Why are women scared of the weight room?

For a lot of women starting out on a weight loss programme or just looking to get fit, the weight room is a place they avoid like a man avoids cleaning. On their quest to slim down, the worry of becoming a female Arnold Schwarzenegger keeps them as far away from pumping iron as possible. However, by doing this, women may be missing out on huge health, fitness and weight loss benefits.




Why do most women think that touching a weight will make them look like this?

 

Muscle, the fat burner

It’s been highlighted in some of the previous posts, that, muscle uses energy even when you’re not doing anything. So, it would make sense that, the more muscle you have, the more energy you burn throughout the day. To put it in simple terms, if two people did exactly the same amount of work during the day but one had slightly more muscle, then that person would use more energy during the day.

The problem comes when you start to do lots of cardio and lots of dieting. When you do this, as well as water and fat, you start to lose muscle, which isn’t good. So, even if you don’t want to be bursting out of your t-shirts any time soon, it’s essential to do some resistance work to minimise your muscle loss.

Muscle, the injury preventer

If you move, at all, you are at risk of injuring yourself, you only have to see how many “accident claim” adverts there are to realise that people are always slipping, tripping and falling over. So, if your muscles and connective tissues are more tissue paper than...than...well, something tougher than tissue paper, you might end up with a serious injury.

Weight training can toughen up those muscles and connective tissues (ligaments and tendons) and so reduce that risk of injury. So, hit the weights to avoid being the next person in that annoying accident claim advert.

I hate those injury lawyers adverts. Anyway, has anyone
ever actually slipped on a banana peel?



Muscle, the stabiliser

When you had your first bike it probably came with two little wheels on the side that stopped you falling off and wobbling all over the place. Your muscles do exactly the same thing and they are doing it all the time. When you move your muscles constantly make minor adjustments to keep you up right. If you want to know this processes actual name, it’s proprioception, just in case you were curious.

Simply then, if you start to waste away this muscle, you’re removing the stabilisers. Obviously you’re not going to start falling and stumbling like Babmi on ice, not now anyway. But as you get older, it will definitely become an issue.

Still scared of the weight room

The title of this post might point at just the weight room but muscle gain can also be built from exercises that don’t use weights. Resistance training that uses body weight is great because you can do it anywhere, although firing out some press-ups at the bus stop will draw strange looks from passers-by.

It was said at the beginning, weight training or resistance training will not make you bulk up into a muscle machine, which requires lots and lots of training and nutrition. It will though help you burn more fat and rescue the chances of you getting injured.

So, ladies, forget hiding away from the weight room or some resistance training.

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Is the Government doing enough to tackle obesity?

The number of obese and overweight people across the UK is incredible; nearly 70% of the population now fill this category. Yet the government does not appear to be facing up to this issue and trying to reduce the high numbers of deaths linked to obesity each year. Compare this to the number of deaths caused by things like drink driving or smoking and how much government money has gone into reducing these and it doesn’t look like we’ve been getting value for money.

Drink driving and speeding

Everyone has seen that drink driving advert with the barman playing all the different roles and playing out that other bloke’s life if he has another drink, I bet most people even know all the words (I know I do!). Or what about those adverts about speeding with the little girl saying “if you hit me at 30mph....” in that cute voice that makes you feel guilty about speeding. I haven’t got exact figures but I bet these campaigns weren’t cheap.

"....So, what's it going to be?"



So, given the effort by the government, you would think that this is a major contributor to the number of deaths in the UK each year, easily in the thousands. Yet, the total number is only in the low hundreds.

What about smoking?



This images are shocking, would you buy a McDonalds
if similar pictures were on their packets?



Smoking has long been a big problem in the UK and comes with lots of bad consequences, just like obesity. It accounts for around 80000-100000 deaths in the UK. To reduce this, the government seems to have done an awful lot; there have been TV adverts, there are those disgusting pictures of diseased lungs on cigarette packets and there is even a smoking ban in workplaces. This amount of effort to reduce the number of smokers is, no doubt, an expensive measure, a lot more money seems to be spent on this than has been spent on the issue of obesity.

I don’t want to get into a huge moral debate about what lives are more valuable than others nor am I saying that the money spent on these campaigns has been wasted.

So, what’s being done about obesity?

