What is it with you old folk and your attitude to gyms? There is absolutely nothing wrong with training in a gym - it can and does work for a lot of people. Even if you just take cardiovascular exercise, some people prefer to exercise indoors. But, as I said earlier, the benefits of resistance training are many, and it could easily be argued that this form of training is best/most safely carried out in a gym.

I'd rather see a ban on the sale of home exercise equipment and those bloody stupid "Slendertone" things.

I have a long-held view that the value or usefullness of any item is in inverse proportion to the numbers seen at car boot sales. That's why every other stall has a Reebok Step, step machine, cross trainer, rowing machine, exercise bike and/or breadmaker/smoothymaker for sale

with respect,I don't know how old you are (20/30s ?) but age does make a difference - my ma in law is 80 and is as fit as a fiddle - she's had a busy life both worrking and domestic though not overly 'physical' - i'm 22 years younger and have always done physical graft and certain body parts get worn believe it or not and the gym or any kind of physical work out is the last thing I want to do - my work keeps me physically strong and I do it despite the aches and pains - twenty years ago or even ten years ago I could have done the regular physical stuff now my body doesn't allow it - i'mhanging on as long as posible before having a total knee replacement because I know that will effectively end my present job and the chances of finding any other work at my age will be impossible

oh,to be younger...

That's an odd viewpoint, if I may be so bold. If you surveyed those sections of society who are members of gyms, and compared them to those who are not, the percentage who are overweight or obese would, I'd suggest, be markedly lower in the former group.

So, whilst it could be argued that a 'rising gym culture' hasn't prevented the obesity epidemic, it's also fairly obvious that the epidemic could have been even worse if it wasn't for people using gyms (or taking other forms of exercise).

Your argument is akin to saying food aid doesn't stop famine because there are still people dying of starvation. And whilst you'd be right that more fundamental steps could/should be taken to prevent famine on a more widespread scale, there's no arguing that the food aid hasn't been beneficial to those who have received it.

But you didn't announce yourself on here having a go a me for being a 'self-declared nutritional expert'? Glass houses and stones, sunshine.

And now it seems that you're addressing the issues like a sort of exercise fundamentalist who thinks everyone should eat and exercise like some sort of sports pro. See San J's comments.

You think I'm old
I don't, I'm 25 in my head but far wiser than I ever was at that age.

Gyms work for some.
I'll emphasis the "some".

Mainly all that gyms do is extract £xx out of gullible peoples wallet every month for years, offer them a health and safety introduction, give them a "to do" list that the "Sports Science" students could write out in their sleep (and probably do), and leave you to it - been there, done it all, its why I am wise.

If you want exercise then just get off the bus two stops earlier every day, walk the stairs instead of taking the lift, cut out the sweets, eat a few less biscuits with your coffee at 11am, don't buy coffee with anything more than coffee and water in it - none of those things require a membership or joining fee, all of them will be of benefit.

You won't have abs like a boy band member or biceps like a WWE jock, but then those things don't last for long when you realise that you need to save £xx a month and spend it on heating your home instead.

To clarify, I was talking about some of the older posters' attitudes to gyms, rather than whether or not they use one.

Of course the gym isn't for everyone, I wouldn't pretend it is. But just as I don't deride a person who prefers to cycle to work or go for a walk, I don't see the need for others to deride gyms and gym usage.

I'm with you on the Slendertone items, but I'd have to take issue with the home exercise equipment. Many people do use the stuff they buy, and just because many more do not, is no reason to ban its sale.

Where's the evidence of that?

Looking at the people I know who go to a gym, they're either very sports minded (and rather younger than me), are fighting the same constant battle with weight that I fought for years (and, like me, losing it), or actually like the gym, or are actually panicking about being middle aged.

The ones who stuff the junk food etc aren't likely to be going to the gym (or doing much else in the way of organised exercise).

Seen many cookbooks Coddy?

I don't see the size ( ) of the problem here anyway.
We only have to change a t to an s in the thread title and we are sorted.

I don't have any evidence, just going on my own observations. When I look around the inside of a gym, I see fewer overweight people as a percentage of those present than I see in, say, the supermarket. So, if we have a 'rising gym culture', it's reasonable to suggest that this rise might have mitigated some of the effects of the obesity epidemic. Whilst not compelling evidence in itself, it has at least as much merit as your assertion that gym use isn't part of the solution to these problems.

Not really, since you went to great pains to stress the "some", then went on a little mini-rant about gullible people joining gyms, boy band members and jocks. The subtext was abundantly clear.