I heard a great statistic today: the average gym-goer spends 1 hour 20 mins exercising each week but the average dog walker spends 8 hours a week. When you consider that we should aim to exercise for 30 mins, five days a week, you could very quickly draw a conclusion about which of these two groups of people is fitter and healthier.
It raises an interesting point for me: the answer to the question of how to get fit may not be the answer you are expecting. Gyms are well-marketed, and for this reason they are often people’s first thought when they are considering getting fit. However, whilst the gym may be the answer for some people it won’t be for everyone. For a new exercise regime to deliver long-term benefit to your health it need to be sustainable. For it to be sustainable it will ultimately need to fulfil certain criteria:
- It needs to be realistic and achievable for you
- It needs to be enjoyable for you
- It need to fit in with your life
Does the gym fulfil these criteria for you? If we’re prepared to look a little further afield for an answer then it is often quite possible to find something that will meet these criteria. Indeed it seems that walking the dog is a really affective solution for many people.
The gym might not be right for you, and too many of us blame ourselves for not being committed or lacking will power. Rubbish! You just haven’t found the right answer yet. Try lots of different activities until you feel something’s right for you. Don’t write off normal everyday activities just because they don’t feel like structured exercise.
My golden rule is that the way you get your exercise needs to be something you want to do, not something you feel like you should do. Once you have found this you’re going to get results and improve your health.
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I’m a big believer in exercise having to be enjoyable to be sustainable. I’m also a big believer that a trip to the gym is about as much fun as having flu, and is often appended by a “well deserved” curry/cake.
But the other important factor is that it’s also expensive – for the price of one months gym membership you can get hold of a tennis racket, and there are courts that are free to use in parks all over the country. A monthly membership to somewhere like the westway climbing centre in West London costs less than an average gym, and although while you’re there you’re working out just as hard (if not harder) as you would be in a gym, you don’t realise it until afterwards, because it’s fun. In much the same way as playing a Wii fit – it works because you don’t know it’s working.
So find something you enjoy and achieve more