Anyone have a New Years resolution to lose weight? As people have become more health conscious, gym memberships are on the rise in spite of economic turndown, and January is typically the month with the highest influx of new members. Statistics show that memberships are up 10% since 2009 according to IHRSA, The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. However, only 25-27% of these consumers actually go on a regular basis.
Health clubs stay in business with various marketing ploys. They can lure you in, but how invested are they to keep you on track with your fitness goals? Reshma Kapadia with SmartMoney, discloses a few deterrents that the industry does not want you to know. I was actually shocked to discover the amount of facilities that are not even equipped with an AED for emergencies. That is absolutely deplorable!
The bottom line? You do NOT need a gym to attain your goals. Joining a gym requires more commitment than most realize. Time, money, the discipline to get into your car a go and most importantly, determination. Fitness centers are not all bad, but you have to be willing to put forth the effort. No one will do it for you. Not even the trainer that you will pay dearly for.
There are quite a few things you can do to keep yourself in shape without a gym. Plenty of people have already started using various diet apps for their phones. The free apps essentially calculate the food consumed and calories burned with exercise. These apps process the nutrition label information to help keep you accountable and serve as a visual reminder of your fitness goals. Mynetdiary is the app that I use and I was shocked at the nutritional value of some of the foods I consumed on a regular basis, not aware of much beyond calories and carbs.
Heartrate monitors and pedometers have also proven to be effective in making people accountable. Just like Pavlovs theory, when you see results you WILL repeat your actions. Calorie counters pacify the people in pursuit of immediate gratification. If that is what it takes, I say do it! I did.
Other ways to get active and stay fit without the gym, really just require you to move. Taking your dog for a walk with moderate intensity can easily burn 250 calories in half an hour. If you are a runner, start a running club at your place of work. Throw in a fitness DVD a start moving.
Movies take a lot of time out of your already busy schedule. Seen a different way, this is the perfect opportunity to do some resistance training, so grab a band instead of that popcorn bowl! Do sets of 15-20 sit-ups or pushups every fifteen minutes. You easily finish a great workout while enjoying a movie without the temptation of snacking.
For those of you on a tight schedule, you can still accomplish your goals. New research suggests that the intensity of a workout, is more likely the catalyst in weight loss, not the duration. In light of time constraints and current research, interval training is the newest trend sweeping the nation in fitness. Short bursts of energy followed by minimal rest periods have shown to be more effective than long boring cardio training. This type of interval training is suggested to burn more calories and improve your aerobic capacity. I usually try to isolate two 30minute breaks in my day to jump on my elliptical or go for a quick jog. On average, I can burn 250-300 calories in half an hour when I rev up my intensity. Although this is different than actual interval training, I find that if I break up my cardio workouts, I am more apt to do it and less likely to make excuses.
So get MOVING! Find an accountability method. Get a monitor if you need to. Set a goal and stick to it. I look forward to hearing your success stories!
