Stretch your view of exercise

Exercise doesn’t have to be boring and painful, it can be so much more! 

by Lexi Oybkhan

Every time spring rolls around and the bathing-suit sections reappear in clothing stores, relentlessly taunting me in all of their cheery, cheeky glory, I think: “Well, I’d better start hitting the gym.” 

And every year, like clockwork, I try out your classic exercise routine. You know the one: pumping iron in front of a mirror, running on a treadmill, doing squats and crunches and twists and so on. Oh, and the dreaded stair climber—an apt metaphor for this whole endeavor. The monotony in each step putting me right back where I started makes this exercise twice as painful: The pain in my body is secondary to the pain of boredom. 

So why do I subject myself to this? Why do any of us? Though I know there are plenty of gym bros out there who thrive on this kind of exercise, and that’s great! But for the rest of us, why is the tired gym workout synonymous with the word “exercise”? Why do we believe that exercise is a one-size-fits-all practice? 

Our society is so preoccupied with the idea that pain equals gain and that if something is easy it’s not valuable. But that's not necessarily true. The concept of exercise is in need of a serious reframing in our collective consciousness in order to maximize its benefits for everyone, not just the gym bros. 

Exercise can be more than just tedious self-torture in a sweaty room. It can also be…

Fun 

When I was a kid I loved to play: to tag friends around my neighborhood, get down to Just Dance, spar with my brothers, and attempt gymnastics in my room (which was not always the best idea). I did these activities, not as a means to an end, but purely for fun. This kind of “play” was just as heart-pumping as any exercise you could do in a gym, but society’s notions of what it means to be an adult effectively put a time limit on play as a form of exercise. 

As a kid, moving was fun because there were no rules—we just did what felt right. While most of us have grown up and may not be able to execute, with the same resilience, what “felt right” for us when we were spry ten-year-olds, the sentiment is still important. 

For example, eight-year-old me loved to ride my Razor scooter, as I’m sure is true for most eight-year-olds. But as a twenty-one-year-old, I would probably think twice about riding a scooter, as I’m sure most adults would. But why? Society has deemed certain activities to be childish, which limits what exercise we may feel comfortable doing. 

If we move past this mental block and gravitate towards what we actually enjoy, rather than what people tell us we should, we can have as much fun doing exercise as we did when we were kids. 

Doing physical activities you find fun is important because the reason why you do them can be a big determining factor in, not only if you enjoy them, but how long you are likely to stick with them and how beneficial they can be. A sport and exercise psychology review from Victoria University found that people were more likely to exercise regularly and have a good time doing it when they partook in physical activities that they enjoyed. Additionally, they found that doing exercise that was fun had positive impacts on both physical and mental health: “Feeling good about your physical achievements promotes a sense of satisfaction, which can make people feel more motivated.” 

Accessible 

The classic gym routine is not only dull for many people, it is also simply inaccessible. If we measure physical gains by this kind of routine, we also alienate the people who cannot participate in it. 

For one, it can be expensive. Gym fees usually cost several hundred dollars a year, not to mention the price of athletic wear and transportation to-and-from. These extra costs are not feasible for some people, which may mean they just don’t exercise. 

There are also barriers to physical inclusivity in the gym. Despite the fact that up to 1 in 4 people in the US have a functional disability, most gym spaces do not cater to them. In a study on barriers to exercise for people with disabilities, they mention several specific issues that often discourage people with physical disabilities from using the gym, like lack of accessible elements (no ramps or accessible doors and walk ways), non-adjustable equipment, and negative interactions with other gym users. 

With these barriers to gym culture in mind, if we consider the gym to be the best or only form of exercise, we isolate these people from fitness all together. There are, however, so many other accessible forms of exercise that are just as valid as going to the gym. 

For those who can’t afford the gym, there are alternatives in your environment that can be just as effective as gym equipment, like cans in place of free weights or using the end of a table in place of a pull-up bar. Some playgrounds and parks also offer equipment that can be used for fitness. Additionally, places like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist are great resources to find people looking to get rid of their used equipment for little to no money. 

There are also plenty of exercises that people with disabilities can do. The list includes, but is not limited to, chair-aerobics, aquajogging, and nordic walking. The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability website also offers a comprehensive list of accessible fitness programs, equipment, parks, and personal trainers by state.  

It is also vital to remember that just because there are alternative exercises for people who do not have access to a gym, does not mean that we should accept ableism in gym culture. People without physical disabilities can do their part to dismantle exclusive and toxic gym culture that serves to further barriers to accessibility. 

Social 

Exercise doesn’t have to be a lone act. Group exercise has grown in popularity over the years, and has had a particular spike in popularity since the beginning years of COVID. Its benefits are particularly compelling. 

Social exercise can be a great way to make friends and build community. Having like-minded people around you can make any exercise more enjoyable. It can also ensure that you hold yourself accountable. An article from the Department of Kinesiology at Iowa State University says that group exercise cashes in on psychological and social norms: “If you get to know others who exercise regularly, you start to perceive exercise as more positive, common, desirable and doable.”

Another benefit to having an exercise partner or two is that it can make exercise feel less vulnerable. I might be embarrassed to ride a Razor scooter by myself, but if I had a crew of friends who busted out their Razor scooters alongside me, I would feel much more comfortable (please reach out if you’d like to take me up on this). This also opens opportunities to explore different kinds of exercise with others that you might not normally try alone. 

Whatever you want it to be

Exercise, especially when synonymous with “gym workout,” can be steeped in stress, difficulty, and mysticism for a lot of people. But if we expand what exercise means, it is easy to see that it can be fun, accessible, social, and personalized to our unique lives and identities. 

There are no rules for moving, and no physical activity is more prestigious or cool than any other.  If you want to wear a suit and tie while lifting weights, you can. If running to an ice cream parlor motivates you to run at all, you should do it. We can’t move if we are tied down—physically or mentally. 

All it really comes down to is this: Exercise is not a stagnant, one-size-fits-all concept. Like those who do it, exercise is diverse, flexible, and limitless. 

So, I encourage you to listen to your body, and your sense of wonder, and do a new exercise that you’ve always wanted to try or one that you haven't done since you were a kid. And remember, most of the rules surrounding physical activity don’t really matter and only serve to restrict us. The sooner you acknowledge that, the sooner you can stretch your view of exercise.