To gym or not to gym..that is the question

I was asked today whether I thought a patient should join a gym. My thoughts are fluid and ever changing on this topic. He specifically asked me if joining a gym would make him worse or better. My answer was, as always, "it depends".

I would generally describe myself as a gym rat, but lately I think maybe we don't NEED to be at a gym to get strong. I think moving your body through all planes of motion on a regular basis is important to your health. I also think having the ability to pick up heavy things is important in life. Have you ever carried a 5 gallon Poland Springs bottle upstairs? Even just a gallon can be work. If you don't have the physical strength to do that, you do need to do some focused strength and mobility work. Does this mean you have to sit in the gym to do it?

I work with people who sit, drive and do minimal activity thru the day. If this is you, the gym may be a good place to help you to get some mobility in your life. It also can be detrimental if you jump into it too fast or get sloppy with your technique. Working with a good personal trainer can help you to stay injury free. Working with someone who's motto is to get you to puke, pee your pants, or faint is not going to help you stay injury free--in my opinion.

I also work with people who are active moving wood, hiking, climbing multiple flights of stairs, get up and down from the floor while keeping up with their kids. It's possible that adding a gym workout may be too much and overkill. Or it may give them a way to build the mobility and stability they need to keep going with those things as they get older. Resistance training and impact activities are known to prevent things like falls and osteoporosis.

Gyms offer a wide variety of equipment and they may be more cost effective in the long run so you don't have to buy everything. Of course, you can get just a few kettle bells, bands and a yoga mat and you can create your own 'gym' at home with plenty of variety to be able to target all aspects of fitness.

This particular person had knee replacements years ago and he felt like his knees were getting loose. When we check his mobility, he had lost some knee flexion that he had post-operatively. He thought going to the gym just to ride a stationary bike would be the fix since that's what he did just after the surgery. Unfortunately, what was needed at the time, may not be the exact answer now. I do think cycling is good to keep some motion in the knees, but it doesn't allow for end ranges of motion nor is it addressing the feeling of looseness.

Since I enjoy working out in a gym setting, I will usually recommend gym workouts. For all of us I think fitness and mobility wellness is dependent on a variety of factors. We need some cardiovascular, some strength, and some stretching. If we over focus on one area, the other areas lack. I am learning more each day the beauty of finding balance in life. I struggle with it myself, but I do think that is the key to happy, healthy, pain free living. This includes balancing our workouts. If you can find ways to include resistance, mobility, agility and heart pumping activities in your daily life without the gym then go for it. If you need the gym for motivation, equipment, or instruction then go for it.

The answer, in my opinion, is to move well and to move often...the rest is up to you.