As I’ve already said, 70% of the UK’s population is now overweight or obese. That’s nearly 70% of the population that have an increased risk of coronary heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes and even some cancers. Over time, and even already, this will put a huge strain on the NHS.  Cardiovascular disease is the single largest killer in the UK and it has been proven through research time and time again that those that are physically fit reduce their risk. Why then, are the government not doing much to get Britain active?

On the official Number 10 website, the PM’s official page, not once does it mention reducing obesity as a priority. In terms of sport, the only priority seems to be hosting a successful Olympic games. Speaking of the Games, was this not supposed to be a springboard to get the UK into sport? I don’t think there has been any sort of surge in numbers taking part in sport or even more people interested in the Olympics.



The Change 4 Life campaign,
with the jelly baby people



I had thought that there was no government backed campaign to improve the health of the UK from exercise and a better diet. When doing some research though, I stumbled on the “Change for Life” campaign. Can you remember it? Their adverts have got what I think look like jelly baby people. I think the biggest testament to the success of this campaign is the fact that I, and probably you, could not even remember it, never mind any of the information it is giving.

I think it’s pretty clear that obesity is a big problem in the UK (no pun intended) and that something has to be done. What’s clearer is that the UK government is not delivering.

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Are there some people who will never care about their health?

We all know people that don’t exercise. We all know people who live their lives on a bad diet. Some of them are overweight and some are those ones that never put on weight no matter what they eat or how little they exercise. For the latter, it can be quite easy to think that because they are not overweight that they are relatively “healthy”. Fact is they are probably not. If your diet is poor and you’re not exercising, your health is suffering, regardless of the size of your belly.

Of these people that we all know who don’t exercise, ever, why is it that they cannot summon themselves of the sofa and out for a jog or down a local sports club or...just...well...anything. And what about those with a poor diet? Why don’t they put down that processed meal and eat something fresh or swap their takeaways for something that’s..... not a take-away? My question (a little like the title suggests) is; are there some people who will just never care about their health?

Some examples

Have a little think about some of the people you know who don’t exercise, do they fit into one of these? The bloke who used to play team sports until ~40 and hasn’t exercised since he finished? That person who never liked P.E. in school and has just never exercised, someone who is overweight and uses that as a reason why they can’t exercise or the office worker that says that they just haven’t got the time. 

What about the people whose diet reads with more Mc’s and ready’s than perhaps it should. We all know the mum without the time to make a dinner from scratch, the person who seems to always get a takeout or someone who would only ever get their 5-a-day in if banana milkshakes, cherry drops and strawberry ice cream counted.

Can they Change?

There are some people who yo-yo diet or that once a year might get into the gym. Forget those; we’re not interested, not today anyway. The people that we’re interested in are the ones that never do anything. Not a single thing.

Some people seem stubborn about not exercising and healthy eating. I’ve met more than one person who thinks it’s, and I quote, “sad” to lead a healthy life and that their unhealthy ways provide them with a much happier time on earth. Really? I’m not going to go and get the chez long and go all psychiatrist on you, but can anyone really say that a lifestyle is “sad” without ever trying it. I used to think that running seemed boring and, well to cut a long story short, I’m now out pounding the streets most days in the week.

Excuses

It’s not just stubbornness that is keeping some people unhealthy; there are a lot of excuses that people chuck about. Time, money, effort....the list could go on.  But would these people use these excuses if they knew some of the facts?

Just 15 minutes of low intensity exercise a day can increase your life expectancy by 3 years. 15 minutes!!! Who can’t find 15 minutes a day to live longer? And that’s just one benefit of exercise. I’m not going to list all of the benefits here but would people make more of an effort if this sort of information was out there? I don’t think they would.

Is all lost?

Are some people unreachable, beyond hope? Are there some in the bewilderment of healthy lives, cast away in a world of gluttony, slobbery and laziness? I’m going to leave it here for know and let you think. I want to hear your thoughts. Can anyone do anything to change things? Do things need to change? Let me know at the bottom.

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Toning Trainers and Barefeet Running

Last week Reebok were fined $25 million because of false claims about their “toning” trainers http://bit.ly/nVBEvs. Then at the end of the week a small study was released claiming that more than half of the women studied showed no benefit from wearing barefoot running shoes http://nyti.ms/o792cP. So, I thought I’d shed some light on the situations and give you my thoughts about these two different types of products and whether they are worth your money.

“Toning” Trainers?

