1. You do not need to join a gym or any other type of health center to immediately, healthfully and effectively lose weight and improve your fitness. Strength training, which is great for losing fat, does not require weights, exercise machines or anything else you find in a gym.



Strength training does not require anything other than a willingness on your part to regularly exercise the muscles of your arms, back, neck, shoulders and chest. There are countless exercises you can do to work these muscles without using weights or any other fitness products. If you want or need, a couple of sets of dumbbells or resistance bands are great for strength training; but you do not need to join a gym.

As for the other type of exercise needed for fat loss, aerobic exercise, take your pick: pounding a treadmill under fluorescent light while looking into an idiotic video box, or walking/jogging in the great and glorious outdoors, ideally like I prefer, on a trail, on the beach, anywhere that is far from vehicular traffic. I know, a lot of people opt for treadmills. I do not know or understand why. I think these people are out of their minds.

2. Who has time to go to a gym? Seriously. Even if you happen to live close to a gym, the entire round trip, parking, the workout, shower afterwards and all the rest, for most of us is a 90 minute time chunk, even if you hurry. Once you get out of the I-have-to-join-a-gym mentality, anyone can get a fantastic workout in 30 or 40 minutes flat. And that is without ever leaving your home.

You can get a great workout in your own simple indoor or outdoor workout space; whether you call it your home gym is up to you. Or simply by stepping outside your door and walking and/or jogging right in your own neighborhood.

You not only save time. When you get into this kind of mindset, one that says excellent exercise is available to me right here, right now, exercise is just easier, less drama and less complicated. Less stress, and remember, for a solid segment of people, untreated stress is one of the major causes of overweight. And the best stress beater is exercise, but it sure does not have to be in a gym.

3. Closely related to the time factor is the line of food and beverage products sold in most gyms. Like power bars, meal replacement bars, diets in a can, energy drinks, sports drinks, protein powders and the rest. With labels like quick energy, fat burning, low carb and on and on with all the garbage, lies and misinformation these products come with.

Make no mistake, all these products add to the problem of overweight, and that includes the diet ones. My experience in gyms is that your friendly trainer or assistant is a black hole of misinformation and dubious advice. As part of the hurry up world and everybody is busy, they toss out advice like, Just eat an energy bar. Or down an energy drink, or whatever their gym is selling.

The problem is that the products they recommend are loaded with refined sugars, milk products and other processed junk that have no place in an optimal diet of whole, fresh, natural foods recommended by The Maui Diet. No time? Have a power bar! Bad advice, and gyms are full of such nonsense, both the products and the advice.

4. Your body is the best gym there is. I do not know how to put it more simply. Use it. It is your best choice for working out. It is free, it does not require a membership fee. It is always open for business, and I urge you to take advantage of those wonderful hours of operation.

After you have been at a computer screen, for example, for fifty consecutive minutes. Get up, get away and simply move your body. Walk, stretch. Do deep breathing. Drop and give yourself 10 or 20 push ups. You get the idea. Same thing with television or anything else. Move your mobile gym regularly, throughout the day and night. My point is, you do not need a gym to exercise your own personal gym.