Is there more to fitness than just working out at the gym?

Absolutely. Fitness is a holistic term that includes physical and psychological well being. For the purposes of our discussion, let's stick with the physical element of fitness. It is important to note that often these two elements are inextricably linked and improving your physical fitness will have positive psychological effects. When examining ways to achieve fitness, remember the gym is simply a tool that you can use to meet your goal of incorporating fitness and exercise into your life. Gyms typically provide members with a wide variety of equipment and professional advice. Whether you need to enroll in a gym to establish or maintain a fitness routine largely depends on your personality. Many people find the availability of professionals and equipment and the positive, motivating atmosphere to be necessary components of their programs. Others may find the gym to not meet their needs. Gyms are not a magical solution that equates to being fit. True fitness is a lifestyle choice that includes much more than a gym membership or some time spent exercising. A gym will not make up for poor fitness choices throughout the rest of the day. To achieve fitness you will need to alter your lifestyle to include both a commitment to exercising and ensuring proper nutrition. Without both, a goal of fitness will be much more difficult to achieve. How you go about including the movement and exercise into your life is totally up to you. The important part is making it a routine and integrating it into your lifestyle.

A gym has a lot to offer and is a great resource for fitness. But fitness isn't limited to lifting weights or going to exercise classes.

Take a look at your lifestyle, what you enjoy and what resources are available to you.
Bikes, skis, shoes and feet are my favorite fitness resources.

If you prefer fresh-air to fans, the outdoors can be a great place to get fit; go for walks, hikes or runs. If you like to stay indoors, there are multitudes of workout videos and online sources like the Health and Fitness Provider Network (HFPN), that are great tools to get fit from your own home.

Fitness doesn't have to be difficult or 'showy', it can be simple and it should be enjoyable. So, get creative! Find what you like to do and do it! What matters is that you get your body moving, your heart pumping, and calories burning!

Also, don't forget to make good choices and be aware of portion sizes when you eat. Fitness and nutrition are a double-whammy for good health.

Lastly, stick with it! Keep moving everyday and you'll be on your way to a fit lifestyle - no gym required.

Yes.  Fitness involves workouts of the mind, body and spirit.  It includes cardio, weight training, proper diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, and other nutrients, and proper sleep.  Surrounding yourself with positive people and getting involved in fun, rewarding and charitable activities can boost your mood and do wonders for your health, as well. 

Absolutely! In fact, research is now beginning to show that the healthiest people with the longest life spans are those who incorporate a healthy lifestyle throughout their entire day, not just for an hour in the gym. Working out in a gym can be very beneficial by providing exercise equipment, access to trained professionals and social support that can help you stick to your program, but it is important to look at the benefits of incorporating fitness into the rest of your day too.  It is easy to add “accidental exercise” everyday to improve fitness and burn extra calories. These “exercises” can be something you enjoy like gardening, walking your dog or even playing with your children. You can also choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator or find a parking space that is the furthest away from your destination. Making these simple adjustments to your daily life can burn hundreds more calories per day, improve fitness levels and keep your weight in check.

Definitely!
If you are frustrated by your health and fitness please consider the following...
"Beware of any problem that only has one solution." -Brian Tracy
Think about and I hope you will agree that there is much more to fitness than what happens inside the gym.

Ultimately, it does not matter where you workout as long as you get a great workout.
As long as your workout has all of your focus and effort that is appropriate to your current fitness/health level it is irrelevant if it is in a gym, a garage, a basement, the park or at the beach. Do the best you can, for yourself, every day, every time you workout.

In addition, I believe the gym and your workouts are just one aspect of your overall fitness. Other aspects include but are not limited to...
1-Eating healthy food you prepare in appropriate portions.
2-Making sure the meals you consume have a good balance of macro and micro
   nutrients.
3-Getting enough rest and sleep.
4-Always ensure that your workouts are a blend of resistance training, cardio
   and flexibility.
5-Wellness is a part of being fit too. Try reading one book for personal enrichment
   and one book for pleasure. Turn off the TV.
6-Try meditation and yoga.
7-Consider charitable activities that help others focus on health and fitness. 

Fitness is so much more than than what happens at the gym, it is a lifestlye.
"Mens sana in corpore sano" is latin for,  "A healthy mind in a healthy body"
Enjoy!

