Why It’s Good to Go to the Gym
by Scott Godwin, MS, CSCS
What do gyms and Starbucks have in common? Read on to find out.
Billions are spent every year to get or stay in shape. There seems to be a different type of fitness offering on every block. Some say going to a fitness center is a waste of time, that you could work out at home, run outside, or do some manual labor, hike, or play a sport instead. The critics do have a point because there are cheaper and simpler alternatives than going to a gym. I’ve worked in health and fitness for over 25 years, since I was very young, and I’ve pondered this dilemma quite a bit- work out at home, or go to a gym?
Although there are valid critiques of gym culture, and I’d be the first to offer some, I believe there are important reasons in favor of going to a gym to work out, even if it’s a garage gym at your friend’s house, or to the outdoor park gym. Some of the reasons in support of going to a gym, versus doing other forms of in-home exercise, offer broader lessons and hold true for other non- exercise related organizations like churches or coffee shops looking to attract customers and participants. The reasons why people like going to gyms, outside of better equipment and classes, offer insights about what people need and want in modern social life.
Gyms offer a sorely missing opportunity for in-person social connections. I’ve made many friendships working out at a gym, because a gym is what’s called a “3rd place.” Sociologists call gyms a “3rd place”, because it’s not 1) home or 2) work, but rather a 3rd type of place that people can socialize in. Churches, bars, coffee shops, community centers, and parks are other examples of 3rd places. Starbucks built its entire business model around this idea, of people having a place to go. It’s pretty easy to strike up a conversation with someone in a 3rd place, even with someone who you normally wouldn’t talk to, because 3rd places don’t usually have the stressors that work and home have. For example, when I was a teenager, the gym was a relatively healthy 3rd place I could go in my small town to make friends and stay out of trouble.
America is the most atomized, unhappy, and socially isolated country in the world. Rising deaths of despair, so-called because they involve many factors- moral collapse, social isolation, declining relative wages, family and marriage disintegration, drug and alcohol abuse, meaninglessness, and increased costs of living- are a recent and growing phenomena in the USA which have only gotten worse since the COVID 19 epidemic. 3rd places help alleviate some, if not all, of the problems of societal despair and fracture. We need more 3rd places. In addition to the well-known mental and physical health benefits of exercise, gyms give people a 3rd place to go, preventing social isolation, and getting people away from screens and the 24/7 news cycle.
It’s good to go to the gym. Sure, working out at home is fine too, but for most people a gym offers unique benefits. In addition to the social benefits, there are pieces of fitness equipment like full dumbbell racks, bar squat racks, cardio machines and others, that are too big for most homes. Gyms also offer group classes, another way to meet people and change up your routine. So get off the couch, and go to a gym. You might be surprised how much you like it, how much better you feel inside and out, and how many friends you make.
Read Next: Standing Up to Stiffness
—-Like the blog? Pass it on!
Scott
