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Let's talk about some of the pros and cons of both gym and home workouts so you can decide which is the best fit for you!
-Dumbbells mentioned in episode
-Step mentioned in episode
To try a free week of my signature Fit for Hiking program to get you fit from the trails (gym AND at-home options) start HERE.
-Dumbbells mentioned in episode
-Step mentioned in episode
To try a free week of my signature Fit for Hiking program to get you fit from the trails (gym AND at-home options) start HERE.
For next level fat loss strategies, hormone/gut health help, serious performance goals and unparalleled support, apply for Mountain Metabolic coaching. Learn more HERE.
For more free wellness resources, hiking/travel guides, and other blog posts, check out my website HERE.
What is Fit for Hiking?
Where fitness and outdoors meet. In this space we chat all things hiking, exercise, wellness, adventure, motherhood, and metabolic health from a female perspective! Get ready to learn + be inspired to live your fullest, most adventurous life!
Hi, my name is Brady and I'm a longtime fitness professional and Midwest girl turned mountain living hiking addict. And combining my knowledge of fitness and passion for hiking, I've helped hundreds of women get lean and strong for the trails. Think of this as your one stop shop for both education and inspiration on all things female wellness, trail talk and adventure. Hiking, female metabolism, motherhood, nutrition, travel and fitness are all topics you'll hear discussed here. If you are outdoorsy and active, looking to level up your health, unlock your potential, and become inspired to live your most vibrant life, you're in the right place. You're listening to the fit for hiking podcast. Hello everybody, and welcome back to another episode of the fit for hiking podcast. Well, I am just coming off of a very, um, kind of an interesting and emotional weekend. So we actually sold our sprinter van this past weekend, um, which was a really bittersweet experience, honestly, because we've had our van, which we named van C, um, for three and a half, almost four years now, and Nancy was actually me and my husband's first home that we lived in together, quote unquote, home. Um, we literally rode off into the sunset after our wedding in our van, lived in it full time, found out we were pregnant when we were in the van with our daughter, juniper. Um, we've kept the van even though we now have a home base in Colorado again, and we actually ended up installing a third seat so that we could continue our adventures, but with our daughter. So Vance has really been with us through, like some of our most pivotal life seasons and, um, big changes along the way. We've had so many amazing trips and adventures, from living full time in the van to just doing like month to six week long trips. Um, after we ended up buying a house. And so it was a really hard decision, you guys, to decide, hey, it's time to kind of move forward. Um, and ultimately, you know, the reason we came to that decision was so much of the time the van was sitting in our driveway. It was a really expensive monthly payment to not be using it all the time, but every time we used it, something would go wrong. It would end up in the shop, um, for weeks or, you know, just expensive fixes along the way as it was starting to get old. And ultimately, you know, we'd love to add to our family, um, in the near future. And there's actually no room to even add a fourth seat for another kiddo because the kitchen is on the other side. Um, so there's really like, no way to expand from a seating standpoint for another kid. So we kind of just realized, you know, this has been such a great adventure. It'd be a vehicle for us, um, for the last season of life. But moving forward, it's just not gonna it's not going to make sense. So it was kind of a sad, bittersweet thing. We had a final like, good morning, our farewell, goodbye breakfast in the van, um, before selling. And it was sad. You know, we were crying, just kind of remembering all of the amazing memories in there and what it was like when we first bought the van and drove off. And we're so excited for all the possibilities. So definitely kind of the end of a end of an era. Um, so that was a little bit sad, but also definitely time. And I do feel like there will be more adventure vehicles in our future. Um, so that's just a little bit on the personal front today. Um, as you guys know, we talk about all kinds of different topics. Anything from outdoors, hiking, backpacking, uh, women's health, fitness, nutrition, motherhood there are so many different areas that we kind of dive into on this podcast. Today, I want to talk about kind of more of the fitness side of things, and specifically a question that I get often about home workouts versus gym workouts. What's most effective, what's right for you? And I really like this topic because this is something that I talk about with my clients as they are starting Mountain Metabolic. One of the first things we need to get clarity on is what will they be most successful with and what will they be ultimately most