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?

And you wonder why I think you're old? Jesus.

Let's dispel one myth here and now: gyms are not only beneficial to those who want a six pack or bulging biceps. I used to manage a hotel gym whose members were nearly all aged 50-70. They benefitted from regular exercise in a safe, friendly environment, and got to have a chat with their friends. You see, not all gyms are massive metal sheds populated by steroid-fuelled tossbags.

I take your point about the staff not being great in a lot of places, but, again, this tends to be more the case in the larger commercial gyms.

You seem to be confusing 'wisdom' with intransigence, in this instance. There are good gyms out there, there are some good gym staff out there (though many are crap, granted), and gyms work for a much broader cross section of people than 'jocks' and 'boy band members'.

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.

Yes, thats why I said they work for "some".

Do you see what I mean about wisdom now as well ?

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.