Staying out of the Gym in January? Reasons for Hitting Your Workouts at Home

When it comes to sticking to (or starting) your exercise routine, using your home exercise equipment is the most convenient workout available.  You don’t have to pack a bag, travel to the health club, or share your shower with a roomful of strangers.  Here are a few other reasons you might choose to stay away from the gym this January.
Crowded Facilities  With the New Year comes lots of new faces.  January is the biggest month of the year for gym membership sales.  While most of these folks will be AWOL  by the end of February, health clubs will be working at or near their capacity during peak times throughout the winter.  This means that you can end up waiting for a machine, dealing with time limits that prevent you from getting a full workout, and sharing equipment with the sneezing, sweating guy next to you.
On Display  While a select few seem to enjoy the feeling of being watched while they workout, when you’re in the middle of the gym floor, it’s easy to feel self conscious.  No one likes learning to operate a new machine in front of everyone else there, especially when those people are keeping track of whether you’ve exceeded the 30 minute limit.  There’s also the coordination of learning your best stride on an elliptical or treadmill (admit it, we’ve all tripped over our own feet on that moving belt).
Germs  While we try to keep it under control, it’s no secret that “health” clubs are petri dishes for the germs and viruses that circulate during cold and flu season.  Sweaty machines and towels, damp locker room floors, and drafty entries are just a few of the ways that germs get passed around.
Etiquette  Too much cologne, body odor, or the smell of the burrito your neighbor had for lunch can really detract from your workout.  Another favorite is the neighbor who sprays the equipment and treats everyone in the vicinity to a disinfecting shower.  A friend of mine also shared a story about an unusual request that he not clean his equipment since the next user enjoyed the sweat on the machine…ummm…okay.
Weigh in:  Do you have a funny, embarrassing, or distasteful health club story that motivates you to use your home gym?  We’d love to hear it!