First of all ... it is impossible to 'replace' fat with muscle.


Secondly ... I like gyms and have had memberships with gyms on-and-off for 20-ish years.


When I lived in Canada, I would often get a 6-month gym membership (October - March), and I'd be in there lifting weights several days each week, riding the stationary or spin bikes, running/walking on the treadmill or indoor track. If the place had spinning classes, I'd take 10 or 12 weeks of those, once or twice a week, starting in January.

I also had my own trainer at home to ride on the days I didn't go to the gym, and a small set of gym equipment so I could do light weights etc.

And I tried to be active outside as much as possible as well ... snowbiking or doing long rides on weekends, commuting to and from work by bicycle, skiing, snowshoeing, etc.

It was a great way to keep in shape over the winter months, and going to the gym got me out of the house on those cold, dark winter days. Some of the gyms I went to didn't have a particularly inspiring environment, but my favourite had a gym area that overlooked the pool, and they'd done the pool area up with tropical plants etc. ... I'd go there on a cold winter evening, and it would be all bright and tropical. For a couple hours I could workout and imagine it wasn't -32C outside with howling wind and snow.


Rowan and I visited Canada for a month recently, over Christmas, and on our second day in Canada, we headed down to one of the community centres, and got a 1-month membership. We were in the gym (mainly spin bikes, rowing machine, treadmill, and swimming) for 1-2 hours just about every afternoon. A few days were nice enough so that we could cycle outside, so we took little breaks from the gym on those days. I lost quite a bit of weight during that month ... even over Christmas!


We live in Australia, and the winters here are pretty much snow-free, so I figured I'd cycle year round. No need for a gym membership in winter. But after my first winter here when I discovered how dark, and damp, and rainy and foggy it is, I inquired about a gym membership at the small gym in our town. Unfortunately a 6-month membership was something like $600!!! And it doesn't have all that much in the way of equipment.

We're moving soon, to a more populated area, and one of the things I'm looking forward to is the possibility that there might be some decent gyms or community centres where we can get gym memberships in places with some decent equipment for a decent price. I'm looking forward to spinning classes, and Rowan would like a decent pool.


I wouldn't want to go to a gym in the summer unless the summer was particularly cool and rainy, but it's great for late autumn, winter, and early spring.