The Peak

Getting over the gym

By Vanessa Woznow

i used to go to the gym. I used to go to the gym a lot. All throughout my undergrad and first year of my post-grad I trekked to the gym between three and five times per week. I didn’t know how to exercise without a membership card. As such, I participated in fitness classes where generic but frenetic electro-pop made my heartbeat irregular. I grunted through sets with five-pound dumbbells clenched in my clammy fists. I read more back issues of Sports Illustrated, Us Weekly, and The Economist whilst climbing to nowhere on a Stairmaster than a chronically bored Chapters employee. In the two months leading up to my wedding, I frequented the hallowed sweat-box known as “Fitness World” so many times one of the front desk girls asked me if I wanted a job with the company.

How things have changed. Last summer my husband and I moved to New Westminster (a city almost gym-free compared to Vancouver) and I started a job that demanded between 50 and 60 hours of my time during the working week. I was so exhausted most of the time that the last thing I wanted to do before or after work (let alone on my days off) was head to the gym. Both my body and mind completely rejected the idea of regulated exercise.

However, after two glorious months of doing nothing, I began to miss a more dynamic lifestyle. I did not, however, on any terms, want to return to a gym. Slowly, I started to experiment with different sorts of outdoor activities. What I quickly realized was that my body was capable of so much more than what it is confined to within the gym. It was (is!) literally a vehicle — a means of getting around, of exploring places I’d never been, of spending more times with family and friends. I started biking everywhere. Queen’s Park became my treadmill. Grouse Mountain and Lynn Valley were my Stairmasters (and with the money I was saving I bought a subscription to The Economist.) What followed was a physical odyssey that I would encourage everyone to experience. I shout out to all of you, QUIT THE GYM! Why? For a number of reasons, but here are my top four:

The gym can be very expensive, especially for those on a student budget. Most range between $20 and $50 a month. If you multiply those numbers by 12, you are looking at anywhere between $240 and $600 a year. Think of the other areas of your life that that money could be going to!

Secondly, the gym is an establishment frequented by the semi-sane that can, and will, turn you the exact same way: girls in their bathing suits talking on their cells phones; guys who are more interested in checking themselves out than actually lifting weights; people who don’t clean off machines or wear proper deodorant, who butt-in before you’re done your set, or feel the need to step in and provide one-on-one support because “they took a class in college once . . .” I know I looked quite the sight dressed in my husband’s old t-shirts and shorts; once on my way I stopped outside of a Safeway to tie my shoe and a woman actually dropped a quarter at my feet.

Third, the gym is inside. I know this is a total boon when living in a temperate rain forest, but I truly believe there is nothing more refreshing and rewarding then exercising outside, rain or shine (give or take the ferocity of the elements. There may be times where you have to concede to Mother Nature.) However, you will never feel better or more alive than after completing a hard fought activity on unlevel ground, gulping down fresh air as the wind cools your flushed face.

Finally, the number one reason to quit the gym is that you can stay in shape without it. Skeptical at such a radical idea? (I understand. I was the same way for many, many years.) But I promise you, it’s true. Follow these simple tips and you too, will never look back!

1. Expect changes. I thought I could just jump into the same level of exercise that I was accustomed to at the gym. (This was also a very silly mistake as I had also been inactive for longer than I was used to.) Both running and biking outside has a different effect on your body than the monotony of gym machines. It will likely tire you out at a faster rate. You may also feel sore after the first few runs or bike rides. Take it easy the first few times out and see what you are capable of. Then work from there, scope out different routes, with different hill gradients, ratios of concrete to sand or stone, high school tracks, bleachers, or stairs. The more choice you have and the more you change it up, the more effective your cardio will be and the less bored you will become.

2. Keep up the commitment! If you are capable of going to the gym every week, you are capable of going for a run/bike/ride/hike/walk every week as well! It is very easy to feel as though because the gym is there and you’re paying for it, you have to go. There is no reason that you should lose the resolve just because you aren’t paying for it.

3. Do use your body! Resistance work has got to be one of the most difficult but effective workouts I have ever done. Plus you can do it in the comfort of your own home/dorm/common room. Push-ups, squats, lunges, planks, burpees ---— these exercises require no equipment and work like nothing else. For extra help, the purchase of a rubber band, a jump rope, or a portable pull-up bar (the combined cost of which is less expensive than two months at the gym) are great instruments to push you forward.

4. Unsure of how to use the pull-up bar or rubber band? I was too. Use the Internet! This is probably the best source for exercise help. Watch instructional circuit videos, learn proper technique, and be so ridiculously inspired. I never thought I would follow a weekly workout, but I’ve found one that is three times a week, and less than 30 minutes per session that is more effective than anything I ever achieved at the gym. Further, want to try yoga? Download a video! Pilates, boxing, proper stretching, jump rope routines — all available on the World Wide Web.

5. If you can, work with a partner. I always found the gym to be a very individual-oriented place. I went with the hopes of not speaking to, looking at, or brushing up against anyone. But having someone to run with, lunge with, hike with, and stretch with has been incredibly helpful. This is never more evident on the days where you feel as though putting on your running shoes and jogging in the drizzle may or may not be the end of you. A partner encourages, inspires, and makes working out fun.

Of course I cannot guarantee that any of these things will work for anyone, let alone everyone. I wanted to write this article because I was so shocked and so happy by something I never thought I would be able to do. Take on this challenge only if it’s something you are actually interested in. If it isn’t, goodness knows that’s totally fine as well. I don’t want this article to come off as a diatribe against the ills of the gym environment. There are many great, great things about gyms (least of all the roof it provides over your head). However, if you are looking for something new and challenging, try taking the gym to the streets, mountains, parks, and beaches. I promise you will be amazed at the things you are capable of achieving. Good luck!