consistent with? Because consistency is what is going to lead to ultimate success. So I want to talk about can you get from home and is at home or gym workout approach right for you? So let's talk about some of the pros and cons of both home and gym workouts. Because like anything in life, there's going to be pros and cons. There's not one. Right? You know, 100% perfect answer for this question of whether or not gym or home workouts are going to be best. So let's talk about some of the pros first of home workouts. So overall convenience is probably the biggest pro when we're looking at home workouts. You're not going to have a commute. You're not going to be affected by the weather. You know, if it's snowing like crazy, you don't have to worry about trying to get out, shovel your driveway, mustering that extra motivation to leave your house, um, or make an extra stop after being at work all day. There's just less of an excuse not to do it right. You're also going to have to carve out less time overall, because you're not having to factor in the commute or going to the gym. That whole, you know, transaction of stopping at the front desk, maybe having to change clothes at the gym or shower and then go back to work, you know, whatever it may be, there's just going to be a little bit less time. Um, there's no gym payment, right? If you're doing at home workouts, you're not having to factor in a monthly gym payment. Um, also, you don't have to worry about gym anxiety. So if you're someone who, like, really gets nervous to be in a room full of people who are gym goers, maybe you're new to working out and you are just like, oh, this really makes me uncomfortable. I feel like everyone's looking at me or judging me. Um, you don't have to worry about that if you're working out at home. Um, it's also a great way to get started with working out, to just work out at home, because there's less barriers to entry, and especially if you've just been dragging your feet and you struggle to get started with a gym or a workout routine, you want less barriers, right? The less barriers we have, the more likely we are to just get the thing going and get the habit started. It's also more convenient for moms. This is something that I've learned since having my daughter. I used to be like pretty much exclusively a gym goer, um, group, studio, fitness and gyms. And ever since having juniper, I've really had to shift gears because without childcare, it's really hard to, um, always go to the gym, right? You have to factor in, like, when am I doing this? Do I have someone to watch my child? And oftentimes, especially in that first year, I was having to work out when juniper was napping. So I would just try to work out at home while she was napping. That was the easiest thing. Um, so it definitely can be more convenient for new moms or moms and multiple kids who are just juggling a lot with their schedule. Okay, now we're going to talk about some of the cons of home workouts. So one, there's more distractions. It's just really easy to get distracted if you're working out in the same space where your kids are running around, maybe your partner's asking for something. Um, you also have like your laptop sitting there pinging with notifications from work or you're, you know, looking around, seeing all the things that need cleaned. There's just going to be more distractions and you're going to have less of that, like me, time factor. So you're going to have just more interruptions. And that's one thing that I've really missed about doing a lot of gym workouts. I feel like when I go to the gym, it's like, this is my time. I put in my headphones. I'm just like in the zone, and you're not going to have quite that same effect at home. Also, you are going to need to purchase equipment over time, which we will talk about. Um, if you want to continue to see progress and see results, you're going to need to build up a bit of a home gym. So, you know, when people talk about how gym gym memberships are so expensive, if you look at the breakdown of what you're going to spend building out a home gym, even a very minimal one, you know you're probably going to end up spending about the same amount over time. So, um, there's going to be a cost associated with either gym workouts or at home workouts. Typically with at home workouts, you're just spending more at once, whereas the gym, you're spending it in installments every single month. Um, there's also just kind of less external motivation. This might not be the case for everybody, but for me personally, I find that I do better when I'm like motivated around other people. It's easier for me to slack when I'm at home. For some reason, when I'm at the gym, I just do have that like awareness of other people. You also see other people around you crushing it, and that's pretty motivating. So I find that I just don't get that same feeling when I'm working out alone at home. Um, you're also going to have limited movements that you can do because you have less overall equipment. Even if you do have a few things in your home gym, you're still not going to have like all of the machines, all of the cables, all of