So far I’ve called them “toning” trainers but from here on out they shall be referred to as, “Rounded-Underneath’s-Bought-By-Idiots-Seeking-Health (or rubbish) trainers. Reebok seem to have muscled their way in to a market that has been about for a couple of years. These “rubbish” trainers have been around for a while, each with the same principle; by having a rounded, unstable sole the trainers are supposed to make your leg muscles work harder when you walk to keep you balanced. Reebok came in, put the fantastic body of Kelly Brook at the front of a big advertising campaign and have sold quite a few of these trainers. And I’m not surprised; the suggestion of a body like Kelly’s just by wearing a pair of trainers is an attractive offer for most women.

The Problem

Reebok have been fined because their claims of your muscles working harder have been false. However, even if their claims were true, I would still advise people to take steer clear of these “rubbish” trainers. The selling point of them is an age-old method of selling anything in the health and fitness sector – do less and get better results.

But let’s think about it, even if these trainers make your muscles work harder, when would you wear them, to work with your office wear? I don’t think your boss would be impressed with your new casual look? Would you wear them for all of your outside of work activities, when all your short journeys are taken by car? The point is most people would only wear these trainers at one specific time, their dedicated exercise time.

Swap exercise for walking?

So, you’ve started wearing the trainers and you’re going for some walks. Great, I’m not going to say anything bad about someone willing to try to exercise and improve the health and fitness. I will say though that it is naive to think that, because you’re wearing your brand-spanking-new-give-me-a-body-like-Kelly-Brook trainers, all you have to do is walk and you will give your muscles a workout.



"Wow, if I get some of these trainers, I could look like that?" Um, no!



Bottom line

You will not get a Kelly Brook bum (no pun on the subheading intended) by wearing these rubbish trainers. You will by exercising.

Barefoot shoes

In the running community barefoot running is growing in popularity. The theory goes that we are biologically wired to run barefooted. In however many 1000s years BC, man hunted and man’s advantage over beast was that man could run and run and run and run and.....you get the picture. Usain Bolt can run 100m in around 9.5 seconds. In the animal kingdom this is embarrassingly average.  Patrick Makau  ran the Berlin marathon in 2 hours 3 minutes and 38 seconds. Not many animals could match that. Humans were made to run and we have ran barefooted for thousands of years.

Man no like soft, cushioned foot thing

I've always thought my toes would be happier if they were
seperated and hugged, individually by my running shoes

Along came the commercial world and they said, when running cushion your feet, our trainers will save your joints. Trainers were built up and today you can buy all manner of shoe to make it feel like you’re running on pillows. The fad now though is switching back to minimalist. The reason is that this way your joints will be spared of huge forces and pressure. This happens as you switch from striking the ground with your heel, as you do in cushioned trainers, to striking the ground with the ball of your foot as you run.

Do they work?

The study that I linked to at the beginning looked only at the Vibram FiveFingers but most of these shoes follow the same principle; they are light and thin, offer little cushion and support and are basically there to stop you cutting your feet on the ground. In my opinion there are too many positive things coming out about these shoes for me to think they aren’t worth the hype. I haven’t tried them myself but I am very, very tempted to.

 In the study the half that continued to heel strike first when wearing the FiveFingers were doubling the impact compared to traditional trainers. But, those who switched to a forefront strike reduced the impact compared to traditional trainers.

One of the reasons why half of the women saw no benefit has been said to be that they made no effort to modify their form. A conscious effort may be needed to change your form and adjust to the minimalist shoe. It was suggested that the transition from traditional to minimalist shoe was slow and progressive to ensure that the correct form and technique developed.

Summary

So, let’s conclude. Reeboks “rubbish” trainers probably (maybe even definitely) won’t give you a bum like Kelly Brook. Minimalist shoes might not help you reduce the impact when running straight away but will do if you take the transition to these shoes slowly and make a conscious effort to change your form.

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Ways to stay unfit and ruin your fitness plan

Are you happy with having a tyre around your stomach? Do you want your weight loss program to fail? Is your fitness training just too fun and giving you too much personal satisfaction? Then look no further, we have the definitive list of ways to make your programs fail.

Do the same type of exercise all of the time

Cross train to avoid injury? No thanks. Mix up training intensity to hit different physiological systems and different types of fitness? Nah, not us. Try a completely different sport/exercise program if you’re getting bored? Don’t think so. For us that want to fail, we’re going to do the same thing until we’re blue in the face. And then we’re going to do it some more.

