What To Do If Fitness Is Not Accessible
I came across this article (let’s be honest, I searched it up. I have to write about SOMETHING!) the other day that talks about fitness and accessibility.
Basically, the premise is that fitness has become lifestyle porn for social media, and gyms and Pelotons and shit are expensive. Fitness has become consumerism as opposed to being about health.
Now, I mostly thought this was bullshit, but let’s say you find fitness out of reach for you in a financial sense. What the hell are you to do?
Avoid Wizard Of Oz Syndrome
This is the name I give to fitness thinking that goes “If I only had…” Fill in the blank. If I only had this pair of running shoes, If I only had this stationary bike, If I only had this apartment where I’d have room for a stationary bike…
You’ll never have the perfect situation.
Think about your perfect, ideal situation, then think about the bare minimum, and shoot for something between those two ideas.
Best And Better
Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to exercise just because what you’re doing isn’t the best, most ULITAMTE-EST form of exercise.
So walking on a treadmill burns fewer calories than a stair stepper. Fuck it. If waiting for the stair stepper means you get pissed off and don’t do anything, how is that a better outcome?
Starting And Continuing
Don’t START running with a $350 dollar Garmin watch. You DON’T need that.
If you keep it up for a year, and you’re loving it, and the Garmin would be something that’d help you out, great, go for it.
But when you’re starting out, you don’t really know what you want or need yet. Don’t invest in something big until you know what you really want and what you really need.
Comfort
Yes, I completely understand: for some people, jogging outdoors is not ideal. Some people might feel threatened. Others may feel that they are perceived as a threat.
It’s a little hard for me to speak to these issues on some level because I don’t experience them. I’m a White guy in a suburban area, so while it’s not risk-free, I’m easily in the least-risk demographic. Seeing a White guy jogging in a suburban area is like seeing a seagull at the beach. Or at the dump. When we’re talking about me, the dump is closer to reality.
It’s also hard because this one is about balancing how safe you feel and how safe you genuinely are.
The best suggestions I’ll give:
Jog during the day
Jog where people would expect to encounter joggers (in a park)
Dress like a dorky jogger. Wear ugly-ass 5K shirts and super neon tank tops
Jog with a buddy or a group
Jog where there are lots of other people
Jog on a track. Seriously, most of these have open hours, and nobody will think it’s weird if you’re jogging there
Avoid neighborhoods with overly active HOAs and people who will monitor things to an alarming degree (your local subreddit might be a good place to ask about this, or browse Nextdoor)
I think college campuses make really good jogging spots. They’re usually populated most of the time, jogging on campus isn’t uncommon, and they’re generally pleasant places to be
Gym Memberships
Gym memberships should be very simple: You pay, you go inside.
Find a gym that lets you pay a reasonable fee each time you enter. That’s how you know the pricing is legit. This will probably be a city rec center, YMCA, something like that.
DO NOT get a gym membership at a place that has sign-up fees and cancellation fees and shit like that. If the gym is a national brand, avoid. If they make you sign a contract that you’d need a law degree to understand, walk out. If you’re required to sign up for 6 months minimum, leave.
Ask Your Friends, Ask At Work
If you’re looking to score a treadmill, ask everyone you know, and ask everyone you work with. Chances are that someone’s got a treadmill currently doing duty as a clothing rack. Tell everyone what you’re willing to pay upfront, come to a good agreement.
GovDeals
This site is where most local universities sell their old equipment. Lots of this stuff is in great shape, it’s usually pretty new, and now and then you can get a good bargain.
Don’t Buy Home Equipment On Credit
Please, please don’t do this. If you can’t pay in cash, you cannot afford it.
Sometimes, It Just Sucks
Sometimes you have to adjust what you do for exercise for accessibility reasons, and that sucks.
But don’t just completely stop because you’re number one activity isn’t available.
Find something else, find a stepdad activity: it’ll never be your REAL father, you’ll never feel the same way about it, but it’ll do in a pinch.
Nobody is saying you have to LOVE jogging if you can’t find a place to swim. Nobody is saying you have to eat, breathe, and sleep barbell exercises if that’s all you can manage. Just don’t make the inability to do ONE thing the reason you do NOthing.