the different, you know, gadgets that a gym is going to have. Um, it's also harder to work your back muscles. So you're pulling muscles with just dumbbells or bodyweight. It's almost impossible with just body weight. And with dumbbells you can do some Ro variations and things like that, but you're not going to get quite the same amount of different variations of pole work that you will if you have like cables and assisted pull up, um, you know, treks, things like that. Um, progressive overload is going to be a little bit harder to achieve over time, potentially, and this will largely depend on the amount of equipment that you have at home. And if you do have resistance, that's going to challenge you over time. Um, but typically you're going to be able to achieve better progressive overload at the gym. That's just kind of how it is, because there's going to be way more weights that you can work with. And another kind of home workouts is you do need a home that has space for you to work out. And this is something that I've run into as far as an obstacle with at home workouts, especially living in the mountains. Um, homes in the mountains are not big unless you are like a billionaire, right? So our homes that we've lived in so far don't have a ton of extra space. Like we are really maxing out every single room it has. Like, you know, every single room has like three different purposes because that's just how it is if you want to live in mountains. So, um, we don't have a ton of space for the gym and it can feel kind of like. Chaotic, I guess, because there's not a really great space where you're like, this is just my gym, and I can really focus. So that is also a consideration, especially if you have like an apartment or just a small home and you don't have a ton of extra space. All right. Now we're going to talk about pros of gym workouts. So intentional time set apart for your fitness. This can definitely be just like a mental benefit of a gym workout. Um, we also do tend to work harder when you're around other people. It's going to be more motivating. Like I mentioned before, you have plenty of equipment options that will make progressive overload just a little bit easier. And you can challenge all your muscles appropriately. You know you're not going to have a certain muscle group that kind of gets neglected because you don't have the equipment to work that muscle group. Well, um, you're not going to have, you know, to deal with, like, the space at your home that you have to set aside for working out or the money spent to build up equipment. So, yes, you're going to have gym membership, but a lot of gym memberships are actually super cheap now, and you'd actually spend a lot more building out a really good home gym. Um, and then there's the community potential. You do have more community potential at a gym. There's typically classes you could, um, meet up with a friend, you're going to be around other people, you could go with a significant other, whatever it is. Just having that community potential is really nice. Um, and then kind of gym workouts, they can take longer due to just the busyness overall. So sometimes you're going to go to the gym and there's going to be a million people there, and everybody's on the machines that you plan on using. You have to completely change your workout and it can feel frustrating and just take forever. Um, you also do have to factor in the commute, um, especially somewhere where you have like harsh winters such as where we live. That is a big deal. Like, I tend to do more at home workouts in the winter just because it's crazy. And I don't want to drive in a snowstorm to the gym. Um, sometimes they can lead to wasted money. Sometimes we get this, like false sense of like, oh, I'm I'm getting a lot out of my, you know, I'm, I'm paying for a gym membership, so I'm good. But if you're not actually going, you are going to be wasting the money. I mean, the same can totally be true if you purchase at home equipment and it just sits collecting dust in your basement, right? Either way. Um, but I do think some people get this false sense of like, achievement, like, oh, it's it's cool. I went to the gym, I toured it, I got a membership, but then they never actually use it. Or they use it like once a month, um, and then overwhelm. For beginners, it can definitely feel overwhelming. If you're going to a gym that's super crowded, really busy, you don't know how to use the equipment. Everything just feels overwhelming. And then childcare can cost extra at some gyms. So our our rec center that we use, um, it does cost extra to utilize childcare and they have very specific hours you can only take your kid from for like three total hours in the morning. And it's like not at the most convenient of hours. So that can be hard to um, I know some gyms are way better about this. I think like YMCA are awesome, so really just depends on your gym. But if childcare is a factor, you definitely want to look into that. All right. So let's talk about can you actually get fit from home. The answer is absolutely yes. But you do need a strategy, whether you're in the gym or at home, to continue making