11.You don’t have to go to the gym to get the best ‘exercise’
“Exercise’, I think, is a misleading word, often leading people to feel that if they’re not wearing shorts or a tracksuit while they’re doing it then it isn’t exercise. All that is really called for, in fact, is an increased level of ‘activity’.
As we age, we tend to lead a decreasingly active lifestyle. We swap our bike, for a car, for example. We no longer have to push the children round in pushchairs. And we perhaps have a decreasing urge to get up and go out. We can afford to have a cleaner. We can get our groceries delivered via the internet. And it is this decrease in exercise that makes our bodies gradually lose their strength.
There is no doubt, of course, that going to the gym or fitness classes is a great way to get exercise and for many people it is just the motivation they need. Booking into a regular class also means they don’t have a choice about whether to go or not. But gyms are expensive and can also be intimidating.
For other people, different ways of getting more activity are more suitable. Some may just prefer to walk for twenty or thirty minutes three times a week. Others may respond well to joining dance classes or bowls. Others may prefer to lift weights and do strengthening exercises in the privacy of their own homes.
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