What are the best alternatives to the gym?
When sport rhymes with outdoors
For running fans, running , whether practiced in a stadium, in the forest, in town or in the mountains (trail), will be a perfect alternative to the treadmill . Running is a very simple endurance sport to practice: a good pair of running shoes and comfortable clothing will do the trick for beginners. More experienced runners generally add a smartwatch to their range, capable of measuring all the data relating to their performance: distance, number of calories burned, route, heart rate… As for treadmill walking enthusiasts, they can practice fitness walkingoutdoors. City, countryside, forest or beach, all settings lend themselves to it. It is a cardio sport, less demanding than running, but very beneficial to health .
For those who like rowing but don’t like going to the gym, the best alternative is to practice on the water: it’s rowing. This sport is not very publicized, however it is very practiced, at sea as well as in rivers or lakes. There are approximately 500 clubs in France, duly listed on the federation’s website. In the same register, the canoe-kayak could suit you: this sport undoubtedly requires less the legs than rowing, but it guarantees arms of steel. It is therefore an alternative to bodybuilding : paddling could prove to be as effective as lifting cast iron!
And to replace the spin-bike in the gym, nothing beats the “real” bike. This sporting activity is endless and can satisfy all outdoor sports enthusiasts. Mountain biking, road cycling, enduro, city biking, BMX… Possibilities for every terrain and every practice. In addition, cycling is a fun activity, which can be practiced alone or accompanied, self-taught or in a club. It is possible to discover all the alternatives offered by cycling on the site of the French Cycling Federation.
Finally, other outdoor activities are excellent alternatives to the gym:
- Water sports ( swimming , windsurfing, kite-surfing, etc.), which can be practiced in the summer months
- Snow sports (skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding), for the winter months
- Mountain sports (hiking, climbing, paragliding, canyoning, etc.), extremely varied and exotic
When we swear only by the collective
Some people don’t like the gym because they feel lonely there. Lifting weights or using fitness equipment alone is not suitable for these individuals, for whom sport must rhyme with collective. In this specific case, the best alternative to the gym remains the practice of a collective sport, within a club. There are many: basketball, football, handball, water polo, synchronized swimming or even ice hockey. Team sports have many advantages:
- The renewed motivation , due to the training effect – we follow the momentum of the group and we are less reluctant to play sports
- Intellectual stimulation – game strategies developed in groups, coordination between each member of a team
- The improvement of technical and sporting skills, among other things thanks to the encouragement of teammates
- The development of team spirit, cooperation and fair play
Team sports are therefore a good alternative to the gym, for those who aspire to practice a team sport, where exchanges nourish activity.
When we prefer less impersonal structures
For some, the major problem of the gym remains its impersonal side: a cold space, where people come and go without really talking to each other, and where it is sometimes difficult to get to know other practitioners. The best alternative to the gym, in this case, may be membership in a local sports association. There are 170,000 in France! Suffice to say that the choice is vast. They can be very small, and have only a few members, or be attached to a federation and bring together a large number of licensees.
There are many advantages to practicing a sport in association:
- Proximity – we will always be more inclined to look for an association close to our home
- Meet new people, close to home and thus boost your social life
- Motivation to practice sport is increased
- The learning of the sporting discipline is better and faster, since the association and its members are “experts”
- Appropriate equipment and facilities are available
- Sports associations often organize other events, in addition to sports practice, to finance their activities
The associations cover all sports , from the most common to the most unusual. There is something for every taste :
- A boxing club will probably be more suitable for improving your skills than a group Body Combat class in the gym.
- Learning yoga in a small group, within an association, can be less frustrating than in a gym, because discipline requires rigor
- An aquagym lesson given by a lifeguard will be more effective and precise than that given by a “multi-disciplinary” coach in a gym
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.