Don’t match your diet to your personal aims

Want to lose weight? Get a huge fix of calories each day. Looking to gain muscle? Green leaf salad twice a day is plenty. Training more than once a day? Forget recovery food, train your starved muscles to the max. To make sure we fail we don’t need to bother thinking about what we eat in terms of our goals. We definitely don’t need advice from people who know better than us, advice is for wimps.

Never Warm-up

Who needs to get their heart rate up slowly? What’s the point of getting blood to the muscle’s where it’s needed before training/performance? Do your muscles need warming-up, stretched a little? Do they heck. Feel the ping as your cold, stiff muscles snap by going from nothing to all out max by missing a warm-up. Warm-ups take all of 5 minutes which is way too much time to take out of our incredibly busy lives.

Not warming-up? Why bother cooling-down

When we’re done, we’re done. There’s no point in helping the body recovery so it’s ready for next time. Help get rid of all that lactic acid that’s built up in the muscles? Start to repay that oxygen debt? Those things are for mugs. The next time we train/perform, our aching, tired and unrecovered muscles will be grateful for not doing a cool down.

Train in unsuitable clothes

Office suits are great for race-wear

Trainers that are suitable for your feet and for your exercise? Reflective clothing at night? Comfortable clothes that aren’t restrictive? Why bother? You can’t beat combinations like jeans and flip flops for cycling, your work suit for weight lifting and short skirts and heels for trail running.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggXmKPMaHMo

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Wierd Ways to a Better Body

Sorry for the longer than usual gap between the last post and this one. The reasons are because my last post was a Guest Post for the “me, exactly weightloss blog” by Erin Weem at http://meexactly.blogspot.com ( check it out, it’s very good) and then after that I have been away in Palma for a few days.

While I was in Palma, racking my brain as it crisped in the sun or another blog idea, a new blog topic literally fell from the sky. I was in one of those generic, foreign water parks with over-priced entrance, water slides, “dad pants” and at least 2/3 people slipping over on the wet floor. They had a Diving show that they were showing a few times throughout the day and I decided to go and have a watch. While I was in the queue before it started, two men were walking around in speedos. I agree, in normal circumstances, in a water park, men in speedos wouldn’t be so strange or noteworthy. However, these particular men had airbrushed bodies; tanned, waxed and toned to perfection. I am not trying to reveal a guy-crush across the platform of the world wide web. The point I want to raise is that this is something perhaps people would not think about, a sport like diving to get fit. I am not sure what training divers have to endure (if you do then please feel free to let the rest of us know in the comments) but it is obviously physically demanding enough to produce well toned bodies.

Would you normally think about diving as a way to keep fit? Or a way to lose weight? The guys doing the diving were great at what they did; they put on a great show and looked good technically, but the best thing was that they looked like they enjoyed it.

After the water park and the Diving show, I went to a diner show in the evening. And, low-and-behold, I was presented with another example of a weird way to keep fit. The “Pirates” show that I watched was full of dance, gymnastics and contortionists that were all incredibly fit and athletic. The dancing girls did high tempo routines that would tire most people; the gymnasts could bend and fold as if being shaped by someone doing origami and the contortionists had superhuman core strength. The  contortionists in particular really impressed me; what they could do obviously takes hours and hours of training each day. Again, the point is, these are three ways that you may not associate with fitness or first think of if you were to try and get fit/lose weight.

The contortionists at the Pirate Show looked incredibly toned and showed unbeleivable strength doing things like this

I’m not saying we should all go out and try diving/dancing/gymnastics/contortion, but why not? Or, why not something similar?

Little Bit Extra

So , what’s been going on with me?

Went on an easy 5 mile run on Tuesday morning. Does anyone else listen to podcasts and laugh out loud, only to get weir d looks from the people you go past? It happened quite a few times today.

Had a football match in the evening, won 4-2 playing with 10 men for the second half. Very tired afterwards so made sure I had a good stretch and a cold shower after the game.

Wednesday, something unbelievable happened. After over a year of trying, I finally got my girlfriend to come running with me. It helped show me the struggles some people might have if they try to get fit and how they might quit early on. My girlfriend really struggled and we had to stop a few times. We managed to go 2 miles altogether and I am really proud. I do empathise with people who might struggle now, despite all the best intentions. What I think it did as well was to show me how important a supporting friend is. She may well have stopped sooner if I wasn’t there encouraging and saying how well she was doing.

