THE SUNDAY TIMES
69
I November 13, 2011
Health
Exercising from home Bryn Kennard
With the economic climate the way it is, there is increasing interest in working out at home. Memberships to health and fitness clubs are being seen more and more as a frivolous expense and, rather than commit to monthly and yearly fees, people seem to appreciate home exercise more. This, coupled with the power of the internet, means it is now possible to create exciting workouts from the comfort of your own home. Many people buy home exercise equipment on impulse, promising themselves this is just the thing they need to kickstart their drive towards a healthier lifestyle, only to find out that after a few months it has become surplus to requirements, simply acting as another piece of furniture on which to hang their bathrobe. The first question you have to ask yourself when considering setting up a gym at home is: what is your motivation for doing so? Is it that you believe that if you eat less and exercise more, you will lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle?
This might make sense, but what’s remarkable is just how few seem to be able to get this principle to work for them. Studies have shown that this strategy is a dismal failure for weight loss in the long term and, in turn, sustainable exercise. Understanding your expectations is the second consideration. If you are expecting to set up a gym at home and lose 10 kilos, you may just be setting yourself up for failure from the outset. Equally, if you are thinking you will exercise every night when you get back from work, you could again be setting yourself up for failure. Each expectation will vary according to age and gender. We have probably all experienced a brother or a father who bought a set of dumbbells, believing that in three weeks he would have a well-chiselled body. Interest quickly wanes and the focus of attention shifts to other matters. The usual explanation here is lack of will power, discipline or self-control required for successful adherence to exercise. This may, however, not be the case and if one can change their approach, they might find they have a much longer and fulfilling relationship with exercise. One fundamental problem with the conventional approach of ‘eating less and exercising more’ is that when caloric intake is cut, the metabolism tends to stall too. When people eat less, they tend to spontaneously move less too, thus feeling a greater motivation to maintain a routine which is much more difficult. One way to counter these effects is to step up one’s level of aerobic activities, such as walking or running.
However, studies reveal such measures are generally ineffective for the purposes of weight loss. Why? Well, anyone who has ever exercised on a piece of gym equipment that counts calories, will attest that caloric ‘burn’ during aerobic activity is generally depressingly slow. There is also the complication that exercise can ‘work up an appetite’ and tends to drive us to eat more as a result. The first thing to ensure is that you do not eat less as you kickstart a new campaign, but eat foods that will sate your appetite and not stimulate the hormone insulin, which is the chief driver of fatty accumulation in the body. By ensuring that you do allow yourself to eat a full meal you are in a better position to adhere to an exercise routine, as the metabolic rate stays healthy and you will have more energy to want to move – in other words getting your diet to work for you and not against you. When setting a home gym, you need to consider the equipment you will need for what you want to achieve and a budget. You do not need a big budget to set up a highly effective workout room and you only need to trawl through the internet to see what is popular. Start small and add equipment as you go along. This not only allows you to explore a particular exercise option without over-committing financially, but will also provide a different stimulus and keep your interest up. The other consideration is to understand what resources are available to you. Ensuring that you learn about what you want to achieve and keeping your material fresh will ensure you do not get into a repetitive, mindless regime.
Youtube is an excellent source, with huge amounts of workouts in every discipline and at every level of intensity. Workout DVDs are also a good source, though they can get a little repetitive. Find classes in your local area you can
join without necessarily having to take a membership and go and learn new exercises. www.bodyworks.com.mt www.facebook.com/body worksmalta