progress. So here's what you need to know. Let's go through it. Number one is the longer you do something, the more your body starts to adapt. So you're going to get diminishing returns. If you, for instance, always do the exact same bodyweight circuit and you're never progressing, you're always using the same weight, aka your own body weight, or you're still using the same 8 to £10 dumbbells that you've had at home for years, you're likely going to stop seeing progress after a while, because the stimulus is no longer challenging your body enough to elicit a change. Okay, that's really important to understand, and definitely a concept that I've seen. Um, a lot of a lot of people just miss, especially working in group fitness, where people tend to use the exact same weights over and over and over and over again for years, and then wonder why they've stopped seeing results. If it's no longer challenging you, it's not going to change you. Okay, so the weights that you're using need to feel really freaking hard. Otherwise you're probably going to get like super mediocre results. Number two, you'll want to invest in an equipment over time to avoid plateaus. So again, like at the beginning when you're first starting out, if you're a beginner to exercise in general, you can get away with using less because everything's going to be a new stimulus to your body. But again, diminishing returns, right? So over time, you're going to need to add to the equipment that you have so that you can appropriately challenge your body. So here's some of the things that I recommend. I do not have a super robust home gym setup. I kind of have the bare minimum because spatially that's all we can do. And we also do have punch passes at our gym. So I'll get kind of into what my system looks like a little bit later. Um, but this is just what's worked for me. I invested in a step. Um, I just ordered it off of Amazon. I will link the equipment that I have in the show notes. So if you're looking for just like some quick grabs of things that you can get, um, I'll link those if that's helpful. Um, so I have a step because I find that steps are so versatile, you can do so many different variations of step ups, step downs. You can do rows from them, you can do push ups, you can do dips. You can also do like lunge to step up variations, um, things that are going to be really helpful for hiking fitness as well as just overall your fitness in general. Balanced single leg strength. So many benefits. So I have a step. Um, we also invested in adjustable dumbbells a few years ago. Um, because my husband and I are both using them, we really need a wide variety of weights, so ours go from £10 to £80. So they were pretty pricey. Um, I'm going to link them here. Just know that it is an investment. And when we were thinking about making this investment, we were like, okay. These are really nice. They take up minimal space in our small home, which is important. We don't have room for a massive rack of dumbbells with all of these different weights. The amount of money that we would spend over time accumulating all of the different weights would probably end up equating to a similar amount and take up way more space. And these are going to last us for years and years and years and years. So this is really an investment in our health long term. So adjustable dumbbells, especially if you're space conscious it's going to be so helpful. If you don't have the money to invest in adjustable dumbbells then I would say get you get yourself a pair of dumbbells. It's going to challenge your upper body, and then a pair that's going to really challenge your lower body. This will probably be different, right? You're going to typically as a female, you're going to have more muscle mass and strength in your lower half than in your upper half. Um, and again, you're going to need to continue adding to this over time, because if you're still using the same weights months later, then you're probably not challenging yourself appropriately. So this is where I do feel like adjustable dumbbells are superior, but for starting purposes, if you just need something a little cheaper, I would go with two sets of dumbbells, one that's hard for your upper body when it's hard for your lower body, and you can always add overtime. And then if you have the ability to get some sort of pulley system to work your back muscles. So like a cable system, bands with handles that you can anchor to a point in your house. Um, tr something like that, um, is is going to be great. We personally don't have anything like that right now, but like I said, I do also have a gym membership to go a few times a week. So that is where I do my pole work. Um, which again, I'll get into in a little bit how I space out my workouts. So those are the different areas of equipment that I would recommend investing in. Um, okay, so tricks for maximizing your home workouts. If you are just a home workout girlie, here's how you can get the most out of them. Incorporate some single leg and single arm exercises. This is going to be huge because over time, especially if you have limited weights, you're not going to feel the same