| Posted in Food & Health on 18 Jun 2014 |
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To some people, the gym is a community. For other people, the grunting, the sweaty bodies, the unflattering mirrors and the lycra are a little off-putting – to say the least. The good news is there's loads of other ways to whip your body into shape without ever setting foot in a gym.
Salsa
There's nothing more social than heading to a local bar for a salsa night. You'll learn a skill, make friends and burn off a ton of calories. If you don't like salsa, there are tea dances, line-dancing groups, jazz or even ballroom dancing all held in bars, parks and community halls. Try to lay off the copious amounts of wine that tends to accompany these evenings… but it's not compulsory.
Get a dog
You might want to think this through carefully first, but getting a dog is guaranteeing a healthier life. The bigger the dog you get, the longer the walks you'll need to take it on and the more active you'll need to be. Dogs make the best personal trainer you'll ever have because no matter how you feel, you have to show up and workout – no excuses.
Get a bike
Save yourself cash, save the planet and get fit all at the same time. Investing in a bike for your commute to work or trips to the shops will quickly improve your cardio fitness and help shape up your legs, too. Nothing gives you more freedom than a new set of wheels.
Get competitive
For many people, there's nothing more motivating than being the absolute best at something. Most weekends you'll find runs held in local parks – whether it's a short 5k or a killer marathon. If you're a morning person, signing up for a few events a month will keep you motivated to train and introduce you to a new circle of like-minded friends.
Join the circus
If conventional methods of getting fit are too ‘blah' for you, scour your local area for a venue to learn circus tricks. At a beginner level, you can learn how to tightrope walk, use stilts, ride a unicycle and even spin fire sticks. Don't worry; there will be plenty of time to learn how to tame the lions later…
Not only will you pick up some cool party tricks, but you'll find they take a lot of core strength and muscular endurance to master, too.
Not wanting to fork out for a membership or wipe other people's sweat off weights is a good reason to not want to hit the gym, but it's not a good reason to avoid exercise.
Those in the know will have seen Gordon Ramsey's Hotel Hell; the show in which he endures the worst hotels in the world so guests like us don't have to. From creepy critters to downright unforgivable food, there are more hotels from hell out there than even Gordon can keep up with. Let's look at some of the worst, and what other people have to say about them.
The age-old question of ‘which is better; cardio or weights?' is a bit like asking ‘what's more important in a Greek salad; olives or feta?' The answer is that they are both vital components and neither should be overlooked. Most of us have a preference when we hit the gym floor, whether it's zoning out on the treadmill or grunting through a few heavy sets of squats in the weights room. But, to maximize both your aesthetic and health goals, you need to include both.
First of all, let us congratulate you – if you're reading this then you're considering a man cave, which puts you in the top percentile of lucky men. But how carefully are you considering your options? A man cave is not to be taken lightly.
Australians are happy to insure their cars, but surprisingly, few have any protection against the even bigger threat of a loss of income. With research showing one in five families will be financially impacted by the death of a parent, serious accident or illness, how much cover does the average family need?