hour shifts, I have enough energy for a workout, but that starts changing when I get into my car and drive across town to the gym. The drive makes it easy for me to talk myself out of going to the gym at all.
2. I don’t really need most of the equipment. I don’t need a lot of special equipment for my workout- a good elliptical, a few free weights, and some room to stretch and do floor exercises is all it takes. There are so many intimidating, complicated machines that seem like too much work to figure out, so I stick do the simple stuff anyway.
3. Gyms are boring. I get distracted easily, and working out in the same gym on the same machines with the same view gets old fast. It’s hard to keep motivated when I’m going to gym that has nothing new to see or do.
4. The gym crowd. You know who I mean- the same group of people that comes in every day to work out a little and socialize a lot. I don’t go to the gym to pick up guys or make a new best friend, and I don’t really want to talk to anyone in the middle of my workout.
5. The ick factor. I’m not a clean freak or anything, but the things that go on in gyms are just plain gross. I get tired of messy locker rooms, dirty showers, and smelly equipment. After a long day at work, I’d rather enjoy some fresh air instead of smelling the heavy guy that worked out right before me.

These are just a few of the big reasons I dropped my gym. The high pressure membership sales, pushy personal trainers, and long contracts didn’t help either. But even after I left my gym, I still needed a way to stay in shape. I thought about my exercise routine and what I wanted to get out of it, and realized that I can do everything I need to at home. Here are the things I do now to stay in shape at home:

• Get outside as often as possible. It’s hard to be outside and not do something athletic. I walk my dogs, I jog and run, I even get on my bicycle now and then. I get all the cardio I need while enjoying fresh air and exploring everything from my neighborhood to local wilderness areas.
• Get a kettlebell. This simple piece of equipment has replaced weight training for me. I can work out in any room of my house that has a TV, and now that I know the routine from my DVDs, I can even go outside. The strength training is dynamic and great for the real world, and I don’t need a bunch of free weights or a bench to work out.
• Get a heavy bag. I hung a heavy bag (a punching bag, in other words) in my garage, and it is now my go-to workout for relieving stress and getting in a fast full-body workout. A fifteen minute session of punching and kicking the bag provides a muscle workout as well as a cardio workout and is also great for relieving aggression.

I’m in great shape, and I’ve found that by not confining my workout to the gym, I actually work out more often than I did before. I’ve even been known to put dinner in the oven and then head out to the garage for a quick session with the heavy bag. I can workout anytime I want to, and I don’t have to drive across town to do it. Your health is important, and working out is the best way to make sure you live a longer, healthier life, but working out shouldn’t be a pain.