amount of challenge. If you're still using just a £15 dumbbell for squats, say okay, so. But if you remove a leg from your squats, you're doing single leg box squats or single leg pistol squats, or Bulgarian split squats, or standard split squats or reverse lunges, all of those single leg variations are going to make it a little bit harder with that same £15 dumbbell. So just by removing a leg, that's going to make it a lot more challenging. So single leg and single arm exercises are really great ways to vary the difficulty when you have limited equipment. Another way is by slowing down your tempo in the eccentric phase. So the eccentric phase would be the lowering phase of an exercise. So for instance, if you're doing push ups, you're going to slow your tempo down as you lower to the bottom of the pushup. So if you're performing these from your toes, you're going to get your chest all the way to the ground, but you're going to count to five as you lower down. You're ending up spending a lot more time under tension, which is going to increase the difficulty greatly. Same can go for like a squat or a deadlift, or a Bulgarian split squat, or a step down. When you're slowing the motion, you're not able to just rush through it. You're going to get better muscle recruitment. You're going to get more time under tension, which will just increase the overall volume. So slowly. Contracts is a really great tool if you have limited equipment. Um, okay. Number three is varying slow to fast or explosive work, so perhaps you pair a really nice, slow, eccentric push up with really fast, explosive push ups. Afterward, you are going to really tire out your muscles that way. And it's a really good tool for adding some difficulty. And that's just a bodyweight exercise, right? And you can still make it so much more difficult just by varying the tempo and pairing slow with then fast. All right. Number four is be honest about the difficulty of the weights that you're using. So much can be traced back to like, are you actually really challenging your muscles. And I think sometimes we're unfamiliar with how to even do that. So one thing to look at is if you are say you're doing three sets of 12, right? You're doing three sets of 12 on a shoulder press, and you can easily rep it out without much challenge. If by the third set you are still repping it out, no problem with the same weight, it's probably a little bit too easy for you. Ideally, the last few reps have all three sets. You are really struggling, maybe up to take breaks and it feels hard, right? You want to be able to complete the reps with good form, but it should feel very, very challenging to get those last few reps in. Okay. If it's not challenging you very much at all, then it's probably time to go up. And when you don't have a ton of different options for increasing, maybe a kind of a big jump, a really good option is to complete what's called a drop set. So you would use the heavier weight. Maybe you can only muster the strength for like four reps with the heavier weight, and then you drop back down to the lighter weight to complete the final eight reps. Okay, so that's a really nice tool. If you're kind of in between weights and you can't do a full set with the heavier ones yet, but the lighter set for the full set feels really easy. All right. Ensure you're going. The full range of motion would be the next tip. There are a lot of instances where, um, you know, it's easy to just kind of like give half reps, um, and you don't even realize it. Push ups is another great example of this. A lot of times I'll watch people doing push ups and they're barely bending their elbows. They're going halfway to the ground, and it's not even a full rep in any sense of the word. So you really want to make sure that you are getting the full range of motion. And a good way to do this is by either watching some YouTube video examples of like a coach breaking it down, having a coach who has form demonstration videos for you and you can ask questions about form, you can do form checks, but really paying attention to the range of motion that's intended for that particular exercise. Another one would be squats or Bulgarian split squats or lunges. If you're not going through the full range of motion, you're not going to get all of the benefits. And this is especially important if you don't have the means to progress the weight. All right. The next tip is to have a plan or structure so that you're not just winging it. Okay. If you're doing at home or gym workouts, you really need a structure because otherwise you're just kind of showing up and wandering around and hoping for the best, even if you're putting in the time, if you don't have a plan, you're less likely to actually get results from the time you're putting in. And if you're going to take the time to do it, you might as well do it well, and you might as well actually move the needle towards your goals. Right. Um, and this is something that I think people often get wrong for years before they finally realize, okay, I've been doing this for years and I'm still not seeing results. Okay, maybe it's time to do something a little bit