Monday, January 11, 2010

Staying Fit Without a Gym

I'm not a member of a gym. Although many find gyms to be a good way to stay in shape and lose weight, I find them an impractical and expensive suggestion.
Gym membership usually costs a sizable amount of money. In addition to that, you have to pay for transportation there and back. Plus a babysitter to watch your kids while you go to work out.

Cheapo me has a different way to stay in shape.

I live on the bottom of a big hill. The grocery and our place of worship and many of my friends live up the big hill.
I don't have a car.
I walk. Pushing a stroller. Pushing a double stroller very frequently. This double stroller is a nice heavy stroller and pushing it up a hill is a big workout. (I received this stroller as a gift from a special friend.)
Many of my neighbors on my end of the block are reluctant to leave the house. They have no energy to walk up and down the hill. They take the bus or a car everywhere. They have a hard time walking the hill.

I regularly push my double stroller or single stroller up the hill and throughout the city on errands. Because I am so used to pushing a heavy load, when I am walking kid-less, I do not even remember that there is a hill. I don't understand people's reluctance to come visit me because of “the massive hill”. The "incline" is negligible to me.
I keep in shape merely by pushing my stroller up and down the hill, not being afraid of the hill.

When I first moved into my current home, I'll admit, the hill was quite daunting. At that point, there was no bus stop near our home and all bus rides necessitated a hike up the hill to the bus stop on the apex of the hill. As the hill was an obstacle in my life, I decided to conquer the crest.
Each day I set out, hiking the hill. First, I walked very slowly, as fast as my body would allow me.
As I became more accustomed to the hill, I quickened my pace. Then I added a stroller full of cargo. Then a double stroller, doubly loaded.
I now am able to go up the hill pushing my double stroller with more ease than most of my neighbors, walking sans stroller.

I don't need a gym to stay fit. I go walking with a stroller.

When I do errands, I save 2 dollars by walking 20 minutes instead of paying a bus to transport me. This way I save money on bus fare and also save money on gym membership.

Another great way to keep fit without a gym is to workout wearing your baby. But that'll be for another post.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for leaving a comment on your blog. Comments are moderated- please be patient to allow time for them to go through. Opposing opinions are permitted, discussion and disagreements are encouraged, but nasty comments for the sole purpose of being nasty without constructive criticisms will be deleted.
Just a note- I take my privacy seriously, and comments giving away my location or religion are automatically deleted too.