Going to the Gym Used to be Hard…Not Anymore
In London I belong to a pretty fancy gym, frequented by affluent clientele and full of personal trainers and lots of equipment. In New York, actually on Long Island from late spring to early fall, I belong to a basic, blue-collar gym. Gyms aren’t for everyone, for a variety of reasons. But I have come to treasure the time I spend there. Not only do gyms offer lots of variety of ways to move, but I have also come to embrace the work I do there. They also sometimes just get me out of the house and on the move.
Gyms have evolved from places where I simply “put in my time” doing what someone told me I needed to do to places where I learn and enjoy my movement in all its varied forms. And I almost never leave the gym without feeling better than when I got there.
The main reason most people go to the gym, especially younger people, is to look good. I can see it in the men’s locker room. The amount of posing in front of mirrors (in addition to the mirrors on the gym floor) is astounding! Not that I didn’t do that myself once upon a time. I can also see this “look good” attitude in the heavier weight sections of the gym. Much of the work here is about spot building individual muscles , again, with a goal to “look good.” These unnatural, isolated movements do nothing to build better health. Worse, they can be especially damaging to flexibility and overall coordination and muscle balance.
The same goes for aerobics. The old “burning calories takes off weight” belief is still predominant. And many people who don’t have weight problems put their time in, so they can eat more and “not feel guilty” when they do. They want to stay thin to look good and eat more (or imbibe more), not be healthier. Much of this is mindless movement, while they listen to music, talk on the phone, watch videos, and do anything to keep distracted enough to make the “boring but necessary” gym time pass faster. I am not a stranger to having done all this myself in the past.
But contrast all that to the way I approach the gym now. I know that natural movement of all sorts is essential to my health and longevity. I also know that movement is how my body came to be what it is and that my body craves this kind of movement to stay healthy. And I know that modern life doesn’t provide enough opportunity to move, so I need to make up for this by adding movement to my life. All this informs my body. When I move it feels good, just to be alive and healthy.
And while I do listen to music sometimes, jazz and classical as well as folk and rock-and-roll, it is always in the background at low volume. I stay fully focused on the movement, not the music.
My Story Starts Like Everyone Else’s
When I first started going to the gym regularly, almost 15 years ago, I couldn’t resist comparing myself to others, usually not favorably. I had just read the book Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, Sexy, and Smart – Until You’re 80 and Beyond by Chris Crowley and Dr. Harry Lodge, and I knew my aerobic health needed work. I bought a heart monitor and started on their program of 40-50 minutes of Zone 2 training, four times a week. I was about 60 then, so I still felt middle-aged, which I know I am not anymore. My daughters were six and three at the time, and I was laser-focused on my mission to stay healthy, be active, and live long for them.
In the gym I was daunted by the much younger people all around, sprinting and lifting, while I felt like I was crawling through my routine at the required 60-70% of my maximum heart rate. Thankfully, that phase didn’t last long, as my fitness quickly improved.
I then hired a personal trainer whom I had struck up conversations with. I spoke to him at length about what I was looking for: someone who could guide me to the exercises and equipment that would help me meet my goals and not someone I would be working with all the time. I just wanted someone to show me the ropes, and then I could do it on my own.
I was lucky. Graham was a bit older himself, and he was dedicated to full-body movements involving legs, torso, and arms, not the body sculpting that many people use to build small sets of muscles for appearance. We even custom designed a few “functional life” exercises like mimicking lifting a heavy suitcase into an airplane's overhead compartment.
In time, my confidence level completely changed to the point that now I feel comfortable and at home in most gyms. I know my way around the equipment, and I have my own routines and practices that have been time tested to be good for me. I don’t care what I look like (even though I can now do many of the things I was intimidated by at first). The resistance that I once felt has been replaced by an almost reverence for a place where I can focus and do my work and screen out the world around me.
The gym is not for everyone. Some people prefer to get their movement outdoors, for example, walking, running, hiking, or biking or playing tennis or pickleball. If that is the case for you, I suggest you have access to a bunch of extra props at home to do some of the necessary strength work that comes with later-life muscle loss. Weights, kettle bells, resistance bands, and a yoga mat are my favorites.
Whether you get your movement outdoors or simply aren’t getting enough movement in your daily life, don’t be daunted by the gym. The anticipation is harder than the reality. And sometimes it helps to get out of the house to move more, like going to the office or attending a scheduled class. It doesn’t take long to get comfortable with the environment and equipment. And once you become fitter you can be proud of being a “super-senior,” make new acquaintances, and learn some new tricks by watching others. You, too, may come to enjoy the gym as a comfortable space for mindful movement.
