The Gym Part 3

Today, we take a sidetrack from the satirical look at the gym to a more serious view on the sudden hype that is currently sweeping across most big conglomerates. This is not surprising considering the sudden mushrooming of more outlets of the gym giants such as True Fitness, California Fitness, Fitness First, Celebrity Fitness and the likes. This, coupled with company bulk discounts and constant reminders of how unfit a deskjob worker can be, many cannot resist these too-good-to-miss offers to a healthy lifestyle at a discounted price at an outlet literally next to your office.

Even my prudent brother in law had been enticed to join, stopping only because his beloved wife wasn’t interested to join together. (The actual story was, my sister knew that he would not be disciplined enough to be a regular and didn’t want him to hang around at the gym instead of being at home ha ha.)

It's good to want to be healthy. It's good to want to take care of oneself. But you can do that anywhere, why the hype at the gym?

So what’s the catch? There really isn’t one. It’s just a matter of which lifestyle you want to upkeep.

With the amount of monthly subscription you are paying, no matter how heavily discounted, in the long run, can afford you a decent all-in-one machine to be kept at home and used at any hour at your whim and fancy. And this machine can be used by all in the family, i.e. your mother, father, uncles, aunts, grandfather, grandmothers, all cousins, twice, thrice removed, your children, grandchildren’s children, etc… oh, you’ll get the picture . And you can save on all the sports attire as you can even exercise in the nude at home. And you can even save face, as you won’t have people gawking at you and your fats or sniggering behind your back for those big trousers that you are wearing, or just plain checking you out. I can go on with more advantages of DIY at home but I guess you know what I mean.

So why are people still flocking these high profile gym? Is it a promise that you’ll slim down and tone-up? No. I have never heard of a gym that dares guarantee that. Is it the equipments are so state of the art that you can’t afford them unless you are some celebrity like Kimora? No. Most of them are just run of the mill equipments. Is it because they offer you a service you cannot get elsewhere? No, there are plenty of places where you can learn aerobics or qi gong and you get fresh air for free in the park.

So what is the motivational factor?

For some, the gym is a place to redeem yourself after a guilty and sinful corporate lunch. And also an excuse to tuck in even more sinful dinners on the pretext that you'll burn it out during your exercise sessions later.

Well, of course there are those who join to escape, even if only for a couple of hours, the suffocating noise/chores/problems at home. Especially those who don't enjoy the sudden visits from all kinds of relatives, just to use your gym equipments.

And I know of a few who join, hoping to regain their previous fit-figure and re-live their glory days.

Besides the additional group motivation to exercise and networking opportunities, I would say it’s the perceived value that one gets when you are an “exclusive member” of the club. The gym is an “in” place to see others and be seen. It’s a lifestyle thing, a social standard set to differentiate you from the rest of the “weaker” worker class because you project a picture of health and that you care for yourself.

Whatever the rhymes or reasons, I am sure you'll find one that suit your taste. Hence, to join or not to join… the choice is entirely left in your hands. But to be accepted by society or become a social outcast, that is also a choice left in your own hands… choose wisely?

*note: the author does not oppose the idea of joining a gym and this article does not provide exhaustive researched reasons for joining one. It is merely the author's simplistic views of the recent fad that has swept KL's offices by storm.

(pictures courtesy of Inmagine http://www.inmagine.com)