So, if you are the struggling new comer, ask a fitter friend to go with you, whatever activity you want to do. Or, if you’re that fitter friend, think about encouraging friends to start exercising, go with them and offer advice.

Hope this was a little better than last time, if not, you know where the blog stops and this starts, just look for the footsteps.

Is your high maintenance hair making you pile on the pounds?

The secret to your weight problems may not be what you eat, your genes or metabolism, as some leading scientific research would suggest. No, the reason could be in the shape of heated metal-plated tongs (aka hair straighteners) or in the shape of hot air blowing devices (aka hair dryers). This is what U.S. Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin. Those who spend hours on their hair are apparently less likely to exercise than those who spend seconds.

Evidence

If a U.S. Surgeon General is ready to cast aside the widely held beliefs of the causes of obesity or weight gain (or actual FACTS) and instead throw in a new, radical approach to the obesity epidemic plaguing both the U.S. and the U.K. where we attack it one hair styling product at a time, then surely she must be backed up with some research or study. Well apparently not. The claim seems entirely based on her own experiences;

“Often you get women saying, “I can’t exercise today because I don’t want to sweat my hair back or get my hair wet”, she was quoted as saying.

 So, no hard figures on the number of women who won’t exercise in fear of ruining a well crafted barnet, no findings on the impact that this had on women’s desire to exercise in comparison to other factors, just the claims of one doctor who has had a few women through hers doors who are reluctant to exercise and have probably blurted out more than one excuse. I think we all know that person who you’re all waiting for when you’re going out, their hair is sculpted to perfection, but they’ve had stylists commissioned and they’ve been doing it for the last 8 hours. But does this happen every day? Would these people actually not exercise in case they messed up their hair?

Contradiction

A lot of people who spend a lot of time on their hair are image conscious. So is it accurate to say that someone would obsess with their hair but then completely disregard the gut? I would say the answer to this is yes and no.  I know people who don’t exercise, are overweight but still put a lot of effort into their hair. On the other hand, I know people who are very image conscious that exercise vigorously to get a perfect body as well as spending many nights annoying friends who wait on whilst they do their hair. My point is, I don’t think Regina Benjamin has a valid point. What she says is happening I could only imagine seeing on an episode of The Only Way is Essex. People who do not exercise will often find reasons not to. I have not seen the full interview with her, only what was printed on an online article. It may be that this was one of many things that Regina said but the article just put an interesting slant on what she said. If this is the case I apologise to her if she had made valid comments and can only slam the writer of the article for putting a nonsense spin on it.

There is an obesity problem in the U.K. and U.S. FACT. There are lots of underlying reasons behind this. FACT. Hair straighteners, hair dryers and a large group of women who are not willing to mess up their hair during exercise are part of the reason. NONSENSE

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Rage against the machines II

Rage against the machines II - a reply

After the last post I’ve had some interesting discussions with people who read it (no....seriously. The discussions were interesting and people are reading the blog). So, following these discussions, I feel that another post on the matter is required.

To recap the last one – I don’t like treadmills, indoor bikes, cross-trainers or any other gym machine that falls under the umbrella of aerobic gym equipment. Why? They’re boring and nowhere near as enjoyable as the real thing i.e. actually running or cycling and moving forwards. However, people have raised some points that I believe have good points in favour of this machines;

1)      When it’s icy outside they offer a safer alternative

Whilst this is true, for me (I do not want to held accountable for any twisted ankles/cracked ribs or other falling related injury), the ice offers just another challenge. This is obviously limited to running as I would never advocate cycling at speed on ice and I don’t think you can row on a lake that’s frozen anyway. Going for a run on the ice is just a mini adventure and I know t that hat may sound absurdly childish. Also, although the ice on roads and paths may become a slip hazard, there are still fields aplenty with grass that’s all crusty after its frozen which offer a lower risk of slipping. I will admit however, when I have been running when its icy I do have to run at a slower pace. So, for the Haile Gebrselassies, Mo Farahs and Paula Radcliffes out there (other elite distance runners are available), I concede that the treadmill would probably be better than running outdoors. That said, the likes of these have access to indoor tracks to be used in the winter. I guess even these don’t want to run on a treadmill.

