Can't wait to use my bodyweight
Is your wallet looking pretty thin this
month? Want to get into shape without the
cost associated with a gym membership?
How is this possible? Simple: everyone has
the tools and equipment already. It is your
own body weight.
According to Public Health Agency of Canada, between 1981 and 2009, Canadian obesity rates have nearly doubled for males and females in almost all age categories. Although only 9 per cent of our youth — aged six to 17 — are considered to be obese, these numbers are on the rise. Many Canadians lack daily physical activity, proper nutrition and proper rest; these poor lifestyle behaviours are why one in four Canadians are now obese. With the advancement of technology nowadays, Canadians are starting to depend on machinery to do simple tasks, which requires little body movement, wrote Brian Thompson in an article entitled "Benefits of bodyweight exercises" (you can read the full article at tinyurl.com/bodyweightbenefitsarticle2012).
Gym memberships can be quite costly. The average gym membership costs around $40 to $50 a month and with a "start-up fee," gyms can cost over $800 a year. With the cost of food, kids, bills, rent/mortgage and more, the gyms might be "cutting more weight off your wallet than your waist," wrote Carlo Dellaverson in an article entitled "The true cost of gym memberships."
Doing bodyweight exercises is a great way to avoid gym costs, simply because you are your own gym and equipment, wrote Thompson.
Many friends, family and fellow students among us would strongly recommend going to a gym for regular exercise, Thompson wrote. Lifting weights is a good way to stay in shape; however, generally, machines at the gym focus on single muscles and it can be quite time-consuming to work out the whole body. Bodyweight exercises mainly focus on more than one muscle at a time, which can reduce the time of your workout, even though you will still feel the same results, he continued.
If your last workout was a long time ago, do not worry. There are many variations of exercises. The famous push-up can be quite difficult for individuals who do not train on a regular basis. Most people choose to skip a particular exercise when it is too difficult and then lose out on the benefits, wrote Dellaverson. Don't let this be you — instead, simply modify the traditional protocol: perform the push-up vertical to the wall, put your hands on an incline of the stairs, or use your knees as the pivot point instead of your toes, suggested Laura Schwecherl in her list of the 50 bodyweight exercises you can do anywhere (check out the full list at tinyurl.com/50bodyweightexercises).
Does your community have a swimming pool? If so, take advantage of it. Find out when there are Aquafit classes, open swims or specific times designated to swimming lengths of the pool. Swimming targets most of one's muscles and is a skill that can be taught to anyone, according to Dellaverson.
People over the age of 18 should aim for 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week, according to the Administration of Physical Recreation. These numbers may seem high, but reaching your target amount of daily physical activity is quite easy. You can take up gardening; making the outside of the house prettier on the eye and busting a sweat pulling those weeds, suggested Heather Sides in an article about how to incorporate more physical activity in to your everyday life (read it at tinyurl.com/10tipsarticle). You can also organize sports activities with your friends such as soccer, street hockey or basketball. Go for walks, bike rides and jogs with friends or family to get more people involved with physical activity. For those of you who love your television time, stretch out your body during commercials or execute an exercise that you know you can perform for a couple of minutes before your show starts up again, Sides suggested. Stretching is also important because it increases one's flexibility, which reduces tension in joints, making it easier to move around and lowers the chance for injury, added Fanshawe professor Lyndsay Fitzgeorge.
Bodyweight exercises can improve more than the physical aspect of health, wrote Thompson; yoga and meditation will improve one's mental health. Yoga involves slow and calming movements of the body, increasing balance, flexibility and physical strength. Yoga and meditation use one's bodyweight against them, making it the resistance — the amount of weight used — of the workout. Improving mental health will allow one to be more focused and motivated throughout the day, he continued.
Everyone has the tool to be fit: their own body. You do not need to go to the gym and work out three hours every day; simple bodyweight exercises can maintain a healthy lifestyle while saving the money in your pockets.
Todd Laplante is a Fitness and Health Promotion student at Fanshawe College.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
According to Public Health Agency of Canada, between 1981 and 2009, Canadian obesity rates have nearly doubled for males and females in almost all age categories. Although only 9 per cent of our youth — aged six to 17 — are considered to be obese, these numbers are on the rise. Many Canadians lack daily physical activity, proper nutrition and proper rest; these poor lifestyle behaviours are why one in four Canadians are now obese. With the advancement of technology nowadays, Canadians are starting to depend on machinery to do simple tasks, which requires little body movement, wrote Brian Thompson in an article entitled "Benefits of bodyweight exercises" (you can read the full article at tinyurl.com/bodyweightbenefitsarticle2012).
Gym memberships can be quite costly. The average gym membership costs around $40 to $50 a month and with a "start-up fee," gyms can cost over $800 a year. With the cost of food, kids, bills, rent/mortgage and more, the gyms might be "cutting more weight off your wallet than your waist," wrote Carlo Dellaverson in an article entitled "The true cost of gym memberships."
Doing bodyweight exercises is a great way to avoid gym costs, simply because you are your own gym and equipment, wrote Thompson.
Many friends, family and fellow students among us would strongly recommend going to a gym for regular exercise, Thompson wrote. Lifting weights is a good way to stay in shape; however, generally, machines at the gym focus on single muscles and it can be quite time-consuming to work out the whole body. Bodyweight exercises mainly focus on more than one muscle at a time, which can reduce the time of your workout, even though you will still feel the same results, he continued.
If your last workout was a long time ago, do not worry. There are many variations of exercises. The famous push-up can be quite difficult for individuals who do not train on a regular basis. Most people choose to skip a particular exercise when it is too difficult and then lose out on the benefits, wrote Dellaverson. Don't let this be you — instead, simply modify the traditional protocol: perform the push-up vertical to the wall, put your hands on an incline of the stairs, or use your knees as the pivot point instead of your toes, suggested Laura Schwecherl in her list of the 50 bodyweight exercises you can do anywhere (check out the full list at tinyurl.com/50bodyweightexercises).
Does your community have a swimming pool? If so, take advantage of it. Find out when there are Aquafit classes, open swims or specific times designated to swimming lengths of the pool. Swimming targets most of one's muscles and is a skill that can be taught to anyone, according to Dellaverson.
People over the age of 18 should aim for 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week, according to the Administration of Physical Recreation. These numbers may seem high, but reaching your target amount of daily physical activity is quite easy. You can take up gardening; making the outside of the house prettier on the eye and busting a sweat pulling those weeds, suggested Heather Sides in an article about how to incorporate more physical activity in to your everyday life (read it at tinyurl.com/10tipsarticle). You can also organize sports activities with your friends such as soccer, street hockey or basketball. Go for walks, bike rides and jogs with friends or family to get more people involved with physical activity. For those of you who love your television time, stretch out your body during commercials or execute an exercise that you know you can perform for a couple of minutes before your show starts up again, Sides suggested. Stretching is also important because it increases one's flexibility, which reduces tension in joints, making it easier to move around and lowers the chance for injury, added Fanshawe professor Lyndsay Fitzgeorge.
Bodyweight exercises can improve more than the physical aspect of health, wrote Thompson; yoga and meditation will improve one's mental health. Yoga involves slow and calming movements of the body, increasing balance, flexibility and physical strength. Yoga and meditation use one's bodyweight against them, making it the resistance — the amount of weight used — of the workout. Improving mental health will allow one to be more focused and motivated throughout the day, he continued.
Everyone has the tool to be fit: their own body. You do not need to go to the gym and work out three hours every day; simple bodyweight exercises can maintain a healthy lifestyle while saving the money in your pockets.
Todd Laplante is a Fitness and Health Promotion student at Fanshawe College.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