different. And this is often when we have people who applied to our program and they're like, I just it's not working by myself anymore. And it's time for me to invest in someone who knows what they're talking about. Um, so if that's you, I definitely encourage you to look into either just like a self paced plan or if you really want more structure that's personalized to you, and having the accountability of someone who's following up with you to get the results that you want. Um, definitely check out our coaching program. You can apply in the show notes. Um. All right. The next one is to have a distraction free, set aside space. And obviously, this is a luxury that might not work out for every single person. But as much as possible, having time and space set aside where you're like, okay, this is my zone. I can just focus on working out. I'm not checking my phone. I'm not checking my work notifications. I don't have a kid that's pulling on my leg. Um, and, you know, easier said than done. I've totally been there. Where? Like, it just hasn't worked out for me to work out by myself. And my daughter's running around in the background, and that's just how it is some days. But as much as you can help it, you're just going to get more of the benefits. You're going to be able to mentally engage more. Um, if you have the time and space set aside for yourself to get a good workout in. All right. And then the final one is to take advantage of the outdoors seasonally. If you aren't going to a gym, that is going to be a little bit harder to get some like outdoor, um, or some non exercise movement, walking, cardio, things like that. Unless you're taking advantage of the outdoors. So I definitely would recommend um, trying to, you know, incorporate the outdoors into the activities that you're doing into your workouts, hiking, incline walking, um, you know, doing some hills sprints outside, jogging outside, walking, mountain biking, climbing. There's so many great options, especially if you live somewhere with trails. Um, take advantage of that. And one little side note is, if you do live somewhere where the winters are really long and harsh, another piece of equipment I would recommend is a walking pad, which I will link my walking pad, which I love and I use all the time in the winter. Um, or a treadmill, something where you're able to get some movement in, um, walking, jogging, you know, even a peloton or something like that. Um, to have at home if you're not going to invest in a gym membership. All right. The next tip is to consider a fusion approach if you have the budget. So what I mean by that is a, um, a schedule in which you are perhaps going to the gym a few times a week and working out from home a few times a week. And this is an option I always give to my clients who do have gym access in some capacity, but they also are like, I don't know if I'm actually going to go to the gym all the time. I don't know if that I'm like all or nothing, one or the other. And that is actually where I personally fall into this category. I do a fusion, so I will share how this works for me. And you can kind of see if, if this is something that would work in your own life. So, um, the way that I've done this is that the local rec center that I attend, they have an option for a punch pass. So instead of a monthly membership where it's like, okay, if you don't use it, you're just paying and it's going down the drain. Um, because I don't know how many times I'll realistically get to the gym with our child care and work situation and weather in the winter and travel and all these different factors. I take advantage of the punch pass. So it's valid for a year at our particular rec center, and I just get a 20 pack, and then I use them at my leisure. So maybe a few times a week, once or twice I'm going to the gym. When I'm at the gym, I'm taking advantage of the heavier equipment that I don't have at home. So the barbells, the cables, the pull up machine, leg press, things like that that I don't have at home. Um, so I'm able to hit those exercises and those different muscle groups that are a little harder to just hit with dumbbells. And then other days I do at home workouts and I just use our at home equipment, dumbbells and step, um, and then outdoor stuff or cardio at home as well. So typically my week is 1 to 2 days a week at the gym. When I'm taking my daughter to childcare, I will go to the gym right after and before I dive in to work, and then the rest of the days, another 2 to 3 days a week. I'm doing more at home or outdoor style workouts, and that has worked really well for me. Um, but again, I have had to invest in stocking an at home gym situation and I also pay for a punch pass. So you do have dual expense, but to me it's kind of minimal because I go the punch pass route and I'm not paying for a monthly membership that I'm only using, you know, 4 to 6 times a month. Um, because to me, that would be kind of a bit of a waste. So that could be a good system for you if you're able to do a punch pass at a local gym or if you have like an apartment gym or a work gym where you're not even having to pay extra for it, it's just