athleticgals.com

I read somewhere a while ago that the concept of a “gym” was a relatively new invention, that people’s lives had become so sedentary only in the last 60 years or so that people had to start intentionally wearing themselves out to get some exercise.  The concept would have seemed completely ridiculous to our ancestors a few generations ago.  Who would want to go do stuff to make yourself more tired than you already were just from getting through the day?  That concept interested me; the idea of a lifestyle where a gym wasn’t necessary.

            Then, more recently, I won a gift certificate for a week of free group training at a local gym.  Everyone there was in great shape, but the whole experience struck me as insanely synthetic.  I felt so, so ridiculous driving to the place where I was going to work out, when I knew that I could have biked the round-trip distance in and of itself and saved myself the workout (and the gas money).  We worked out with equipment I had never even heard of before, mostly inside.  We listened to pulsating techno beats as we did so.  The other people crowded around the smoothie bar when the workout was done to drink expensive protein shakes and ask questions like, “What kind of zinc supplement do you take?” and “How many grams of protein are in a chicken breast?”  Part of me just wanted to snap, “Oh for heaven’s sake.  Just eat some peanut butter and ride your bike to work and you’ll be fine.”

            Now, I don’t mean to knock gyms and group workouts.  Anything that gets people up and running is okay by me.  I was a huge gym rat in college and still set aside time every day to go running, in addition to playing hockey.  But I dislike the idea of setting aside one hour a day to be active and spending the rest of my day just sitting.  So this summer I decided to make some lifestyle changes and try to sort of “live” actively.

            My biggest change was biking everywhere.  I did it last summer, but not nearly as intensely as I did this summer.  I found that my body could handle a lot more than I had been giving it credit for.  I found myself doing a 4-mile run in the morning, biking about 30 miles just getting around town, and working at my physically demanding job, all in the same day.  And eventually I wasn’t even sore after days like that. 

            Another thing I started doing was walking everywhere I didn’t want to bike.  My most common destination is my local grocery store, which is only about 2/3 of a mile away.  I only take a backpack with me, but I go more often.  Not only is my food fresher since I buy what I need exactly when I need it, but I get a nice walk through my neighborhood every time I do it. 

            Playing a sport is a great way to be active outside of more structured workouts too.  My hockey team gives me basically an hour of sprints at least once a week, not to mention the satisfaction of achievement and how awesome it is to have a whole team of built-in friends.

            In conclusion, don’t be afraid to think outside the box, or push yourself to do things that seem too hard.  Showing up at work all sweaty isn’t as big a deal as you think it is.  Being physically active throughout the day (i.e. a bike ride to work in the morning and again in the afternoon, or a walk in the evening) contributes to a better mood, an easily-maintained waistline, and a healthy suntan on your face.        

~JK