Cancel that Gym Membership...if you want to!

A few days ago, I was sitting outside at the clinic with the rest of the team while we ate our lunch in some late summer sun. The conversation often goes in all kinds of directions but on this particular day, many of the younger members of our team were chatting about their exercise and fitness preferences. Things like cardio, weights, swimming and running were all on the menu. Gym memberships, exercise classes and even personal trainers were just some of the ways that they, and many other people choose to get their activity levels up.

I couldn't really join in with my preference though because I'm not a member of a gym and don't attend any classes, and even though I'm comfortable with my choices, it still started to make me question what I do. I used to be a member of a gym, and for the first few months I would force myself to go along perhaps three times per week and sweat with everyone else! By the time I'd got there, done the training and then showered and changed, it would take up around an hour and a half of my day. I never enjoyed it, and always begrudged the time out of my day that I had to devote to it. It felt like exercise for the sake of it.

Which of course for me, it was.

When we lived in the wild, (where we evolved) we expended a certain amount of energy every day because of the work that was required to survive. Tasks such as building shelter, finding food and evading predators were every day necessities (in the same way they are for all animals in the wild), and that is what our genes have evolved to expect. Moving your body through a wide range of motions, lifting heavy things, walking and occasionally running were all the norms.

Obviously because our genes have evolved against a background of activity, it's essential that we still provide them that. And if you enjoy your time in the gym or the exercise class, and couldn't put that time to better use then great, carry on. Plus, as I wrote in this post more exercise doesn't automatically mean more health and it can't be increased to replace a deficiency in another aspect of your health. However if you can incorporate activity into your daily life, and meet some of your body's other needs at the same time, then wouldn't that be better?

This weekend I decided to do one of those jobs that's needed doing for a while now. The front edge of the concrete floor in my garage appears to have broken off at some time in the past and consequently the wind howls under the doors and brings in leaves and other rubbish. It's also very inviting for any small wild-life that's looking to find shelter in the winter!

The ground in front of it was like concrete itself because of years of compaction so that had to be broken up with a bar first - cue 20 minutes of aerobic activity, an elevated heart rate and a bit of sweat!

Then it had to be dug out and barrowed away - a little more aerobics and some lifting plus I managed to involve Clarry in that too. Much better than him staring at a screen which is his current favourite way of spending time!

Next I had to build some wooden shuttering to form the mould for the new concrete edge to be cast into

- climbing a ladder to get the wood down from the rack, followed by measuring, sawing and squatting up and down.

Obviously the concrete had to be mixed, three barrow's full to be exact - more heavy lifting plus anyone that's ever mixed concrete in a wheel barrow using a shovel will know it's a great upper body workout.

Then finally it could be put into the shuttering to form the new edge of the floor.

Overall a nice little workout of perhaps three hours, outdoors in the fresh air, spending time with my son and achieving something useful at the end of it all!

Now I know that this job won't need doing three times per week (hopefully!) so it's a one off workout, however there are always other jobs that need doing so I try not to miss the opportunity for the exercise. Plus, you can easily incorporate other things into your day such as walking the last mile to school or work, always looking for the stairs in a building rather than the lift or escalator or parking as far away from the supermarket entrance as possible.

If you genuinely enjoy the hour or so you spend in the gym, that's not a problem obviously. However if like me you're not a fan, but have left the gym membership running because you know you "should be going" and will definitely get back to it next week, why not look for other ways that you can bring in activity into your day.