A Break from the Gym

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Going to the gym is no doubt a solid way to keep active and stay healthy. It relieves stress, tones and builds muscle, and can be a useful social outlet. Going every day and doing the same routines, however, can become boring and stale. Luckily, the gym isn’t the only way to get your daily exercise in Gainesville. Here are five fun, alternate ways to stay healthy and active in Hogtown:

5) Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is generally considered to be an activity that only the most adventurous of people partake in. Every January, you’ll see countless New Year’s Resolutions with at least one goal being “Climb [Insert well known mountain here]”, and while Gainesville doesn’t have Mt. Everest or Kilimanjaro, it does have one of only four rock climbing gyms in Florida. For less than twenty bucks, Gainesville Rock will hook you up with a day pass and rental gear for you to climb to your heart’s content (For UF students, Lake Wauburg has a rock climbing wall that’s free for you to use, though it isn’t as varied as Gainesville Rock’s courses) . It offers walls of varying difficulty to climb; some even go completely horizontal so that you’re climbing on a ceiling like freakin’ Spiderman. While the walls might remind you of the little walls they have at fairs or carnivals that everyone loves to show off on, rock climbing is no kiddie ride. Even just a solid hour of climbing will give you a respectable full body workout, though I’m sure you’ll stay longer. Though you can get the same kind of workout with body squats and pull ups, there are few feelings that rival the feeling of accomplishment you receive when you finally reach the top of that tough wall you’ve been working on for the past fifteen minutes.

4) Crossfit

Crossfit is an exercise regiment that combines running (namely sprinting), weightlifting, and a little bit of yoga and gymnastics in an attempt to attain the best level of fitness possible. If you have friends who are in to Crossfit, you’ve no doubt heard them brag about their particular “Workout of the Day” (WOD) and how much it’s going to suck to do tomorrow’s, and for good reason: Crossfit routines look absolutely insane to the uninitiated. Imagine getting done with a mile run or a 400 meter dash and then having to go straight into 30 Push-ups, 50 sit-ups, 15 pull-ups, and 20 burpees, only to have to do the whole set again five times, and you’ll have a little taste of what Crossfit is about. With the variety of exercises one performs in the different WOD’s, Crossfit never stagnates and keeps things interesting. Furthermore, doing such a large variety of exercises ensures that every part of your body gets the activity it needs. You can’t skip leg day in Crossfit because working your legs is part of every day.

Obviously, Crossfit is something you can do at home on your own, but with its increasing popularity, Crossfit gyms are popping up everywhere nowadays. In Gainesville particularly, Crossfit Gainesville and Gator Crossfit are solid communities with tons of members to meet and share the pain with.

3) Mountain Biking

Like rock climbing, mountain biking is going to be an activity for the adventurous. There is an exclusive feeling you get riding at dangerous speeds through a rough, new trail surrounded by nature and the wild. You really sort of forget that you’re exercising because of how much of an adrenaline rush this sport can be. If you’ve never mountain biked before, and at least have access to a bike with off-road tires, don’t worry: you have everything you need to start out on the beginner’s courses. The only trail I’ve been to thus far is The Rock Trail along Newberry road past I-75 on the west side and it’s perfect for beginners and mildly fun and challenging for advanced bikers. It features different courses that vary in difficulty, has some precarious wooden bridges to ride on, and a few little jumps on the more advanced courses to keep things interesting. You’ll be working your legs and lungs a lot with this one, so save it for a leg day and fair warning: this trail has a ton of roots, so be careful. Oh, and don’t be an idiot…wear your helmet.

2) Cross County Running

Going for a run is a seriously Zen form of exercise and is absolutely phenomenal for your health; it becomes even more so when you do it on a nice trail. Cross Country running isn’t like running on a treadmill in the gym. Trails can be unpredictable with obstacles, debris and uphill/downhill portions of the run. Unlike mountain biking with its high speeds, running along the trail at a relatively easy pace allows one to really appreciate the nature around you. It’s one of those rare circumstances where running alone in the middle of woods while your heart is racing is actually an enjoyable experience instead of a cliché, horror movie trope. You’ll want to leave the iPod behind as well. We’re trying to take a break from the artificial feelings we get from running on a treadmill indoors while listening to Katy Perry or Eminem and watching the T.V., so do yourself a favor, take a break from all of that, and listen to the sounds of nature.

And while it’s not really relevant now that we are in the fall season and the weather is starting to cool down, trail running gives you some killer shade for the hot summer months. The trail I enjoy the most for my running is Lobolly North on NW 8th Ave. since it’s so close to Campus and midtown, but when the heat starts to turn up in the spring next year, consider going to the Clear Lake Nature Park. That trail is shade city.

1) Boxing

I know what you’re probably thinking. Participating in a sport where the main goal is to beat the other person into submission while they attempt to do the same to you sounds like the opposite of fun. But you don’t have to actually spar with another person to reap the benefits of boxing training. All one needs to start training in the toughest sport in the world is hand-wraps, a pair of boxing gloves, and a heavy-bag. Boxing requires a variety of exercises to get the full effect of the workout and includes jump-roping, interval running, swimming, and sparring a heavy bag,

among other interesting routines. The best way to start out is by going to an actual boxing gym and taking some classes. You want to know the proper form and technique so you don’t end up hurting yourself and so that you will actually be getting the full effect from the training; trying to learn online or on your own simply does not work. The Gainesville Dojo is a solid gym with everything you need to train and has some exceptional coaches that will get you on the right track. All it really takes before you’re able to do the workouts on your own with proper form is about 3 months of the classes, and if you end up wanting to compete in the sport, its competitive team has a phenomenal coach that will get you learning and understanding the finer points on boxing and will sign you up for amateur bouts.

It’s a sport that requires full use of your body and energy, so expect to be tired unless you’re already in exceptional shape. But its positives are all enticing: beating a heavy bag is easily one of the best stress relievers ever, it is guaranteed to tone you up (If you’re looking for bulk though, stick with the weights), and it doesn’t hurt to know how to throw a proper punch.

Gainesville has tons of ways to be active if you look around; I’ve made it easy and given you five of them. It’s always healthy to add some variety to your workout routine, so feel free to skip the gym for a day and give one (or all!) of these alternatives a try. For those of you that don’t even go to the gym because you think it’s boring, you have no more excuses. Go out and be active! Your body will thank you for it later in life when you’re forty, still feeling healthy, and looking like you’re thirty.

“Always do your best. What we plant now, you will harvest later” – Og Mandino

 

Photo courtesy of: SodaHead