Alternatives for the Gym

Most of us are more active in the summer than the winter. I think the warmer weather induces most of us to spend a lot of our time outside, and when you’re outside there are a lot of ways to stay active. This may be one reason a lot of people lapse their gym memberships in exchange for time on the trail, swimming, biking, or even walking the dog. It’s hard to argue with that reasoning too, I think I’d rather be outside most of the time as well, but there are ways to ensure you have your fitness when the winter rolls back around and the gym is your only recourse. Here are some ideas…

When you’re at the pool, don’t forget to swim. I think a lot of us are guilty of going to the pool with great intentions of running around and having an active day, but ultimately just letting the sun do all the work as we lay on our towel and check out the scenery. If you’ve elected to spend your day at the pool, don’t forget to get in the pool. Even if you’re not necessarily “swimming,” your doggy paddle at the very least will burn more calories than reading a book. In most cases though, if you’re in the pool, odds are you’re gonna swim. Trick yourself if you have to, but make sure you get a little wet.

If you’ve been walking the dog around the neighborhood, hiking on a trail is just as good, twice as effective for wearing the little guy out, and three times as good for you while you try to keep up. Walking at an incline, or hiking in this case, has been shown to burn exponentially more calories than walking on an even plane. If you’re like me and have to get the dog out before they rip your house apart, then maybe it’s a good idea for both of you to hit the hills and hike instead of walk.

Get after it yourself. I know how satisfying it is to cheer someone on as they cross the finish line, but maybe it’s time for you to get in the game. My wife finished a marathon last year, and it was so exciting for me to share that accomplishment with her, but if I had any man at all left in me, I would train for one myself…and maybe it’s not a marathon, but at least a 5k. It’s always better to be in the game than hanging out on the sidelines.

Of course there are a lot of things you can do with your diet to ensure you aren’t in horrible shape when the summer ends and you rejoin the ranks of gym goers. Taking a multivitamin or downing a whey protein shake can improve your general health and prepare you better for the time when you actually get back to the gym. There’s no sense in leaving everything behind in the summer, just because you’re not in the gym doesn’t mean you should stop paying attention to the calcium, nutrients, essential fatty acids, and vitamins important for anybody’s body. Being healthy is not a seasonal business, it’s a year-round lifestyle, and that means multivitamins, whey protein, and other nutrients regardless of whether your gym membership is active or not.

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