Getting Rid of Fitness Stuff You Don't Use

[DawnP]

I posted a bunch of fitness equipment on NextDoor in my college town and a bunch of college kids showed up and took barbells and steps and stability balls.

It was heartwarming when they told me they were using it to train in their apt (or dorm room?) between track & field seasons because they couldn't afford gym memberships (and gyms were closed for the pandemic, too).

I've also donated DVDs to my local library.

It's strangely exhilirating to free yourself of the expectation that you're going to "be in shape/younger/fitter someday" to use something you've outgrown.

This thread cracks me up because it also brought out the semi-hoarder in me that had to have duplicates of some Lisa Wheeler Weight Watcher DVDs that are hard to find.

[nyskier]

I recently donated extra dumbells, yoga mats and kettlebells to my local Goodwill. I asked the woman there if those items would sell, and she said that stuff literally flies off the shelves. I was glad I could contribute to another person's fitness journey.

[Calistro]

I wish it was the case hre in the UK. Anyone with a fitness aquiring habit like mine would have to be another vidiot.

When I bring dvds into work to give people who workout, they look at me like I have grown two heads. They just think of the gym or youtube workouts as the only way to workout. They would probably take my equipment but no one really uses dvds. I was talking to a colleague of mine who works out fanatically and she said she does not own a dvd player. The library here or charity shops say it is hard to get rid of them. They might get away with it if it is a celebrity.

[bzar]

Originally Posted by DawnP

It's strangely exhilirating to free yourself of the expectation that you're going to "be in shape/younger/fitter someday" to use something you've outgrown.

i agree with your statement, however "accepting that i've outgrown something" is the bane of my existence.

Originally Posted by DawnP

This thread cracks me up because it also brought out the semi-hoarder in me that had to have duplicates of some Lisa Wheeler Weight Watcher DVDs that are hard to find.

i love Lisa Wheeler and i had my DH pick up something from Burlington Coat Factory in another state just to get this one kit containing a DVD that was hard to find on its own.

Originally Posted by Calistro

They would probably take my equipment but no one really uses dvds. I was talking to a colleague of mine who works out fanatically and she said she does not own a dvd player. The library here or charity shops say it is hard to get rid of them. They might get away with it if it is a celebrity.

i remember reading this from other VFers based in the UK. It must be a cultural thing - prolific in the US but smaller in the UK. i've purchased UK workout DVDs (region 2) and noticed there's a limited number of "brands" that produce these, and like you said, many of the cast/leaders were actresses.

[FitBoop]

Originally Posted by Vantreesta

I think I have a real attachment/hoarding problem. Just hearing about OTHER people getting rid of things makes me feel anxious and sick! I can't bear to let go of my fitness stuff unless it's duplicate DVDs.

Me too!

I have so many boxes in my attic that have sat for years, that I don’t even know where to begin. I have all my fitness VHS tapes and DVD’s.

I’m a “just in case” person—just in case I want to use the tapes one day, etc…

[Margot]

Originally Posted by Calistro

I wish it was the case hre in the UK. Anyone with a fitness aquiring habit like mine would have to be another vidiot.

When I bring dvds into work to give people who workout, they look at me like I have grown two heads. They just think of the gym or youtube workouts as the only way to workout. They would probably take my equipment but no one really uses dvds. I was talking to a colleague of mine who works out fanatically and she said she does not own a dvd player. The library here or charity shops say it is hard to get rid of them. They might get away with it if it is a celebrity.

I'm in the UK too and it almost broke my heart a few years ago to have to take over 100 DVDs to the tip. The charity shops didn't want them, as most of mine were NTSC format and wouldn't play on the PAL formatted DVD players here.

I don't know anyone who uses DVDs either. Everyone I know either runs, goes to the gym or takes exercise classes. When I used to go to Pilates classes, a couple of friends of mine I went with, thought I was nuts working out at home and said they'd never have the willpower to workout at home. They just wouldn't exercise at all. Someone did however, come down from London (about 1 1/2 hours away from me) to pick up a Pilates machine I was getting rid of.

[toaster]

Margot, love your new avatar!

I don't think I've ever know anyone to use DVDs outside of VF, even when they were popular! Well, I guess years ago (early 1990s), my friend in graduate school recommended Buns of Steel and told me about Collage Video (VHS, not DVD, haha). Other than that, I've almost never even heard of anyone who exercises at home! Covid changed that a little, and some of my yoga students do tell me that they use YouTube, but that's about it.

(As a side note, I feel like I have a greater breadth of knowledge and experience in yoga from doing videos, as I am familiar with so many different instructors and styles - you could never have experience with that many different instructors IRL!)

Luckily, the Goodwill stores around here don't have many rules about what you can donate, and they still take/sell DVDs, although I've noticed their inventory dwindling.

I do save some DVDs "just in case," especially some of my slower, more rehab-type DVDs. But honestly, I do so much on YouTube these days that I could almost always find something I need there.

[sherry7899]

The stores near me will take anything-I actually saw a Gilad VHS set in a thrift store near me the other day!

Outside of VF, I hardly know anyone who uses dvds. One of my sisters used Leslie Sansone dvds. My friend's daughter does SaraBeth yoga on you tube. I was happy to find that out! She turns 20 years old today.

I posted this ages ago, but around 2002 I had a Collage catalog on my desk at work. The guy who sat behind me saw it and said "I hate that thing! My wife spends so much money there." I was floored. I asked what she liked. I had some dvds she wanted that I was not using, so I brought them in for him to pass to his wife.

[Calistro]

[QUOTE=Twigs;2971563]I'm in the UK too and it almost broke my heart a few years ago to have to take over 100 DVDs to the tip. The charity shops didn't want them, as most of mine were NTSC format and wouldn't play on the PAL formatted DVD players here.

I understand your pain.
I am gearing up myself to take my dvds to the tip too. A lot of them have not even been used due to menopause and changes in the way I want to workout.
If I had a crystal ball to look into the future I would have probably not jumped on every fad. I would have been pickier. I hate waste.

[Vantreesta]

How much would shipping cost to send them to the US? It's killing me to think of them being thrown out!