there. But you also feel like you would do better with a couple at home workouts just with your schedule. Or you just know yourself and you know you're not going to get to the gym like 4 to 5 times a week, then a fusion approach would be great for you. All right. Ultimately, you gotta remember that your consistency in challenging your body is going to be what makes the biggest difference in seeing progress. That is what is going to move the needle. I always tell people that the perfect program is not going to be perfect if you can't do it consistently, so an imperfect program is going to be far more effective if it's something that works for your schedule enough that you do it consistently versus the quote unquote perfect program that you can only do once or twice a month, because it's these super long, crazy workouts and it doesn't fit with your lifestyle at all. Um, so that's something that's really important to remember when you're looking at setting up a realistic structure for yourself with your workouts. So remembering that things are going to change and ebb and flow. There are months when I barely get to the gym, and I'm having to really lean more heavily on at home workouts. Um, there are times when I'm really just leaning into outdoor workouts because of the weather, or I'm traveling and doing more hiking and not having to be super perfect with everything all the time. And having that flexibility is so helpful. And again, this is where having a coach comes in handy who can really structure your program based off of your lifestyle and trips you have coming up all of these different considerations. So if that is speaking to you and that sounds like something that you would find helpful, um, we are always taking applications. Even if we cannot bring you on immediately, you can always apply and I will reach out when we have availability. Again, that application is always in the show. Notes for metabolic coaching. Um, one final thing to think about here is if you're listening to this, you're like, okay, but how does this all of the supply if I have like a body composition goal. So for instance, if you are trying to work towards a fat loss goal, is there a difference when it comes to at home versus gym workouts? And the answer is no. If you're getting the same amount of volume, if you're working towards building up that muscle, that is going to be what makes the difference. So when you're looking at fat loss, you really want to use your workouts to add muscle to your frame so that you can achieve that toned look. It's not just all about burning calories, despite what a lot of media will tell you. Um, if you're just burning calories and only creating a deficit, but you don't have any muscle on your frame, you're not going to achieve that toned look that most people are kind of after, right? We want to have a strong body. We want to have a thriving metabolism which requires muscle, especially as we get older. The more muscle we have. It's literally anti-aging, you guys. It's so important to have muscles. So use your workouts to build muscle to get stronger, to be good at the things that are exciting to you, the hobbies that you love, the adventures you want to do and then use your nutrition and your non exercise activities such as just walking, moving around during your day to create the deficit. Ultimately, an energy deficit is going to be what's required to lose that. Um, and the best way to do that is through your nutrition and your neat versus trying to use your workouts to just manually burn calories, and then not even a pain, a lick of attention to your nutrition that's just going to leave you spinning your wheels. So you want to make sure you go about it in a strategic way. But whether you're doing your workouts at home or at the gym, it's not going to ultimately affect your success with fat loss. So that's really encouraging, in my opinion, because you can make it happen no matter your budget and no matter if you are going to the gym or working out at home on a regular basis. Okay, well, I feel like we thoroughly covered that topic, and I hope that it has been helpful and affirming for you, um, to kind of get you pointed in the right direction of whether or not you should be working towards building up a home gym or investing in a gym membership. Um, I hope it's just been a helpful discussion on gym versus at home workouts. And if you guys have questions about anything workouts, hiking, nutrition, what you'd like to hear next on the show, please send us a message at the Fit Underscore for Hiking Instagram page. I'd love to hear from you guys and I will catch you in the next episode. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the fit for hiking podcast. As always, I hope it leaves you feeling inspired and informed on how to take your health and adventure into your own hands. For more content like this, be sure to follow along with my daily posts at Ponytail Underscore. On a trail that's ponytail underscore on a trail. You can also stay up to date on my new episodes being released at Fit Underscore for hiking, and find more free resources at Pony Tail on a trail.com. Happy and healthy trails.