The Uninteded Benefits of Exercise - by Jenni Falconer

The benefits of exercise are well known. By doing as little as 15 minutes
of physical activity per day, you’ll be getting your body into shape, build
muscle, lose weight, and also limit your risk of developing a whole host of
serious diseases later on in life.

And if that’s not enough, then don’t fear, because exercise can do much,
much more for you, in ways you will have never have thought of before. In
this article, we’re going to do over some of the more subtle rewards
regular exercise can bring.

More Energy
For those people who don’t do exercise, you might think you have a point
when you question how exerting energy can actually result in ultimately
having *more* energy
<http://www.webmd.com/diet/20061103/exercise-fights-fatigue-boosts-energy>.
But make no mistake: spend a few hours in a gym each week and you’ll be
zipping around. Studies have shown that regular exercise is one of the best
ways to beat fatigue, and can be even more effective than caffeine and
energy drinks for waking people up. The next time you’re struggling to wake
up in the morning, don’t think an extra half hour of sleep will do it: head
down to the gym for a quick routine and you’ll be raring to go in no time.

Feel Happier
Who doesn’t want to feel a little happier in life? Though the reasons why
aren’t yet fully understood, it’s known that exercise improves mood and can
also be used to treat conditions such as depression and anxiety. Scientists
believe that it’s to do with the feel good chemicals
<http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/12/exercise.aspx> that are created when
we’re physically active. So when you’re using the treadmill or rowing
machines, know that you’re not just making sure your body is in tip-top
condition - you’re also taking care of your mental health, too, and
improving your happiness along the way.

Boost Ignored Areas Of Your Health
Our modern lifestyles are great for some things, and not so great for
others. One of the biggest factors is the food we eat, which all too often
fails to deliver the crucial vitamins and minerals we need. If our days
consist of driving to and from work and then sitting at home, we’re liable
to suffer deficiencies in crucial vitamins such as vitamin D and vitamin C,
which can have real health problems
<http://www.kwikmed.org/vitamin-d-deficiency/> if they go untreated. The
rise in vitamin D deficiency is getting so bad that it’s becoming an
epidemic in the United States.
<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vitamin-d-deficiency-united-states/>


But never fear, because the gym is here to help! The Harvard School of
Public Health found that those who exercised regularly typically have higher
levels of vitamin D than those who don’t
<http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/chomistek-exercise-vitamin-d-heart-risk/>,
and also had better cholesterol, while other studies have shown that those
who hit the gym are less likely to be struck down by common colds and
illnesses. Why? Nobody is quite sure yet, but somehow those hours in the
gym make your body better prepared to ward off niggling illnesses. In all,
these studies are giving exercise a pretty big thumbs up!

Improve Concentration
How far along in a book do you usually get before you toss it aside? How
about those long tasks in front of a computer - do you usually find
yourself taking more breaks than you’d like? And how about those long
drives?

Again, no one is quite sure why, but studies have shown that exercise can
give us a major concentration boost. It’s so effective, in fact, that some
schools actually use aerobic cardio in order to boost academic performance
and behavior. After a few weeks of regular exercise, you’ll notice that
you’re able to focus on the important tasks for longer and do them to a
higher standard.

And The Rest
As you can tell, there’s plenty of unintended benefits to exercise, far too
many to list here. To list just a few more: your skin will look better
<http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/Article/TMG9956550/464/diet-exercise-improve-complexion.html>,
you’ll have a better handle on your life (especially if you’re battling
addiction), and even your memory will improve.

In many ways, building muscle and getting the body you want are just a
small fraction of the benefits of joining a gym. Not will you look great,
but you’ll feel fantastic and develop traits that can be invaluable in your
day-to-day life. Now that’s special!

Sweat Inequity and the Evolution of Group Fitness - by Lucinda LaRee

As Co-Owner of City Fitness Gym, Cleveland Park’s neighborhood gym, I take issue with the statement “Gyms suggest a lack of structure, intensity and discipline” in the article Sweat Equity in the December 3, 2015 Style section.

Workouts should have structure – the right variety of fitness classes, personal trainers, and tailored workouts provide that in a gym setting. Workouts should provide intensity – and that means different things to different participants, some want to feel the burn and scream, others find pain to be long-lasting and negative. Workouts do need discipline to be effective – trainers provide that for some; group fitness classes bring a social accountability to others.

The Council of the District of Columbia gave us a Resolution as the Longest-Standing Woman owned Fitness business in the District.  We have been in the fitness business for 33 years. We have survived all the fitness trends and continue in our commitment to improve the health and fitness of the community. We did not accomplish this longevity by promoting an elitist attitude, unrealistic physical appearance or a cult like atmosphere with short-term “Killer Workouts” that promise quick results and end in long-term overuse injury from unbalanced programming. Maybe our unique position of being a neighborhood “boutique” gym allows us to offer more attention and promotes adherence.

The article suggests that the Type-A personality is new to DC and that what they seek more stress and pressure. Type-A’s have been here from the beginning. Some thrive off of more stress, but many crave a haven from the storm. When 9-11 occurred, when the Wall Street collapse occurred, when other large stressors have affected our community, our attendance has gone up. What activities were busier? Yoga, group strength, and other mind-body modalities. People did not seek torture, they wanted nurturing and peace. We have many members, Type-A’s and not, who have been exercising in our friendly community for 25-30 years who could not have made it to their Silver years healthy and strong if they focused only on High-Intensity Training Trends.

Don’t get me started on some of the statements or words in this article that I found offensive: HURTS LIKE HELL.  HURTS SO GOOD.  POUNDING.  BODY-NUMBING. HATE IT OR HATE IT YOGA.  MISERABLE.  INSTURMENTS OF TORTURE.   S & M.   FIRE. SCREAMING, FIENDS, BLACK OUT, OBSESSION. These words belong in the article below RUN, HIDE, FIGHT. AND GET USED TO IT, about 355 mass shootings this year in the United States. This is an interesting juxtaposing of articles to say the least. This attitude is not a recipe for longevity but a set up for exercise burnout.

There is nothing new under the sun. What many of these programs have done is to rename and amp up already existing exercise practices. You can take Pilates and yoga, combine them (which has been done for decades) and “Power” market them with a new name…and they are still Pilates and yoga, but not necessarily safer or better. Add a celebrity smile to your marketing and suddenly you have a sensation. Kudos to their marketing teams, but one wonders if their safety guidelines and teacher training can properly keep up with the demand.

An interesting article to write might be the evolution of group exercise and what it does for people. In my 52 years, I have been in a Sports Illustrated workout video, I brought Ashtanga Yoga into the DC gym market, I have taught step, strength, slide, hi/lo, circuit classes, interval training, Pilates and now pole dancing. I get the need for variety and challenge the mind and the body. Our gym offers a huge variety of classes and types of trainers to provide that variety and structure to our clientele. We encourage everyone to work on all fitness components – cardio-respiratory, body composition, muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility. We also encourage balance – physical and mental. I personally use the Medicine Wheel as a guide for wholeness and wellness and we use these same principles to guide our members.

I end this with words that I feel would benefit the Type-A, work-obsessed people of this city and world at large:

BALANCED

GROUNDED

EMPOWERED

STRONG

FLEXIBLE

ENERGITIC

HAPPY

GRACEFUL

CONNECTED

PEACEFUL

How we journey there may be the most interesting story of all.

Lucinda LaRee

Co-Owner City Fitness Gym