Five Ways To Stay Active (That Don’t Involve Going to The Gym)

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bristol chapter.

Going to the gym isn’t normal; the gym is simply an artificial place for self-improvement. The reason we like them, though, is because they are controlled and therefore easy to use. In the modern world we like simplicity, and we like environments that stay the same. However, this also means that gyms are unvaried, and this makes going to the gym a bit of a bore for most people. So I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to go to the gym to stay active.

In many ways, I’d rather no one went to the gym. I think we would all agree that going to the gym would be something far less people did if they didn’t think other people were doing it too. That’s another thing we like to do in the modern world, compare ourselves to others. So here’s a list of 5 ways to stay active that don’t involve a trip to the gym:

1. Go for a walk

Let’s start off nice and simple: walking. You can walk to work, walk to uni, walk to meet a friend for coffee, or walk while listening to music. It is also a good way to explore the place you live in, especially if you have just moved away from home for university.

2. join a club

When I say ‘join a club’ I don’t mean join a gym group. What I mean is join something like a badminton or dance club. Both can be sociable too – take a friend with you or go by yourself and talk to new people while you’re there.

At university, joining a sports society can be very low commitment and I don’t think enough people know this. I was anxious about joining dance society last year because I was scared to commit myself (even though I trained as a gymnast and dancer for the past 15 years). But this year I realised that it isn’t like that at all. I can go to dance sessions as much or as little as I like, with pay-as-you-go classes everything is optional. While creating routine is a good thing, it’s also healthy to have the flexibility around exercise too. Speaking from personal experience, it’s possible to be a bit too good at creating and sticking to habits!

There are also plenty of sports clubs out there for beginners, so if you are wanting to try something new there’s a good chance you can. The University of Bristol has an intramural sports scheme, which is described as “a fun, social, multi-sport programme for students who just want to turn up and play”. This is a great way to get involved with new sports in a relaxed environment (and maybe even show off your bounce passes from those year 8 netball sessions).

3. Just Dance

This is probably my favourite form of exercise, and one my school suggested to us during lockdown. You don’t even have to have a Wii for it, just get it up on YouTube! I’ll give you some suggestions to get you started:

4. Online yoga

I know going to a yoga class can be scary – what to wear, what not to wear, deciding whether to bring your own mat, dreaded mirrors – and this is why online yoga is so good. Yoga With Adriene is my personal preference when it comes to online yoga, and it is free to view on YouTube. You might even want to try one of her ’30 days of yoga’ programmes, which combine flow classes with meditation and relaxation (and remember, there is no pressure to do all 30 days).

5. What to do if you have already paid for an annual gym membership?

Don’t panic! If you have already made a financial commitment to the gym and don’t know what to do, then you have come to the right place.

Firstly, take a good look at your membership closely and see if there are any other facilities available to use. The membership I have combines the gym, the pool, and fitness classes. I never use the gym, but I do make good use of the other two, and I believe it is still worth the money I paid at the start of the year. There are weekly Zumba sessions and a mix of yoga classes from Vinyasa to Ashtanga (don’t worry if those words sound alien to you now – just go along and give them a try). Swimming is also a good way to stay active because it’s a low impact sport. You are much less likely to get injured while swimming compared to going on a run (think of your poor knees on the concrete ground!)

If your membership really is for the gym only, and you really don’t want to go, consider getting in contact with the company itself. A quick call or short email won’t harm anyone, so there is no reason not to try.