The New Year has come, and as the first weeks of 2012 roll by, our resolutions are being put to the test. Among quitting smoking, clearing personal debt and others, fitness and losing weight are the perennial front-runners for New Year’s resolutions. So let’s talk about what it means to be fit.
Fitness is ambiguous; one can be fit to swim but not fit to play football. Fitness is also a personal issue; we get slimmer and stronger through our own merit. We use our friends and families to motivate us to stay on track but often find that not having enough time causes us to give up. That, and the overwhelming opinion that working out in a gym just isn’t fun.
As weight rooms and gyms throughout the city lose soldiers throughout the coming weeks, we can find other ways to bolster personal fitness and have more fun without hitting the treadmill or the dumbbells.
When I was in high school, I set a school record for the fastest time around the school campus. How much time did I spend on the treadmill throughout ALL of high school? Around a couple of hours. The key to my long-distance speed, which is arguably the best indicator of all-round fitness, was playing sports.
Playing hockey and soccer for several years bolstered my physical ability without me even realizing it. I was no superstar in either sport. I was the equivalent to Manny Malhotra (since his eye injury): good in the Faceoff circle but hard-pressed to score a goal. Both my soccer and hockey teams had losing records, but fortunately losing on the scoreboard and getting fit have no correlation–unless you’re picking daisies in front of the net.
The truth is, when you’re running (or skating) around chasing an object and trying to score you’re not thinking: “All these calories are just burning away! So long Christmas belly fat!” Instead, you’ll be thinking about how to win. But when time is up, you will always lose…calories, that is. But what you will win is a social element within the team dynamic. Assembling a sports team in the office is a great way to make friends and bond with colleagues. It definitely helps life back at work when everyone around you is on the same team.
If burning fat and getting fit is your new year’s resolution, then achieve it in the most effective and fun way possible. We all like to see progress. This is precisely why treadmills are so counter-intuitive and don’t work for so many people; you’re not physically moving anywhere and the only thing you’re running towards is either a flat screen TV or a wall. The only progress you can see from a treadmill is numbers on a scale, and though that may be rewarding enough for many, you can also see the pounds drop with the added benefits of making new friends and bonding with colleagues by getting a sports team together at work.
Why not kill two birds with one stone?
