Fitness Without the Gym

By Peppertan


Photo by Luis Quintero from Pexels

Going to the gym is a pain sometimes. You know you need the exercise, but between finding a decent gym nearby, finding time to go and finding the money to pay for a membership, it can feel like more trouble than it’s worth. Before long, it starts to feel like a second job that costs you money, and shortly after that, you stop going altogether. Don’t you give up on your fitness goals yet; try some creative alternatives to lifting weights.

Classes

Take a class, but not your standard cardio or weightlifting class at the gym. Try something else, something fun. There may be dance classes in all levels Gresham OR or your area, or maybe a self-defense class is more your speed. The point is to find something that interests you.

Sports

Look into local clubs and leagues. Joining a sports team gives you instant exercise and a ready-made social circle that will pressure you to get out and get active. The team often matters almost more than the sport itself. When you’re planning your fitness journey, you want to make sure you have adequate support.

Walking

Look at a map to see what’s within walking distance. Maybe you can’t walk to work every day, but you might be able to walk to the park for lunch. Maybe you can walk to the pharmacy to pick up your prescriptions. Integrating activity into your routine makes it harder to skip and easier to stick to.

The more you integrate activity into your life, your social circle and your schedule, the less it will feel like work. Every step you can take towards integrating exercise into your everyday life makes that exercise into a habit. Habits are hard to break, whether they’re good or bad. The more good ones you build, the less room you will have for bad habits in your life.