2)      Some people are embarrassed to run/cycle around their local streets

I would have previously had a lot of empathy for people of such a sentiment. Before moving to university, I was nervous to go running around the local streets. I had never noticed anyone else running near where I lived and felt that if I were to venture out in my running trainers and runners-issued short shorts I would be stared at by all I passed and thought of as a mad man. My own deeply rooted paranoia aside; it can seem as if no one else runs. I can also see how it could be difficult for anyone just starting out or that is overweight. The streets may seem to offer only public exposure whilst the gym allows you to hide away. My argument to this......well in regards to my own paranoia issues of being watched, get out there and run. As soon as I did I realised that I was not alone. As if only by running is it possible to notice other runners, now, I’m always seeing people running. And for those embarrassed possibly because of their weight or slow pace....   I’m no psychologist so don’t want to delve into body images and such things. However, one of the ways to get over this is to run or cycle with someone else, a point I’ve already made in a previous post. And then even if you don’t think you have anyone to go with, join a running or cycling club. From my own experience of these clubs they are very welcoming no matter what your ambitions or ability. I will say though that should a person unequivocally decide that the outdoors was not for them, then these machines are definitely better than the alternative of doing nothing.

I want to leave it there for now, my mind slightly (slightly!) changed. Two fantastic points have been raised and not only am I glad that these have been raised because it shows that people are actually reading what I write but also helps me improve the blog or see things from another view. One of the reasons for writing the blog was not only to help inform others but learn a little myself.

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Rage against the machines

Going back to our exercise guidelines of 5 sets of half an hour of “moderate-intensity aerobic activity”, I just want to talk about something that I’ve never understood. Treadmills, the bikes in the gym and the cross-trainer. Is everyone serious? I see so many people on these and, personally, I could not think of a worse way to spend my time. In fact, those machines are so boring I don't think I've ever managed more than 20 minutes on one but I’ve seen people approaching the 40 minute mark. Well done, I take my metaphorical hat off to you.

Endlessly moving your legs, literally getting nowhere, constantly looking at the time in the hope that more than 10 seconds has passed since I last looked, the worst part of all this is that I'm paying for the privilege. If only there was a free alternative that wasn't as mind-numbingly boring, a free alternative that pits me against the elements, makes me think about which way to turn, let me discover new places and where I can see how far I've been. If only........

Bottom line, take those legs or that bike and get outside. That’s only my opinion obviously but I just think there are a lot more reasons to get outdoors than get in the gym if you’re going to run or cycle. First, you can start straight away. Pop your trainers on, open the door and off you go. And then when you’re finished, you end up right outside that very same door. Go to the gym, though, and you have to walk/bike/drive there, walk in, put on a fake smile as you walk past the receptionist, get changed and then trudge over to the aforementioned exercise machine to finally begin exercising. Only took 10? 20? 30? minutes to get there, and then the same when you’re done.

I know the argument you might come back with. Yes. I know. I’ve heard it before. “...but the good thing about those exercise machines is that you can then do other things in the gym. And they’re a good warm-up.”

First, running and cycling are not a warm-up for lifting weights. The amount of times I hear people say that they use this machine for this reason is amazing. And the look on their face once they’re asked how cycling warms-up their arms for a bicep curl, even better. The only way to warm-up before a certain lift is to perform a similar movement with less resistance.

Are we clear? Good.

Second, unless you want to be the next Mr/Mrs Universe, you don’t need to go to a gym to tone up.

Although it may seem convenient that a lot of fitness facilities are crammed into one, monthly membership required, swanky and shiny place, I believe that most people can get the same, probably better, results from running and cycling outside and then using their own body weight and a set of dumbbells (although this is for another time in another post).

Next argument please.

“...but when it’s cold and raining I prefer to train in the gym.” This is nothing a waterproof coat and a new perspective cannot fix. Forget the cold; you will heat up as you run (change of perspective). And with the rain, you only end up a little more drenched than you would otherwise through sweating anyway. The coat keeps your body dry, your head might get a little wet and at the end of it, you only end up showering all the same, just like you would at the gym (well all those with a sense of personal hygiene).
The bottom line is that running and cycling are free, fun and.....I can’t think of anything beginning with “f”....but you get so much more from them than using aerobic gym equipment. Even the name “aerobic gym equipment” makes me bored. Sorry if I have not convinced you otherwise but I hope I have just emptied the gym and flooded the street with newly converted runners and cyclists.

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