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Pefect Computer Sport Game - Airstrike II
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But I Hate the Gym! - Gym-Free Fitness (Part 1 of 2)
"I know I should exercise," a good friend of mine was lamenting
to me late last week, "but I really hate going to gyms." I have
to admit, my initial response to this was incredulity - even in
my much heavier days (when I had a BMI of 35, very little of
which was due to muscle!), I still loved the gym environment.
There's something about being able to pit myself against
machines that really kicks in my stubborn streak. Something in
me clicks and I downright *refuse* to let the machines win. But
to be honest, she's not the first person I've heard say this.
So I started asking around, and quickly found that my friend
wasn't the only person who thought this way. Reasons for
avoiding the gym varied, but they seemed to fall into one of
four categories:
1. HYGIENE: To quote one person, "Having to sit where other
people have been sweating just grosses me out!"
2. EXPENSE: If you're already struggling to make ends meet, the
yearly cost of a gym can feel totally unjustifiable 3.
INCONVENIENCE: The hassle of taking time out of an already
overloaded schedule, not just to work out, but the travel time
too
4. EMBARRASSMENT FACTOR: The worry that everyone else on the
floor will be either muscle-men or toned, tanned gym-bunnies
who'd react with either disgust or derision to any
less-than-perfect newbie with the audacity to profane their
hallowed halls
Now, I could answer almost all of these objections (except for
No. 2 - even I can accept that if the money genuinely won't
stretch, it just won't stretch) with the suggestion that you
just need to choose the right gym (both location and
clientele-wise) for you, and follow basic gym etiquette (like
always keeping a towel between you and the equipment).
There may, of course, be other reasons I haven't covered as
well. If you like the idea of working out in a gym, but can't
(for whatever reason), please contact me, and I'll try to come
up with a solution for you. However,
that's not what this
article's about. And the good news is, we don't actually need to
find solutions in the first place! Why? Because you really don't
*need* to go to a gym to get - or keep - fit.
Contrary to advertising image claims, gyms *don't* have a
monopoly on people's ability to move; and that's all exercise
really is. Movement and activity is what's important to our
health, not when and where we do it. We just need to make sure
we get enough of it in
Current ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) guidelines
suggest that, in order to simply be healthy, you need to move
aerobically for 40-60 minutes (not necessarily all at once), 3-5
times each week. If your goal is to lose weight, not just
maintain your health, then this needs to happen no less than 5
times per week (although, if you've been inactive for some time,
you may well need to build up gently to this level!) On top of
this, research shows the need to include regular resistance
training to help strengthen bones (especially in women), and to
help offset (or even reverse) the damage caused by aging.
It sounds like a tall order, doesn't it? Even with all the
equipment of a gym available, it can take a little practice for
newcomers to create routines that give them all the benefits of
the strength and aerobic activities without eating into too much
of their valuable time. It can be even harder to manage outside
of a gym environment.
With a little planning, however, it is possible to get the
activity you need to meet these guidelines without having to
sign up for a gym, and Part 2 of this series, we'll look at how
you can do this.
About the author:
Optimum Life Ltd provides balanced fitness & stress management
services. For details of how to achieve optimum fitness on a
budget, visit http://trainerforce.com/optimumlife
For our FREE 'What is Optimum Fitness?' Report, e-mail
mailto:tanja@optimumlife.co.nz with ' Fitness Report' in the
header
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