Getting in Gear The Car Should Be a Staging Ground for Fitness, Not a Way to Avoid It

Mankind is a species characterized by its achievements through innovation. Unlike all other organisms, our genus devotes countless amounts of time, energy, and money toward making life easier. As a result, our lives are no longer frenzied by the pursuit of fundamental needs. Leisure has become our most-sought-after commodity.

Unfortunately, our progress is negatively affecting our health. In 1888, in Mannheim, Germany, Karl Benz began production on what was to become the first modern-day automobile. Prior to Benz’s creation, mankind had been ‘hoofing it’ for nearly 200,000 years. (Horseback riding is considered a physical activity — try it!) Unfortunately, one of man’s greatest creations became a catalyst for many poor health practices.

Over time, society’s view regarding the automobile has changed. The car has become more than just an instrument of transport; it is a status symbol. As owners, we are conditioned to identify a car with one’s wealth. In most instances, the quality of an individual’s vehicle is characterized by their income. Greater income equates to greater luxury. Heated seats, televisions, and voice recognition, are just a few of the amenities that come standard with even the most basic car models. One begins to realize that our car has evolved into our living room. Ironically, car manufacturers have made it their business to make you feel at home in your car.

In the realm of fitness, the automobile has created three obstacles that must be circumvented. Clearly, the first health concern is that this innovation has greatly diminished our physical activity. I imagine there are a few readers that actually drive their car from the garage to pick up their mail at the end of the driveway (you know who you are).

The second hurdle involves adjusting our attitude when entering the vehicle. Whether leaving the house to go to work, returning home from a long day at the office, running errands, etc., the driver’s seat cannot become an extension of your living-room recliner. We must retrain our brains to understand that the car is intended to be a vehicle for activity (both literally and metaphorically). The car ride home marks the end of the business day, but it does not signal the end of the day’s physical activities.

Finally, we must try and limit the time spent in our vehicle. The car behaves like a shield. While in your car, you are able to avoid engaging in conversation, movement, and, most important, interaction. You are choosing to avoid interacting with others and with your environment. Don’t hide in your car. Embrace your surroundings. Make a conscious effort to reduce the time in your vehicle. The handful of minutes you preserve will be of great significance over time.

There is only one apparatus ever needed to initiate one’s quest for fitness: a good pair of sneakers. In order to combat the car quandary, your sneakers must always be readily available. To ensure your personal success, there is only one rule that must be observed when traveling: always change into your sneakers before exiting the vehicle. The act of putting on the sneakers ensures that the ride was a mere precursor to the action waiting to take place.

Moreover, take the time while changing to prepare mentally for the challenge ahead. Regardless of weather conditions, wardrobe malfunctions, or time constraints, prepare your fitness challenge accordingly. Remember, you are putting on your sneakers for a reason.

A Day’s Worth of Challenges

There are myriad physical challenges that one can attack throughout the day. The first challenge I present is the morning parking-lot and stair challenge. Making sure your sneakers are laced tight, and, having guzzled your morning coffee, I want you to park as far away from your entrance as possible. Second, I want you to pick a route that requires you to climb at least one set of stairs in order to reach your destination. If need be, incorporate a detour that will provide a stairwell. If you work on the sixth floor of an office building, well, you have some climbing to do.

This early-morning aerobic activity is a great way to get your heart rate elevated. The movement will increase blood flow and circulation while heightening your senses before work. The rise in endorphins will enhance your mood and might just make your boss seem a little more tolerable.

My midday challenge relates to those readers who sit for extended periods. For three 10-minute intervals (that’s a total of 30 minutes), I challenge you to stand at your desk instead of sitting. It does not matter how you break up the intervals. If you like, you are more than welcome to try the entire 30 minutes in one attempt. After completing the series, take inventory on how you feel. Identify any soreness in your legs. This activity could promote positive effects regarding flexibility. I encourage readers to partake in this challenge before lunch. The extra calories expended during the exercise may offset the calories ingested during the lunch break.

As the workday concludes, pull out your sneakers for an invigorating journey back to ypur vehicle. At the minimum, the route that was traveled in the morning must be completed for a second time. However, with the stress of the workday lifted from your shoulders, do not reject the opportunity for a new and more challenging path. You are no longer on the clock and, consequently, are recognizing a kinship between your leisure and your fitness.

The final challenge I impart to you details the way in which you get mail. If your mailbox stands at the end of the driveway, it is imperative that the car be parked in the garage before collecting the mail. Remember, your sneakers are already laced tight, having just completed the post-work expedition to your car.

If the weather permits, I encourage you (without being struck by oncoming traffic) to walk the neighborhood and read the entirety of your mail before returning home. If you live in an apartment complex and your box number is located in the lobby, take a jaunt around the block while reading this month’s charges. Hopefully, you live on the 16th floor, and all those stairs will make you forget about the electric bill being past due.

The principal factor in achieving personal fitness is supplementing subtle changes into the daily routine. When you amass these changes over an extended period of time, your perspective begins to evolve. Intrinsically, the car ride is no longer perceived as an opportunity for relaxation. Rather, it has become a staging ground for fitness.

With an increase in activity comes an increase in endurance. For many, the increase in endurance allows for more intense training and subsequent weight loss.

I urge readers to contact me at one80fit@gmail.com. If you are interested, I would like one subject to try my challenge, permit me to track their progress, and allow their results to be posted in an upcoming issue. Most importantly, always remember that, today, we turn it around.

Jesse Baker is president of 180 Fitness in Springfield; (413) 439-5133;one80fit.com