We live in the age of extremes and in no area of life is this more apparent than with fitness. There is the cross fit crowd on one side of the table that pay well over $100 and possibly up to $200 per month to work out with a bunch of other lovely, jacked people in a converted garage. On the other is the seemingly unstoppable rise in obesity that has only been paused by drugs like Ozempic. Americans are having a rough time with fitness even though the most fit keep going to greater extremes.
In this article, I want to dig into the comment from the great fitness thought leader, Nate Bargatze, who looked at the before picture on a P90X DVD and wondered what that guy was up to. What does it mean to be okay at fitness and is that part of the answer to the challenge from the average person.
What does it really take to be reasonably fit? As it turns out, it really doesn’t take a ton of effort to maintain and active lifestyle. The most critical thing is figuring out what you will actually keep doing week over week without getting board. Here are a few thoughts to help us all out.
Figure out a Fun Fitness Activity and Make it regular
For me, the fun fitness activity is playing basketball with a group of friends at a local school where we rent out the gym. I would never work out as hard as I do each Monday if it wasn’t for this time. We enjoy the fact that now we know how each other move on the court and there is decent flow during our games. The game has gravity that keeps us all coming back. Its huge for keeping a bunch of 40-something dads from falling into the trap of crappy health that still stalks us as a nation.
Keep Dumbbells and a Bench in the House
It’s easy to build up momentum for 15-20 minutes of simple weights when all you have to do is step into another room in the house when you get home from work. Even better, if you work from home, you can take this during the day to refresh the brain. A set of dumbbells can sit in the corner of a home office and be plenty to engage multiple muscle groups every day. It allows for quick workouts which makes it easier to be consistent and its the consistency that is the key for maintaining fitness over the long term.
Get a Dog and Walk Everyday
This has been the secret to my father being in great shape for a 73-year-old. He has never been someone who cares to go to the gym, but he did start taking the beagle that they adopted from us on a 2 mile daily walk for a few years when he turned 70. My dad has the same level of workout motivation as I do and so he needs a reason to get out and be active. The responsibility to try to keep an old beagle from starting to look like a blimp was enough to get him out walking. The consistency of this “OK” level of activity has produced outsized results as time has gone by.
The Big Takeaway
Linking up weeks, months and years of consistent, physical activity really has some significant results for our health. Additionally, for those with tight budgets, it is good to know that a gym membership isn’t a requirement for health. There is plenty that can be done at home or by simply adopting an old beagle and hitting the trail.