You don’t still wear a leotard over tights…do you?
Just like the fashions in fitness have changed (thank Christ), so have the attitudes and way we approach exercise as a whole. Whether you are a regular to exercise or are just starting out, here are 4 ways you can get with the (fitness) times:
Times have (literally) changed
In the not too distant past, the effectiveness of your workout was measured by the time you spent in the gym – you’d wear that shit like a badge of honour. In my earlier days in the industry I would commonly see gym members at the start of my work shift still slogging it out 3 hours later at the end of my shift. I too was that person once upon a time.
Get with the times: the days of hours in the gym are long gone. Time has been replaced with effectiveness and this is evidenced by the popularity of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) over the last few years. HIIT is short bursts of intense effort followed by short recovery and can take less than 30 minutes to complete. It’s super effective and efficient as compared to exercising at a steady pace for much longer periods of time. I’m not necessarily suggesting you replace all your workouts with HIIT, but what I am suggesting is critically looking at the time you are spending at the gym and if there is a more efficient alternative.
From Psychopath to sensible
It seemed we were masochists back-in-the-day, not only were we spending hours in the gym, we were also absolutely smashing our body at the height of the “no pain, no gain” movement. Pushing our body to the limit despite feelings of bone crushing pain and/or death day-after-day was simply how one exercised and anything less was seen as a waste of time.
Get with the times: these days our fitness regimes are more holistic. We are balancing strength workouts, with cardio workouts, with stretching, with recovery. We are actually listening to our body and approaching exercise as a means to lengthen our life as opposed to shortening it with unfortunate incidents on treadmills. This is your cue to take a look at your exercise regime as a whole and ask yourself where there could be more of a balance.
Blaze that trial baby!
Group fitness is for girls. Lifting weights is for boys. Yoga is for the flexible/chai-drinking-Jesus-beard-jandal-wearing-chanting-bohemians. In previous decades certain activities had a type and to break the mould was seen as shocking. And because of these fixed attitudes and not seeing yourself represented in specific activities it was even more ground-breaking/petrifying to give them a go…so we didn’t.
Get with the times: everything. Is. For. Anyone. If you love the look of a certain activity and long to give it a try, the last thing on your mind should be whether “people like you” are doing it. Easier said than done, I get it, but you could just be blazing a trail for others…and that’s pretty fucken cool.
Lifting weights is for boys EVERYONE. EVERYWHERE. ALL THE TIME. PERIOD.
Repeat after me because I cannot stress this enough: lifting weights it for everyone, everywhere, all the time. Period. Gone are the days where lifting weights is a male only domain for the sole purpose of getting jacked. And if you did happen to lift weights as a female, well you just looked like a man. Ugh. Thank fuck we have moved on.
Get with the times: If you have read anything about weight training lately you could be forgiven for thinking you were reading about a magic potion. And, it kind-of is. The benefits of weight training include but are not limited to improved bone health, increased energy levels, calorie burn, decreased risk of falls, improved mood, decreased risk of chronic illness…shall I go on? You don’t even need to “pump-iron” on the gym floor, body-weight resistance exercises like squats and push-ups will do the trick.
So put that leotard away people (did I actually need to say that?), it’s time to get with the (fitness) times and bring our workouts into 2023.
Wretched 