There is more to fitness than just working-out in the gym, he, or she can incorporate fitness as a lifestyle by incorporating movement outside of the gym, and healthy disciplines. Here are some examples, hiking, and biking with friends, or cooking a healthy meal to nourish the body.  

Absolutly!

When I made the decision to change my life and lose the weight I did it all in my living room and kitchen and did not join a gym until 1 year later. Nutrition is first and foremost. You cannot out-exercise a poor diet. Make a couple of simple changes like get rid of soda pop and exchange for water. Get serious about measuring the portions of your food. 

Start moving more. Whether you start out taking walks or get some fitness videos in your living room, you gotta move. 

It's true you have more distractions at home to pull you away from your workouts, but it can be done. The gym is simply another tool to use in your fitness goals.

Yes there is much more than fitness at a gym/fitness center, it’s a great community social center.  Attending gym/fitness center can provide a fun and relaxing atmosphere, in addition to all the equipment and services available to you.  But one of the best advantages to belonging to gym/fitness center is the opportunity to develop friendships and relationships with your fellow members and staff, offering you encouragement, humor, and motivation.  Enjoyed!

Definitely. You are only limited by your creativity. You can workout at a park using whatever playground equipment is available. You can do body weight exercises at home. You can go for a bike ride, walk or a jog. The  main thing is to chose an activity that you like and have fun being active. Plus the more active you are the better you will feel. I always remind my clients that the hour you spend working out makes the other 23 hours of your day more enjoyable because you have the energy to live them.

Yes Indeed. One of my golden rules I share with my clients is that every movement during a training session has a purpose. I design my client programs utilizing all 3 planes of motion (frontal, sagittal, and transverse). It also important for programs to emphasize all 3 aspects of muscle contraction (concentric, isometric, and eccentric). Eccentric (decelerate) and isometric (isolation) phases are important because these 2 contraction phases are where most injuries occur. My program designs also imitate my clients life movements. During the rapport building process, I ask questions to understand what body movements (ex. sitting, pushing, pulling, climbing, etc.) are performed the most during a typical day. This information provides a platform to build a specialized program that will best serve a clients needs and goals. Combine all the previous mentioned factors and the end result will be a fun, safe, and effective fitness program.  

80% of fitness is what we put into our bodies.  If you drink or smoke, you are shortening your life with every puff or swallow.  If you have a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrates, and good fat, and eat in moderation then you will be fit.  If you don't eat right or can't then supplement your diet with products from companies like Herbalife, Dot Fit, Shackley, Vitamin World, etc.  Talk to the person who works there as well as your doctor for recommendations on how best to supplement your diet.

Yes, there is more to fitness than just working out at the gym! The gym is only one option to staying healthy. Fitness involves an overall process which involves what and how you eat, and how active you are. There are several activities that you can do that don't involve you stepping foot into a gym. First there's always walking. Going for a long walk around the neighborhood provides you with a great workout. Then there is playing sports, and even dancing. If you have children in your life, that is helpful too. You can use them as a catalyst. You will be amazed at how jumping rope, playing hop scotch or just a quick game of tag can work your body out. Spend about a half an hour with them simply playing and you will be exhausted.

The answer is..."Yes!" A gym can provide you with many tools and options to help improve your fitness, but it is not your only option. Improving your fitness means you are trying to improve your overall health. This may mean different things to different people. For one person it might mean improving their ability to play with their grandkids. For another it might mean improving their ability to perform at a certain sport.

Try coming up with a list of goals that you want to achieve that might require certain levels of fitness. Then, find some way(s) to measure your progress while you attempt to achieve that fitness goal.

For Example:

You want to improve your cardiovascular fitness in order to do more outdoor activities and would love to be able hike up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire! Along the way, you are going to measure your progress by planning several smaller hikes at surrounding mountains or hills and train at a gym to work on strength training.

Working out at the gym may help improve your fitness in many ways. However, the only way to get better at hiking is to...go hiking! Your workout program at the gym will help improve your levels of overall conditioning. The outdoor hikes will help train your body to develope better hiking skills.

For most people, "Fitness" means improving themselves physically in order to live the type of lifestyle they wish to enjoy.

Life is not about being in the gym. Fitness can take place anywhere; climbing stairs, squatting to pickup grocery bags, reaching for something off the shelf, twisting, turning, and scrubbing. These are all movements and activities that take place in our daily lives. The trick is to get as many of these activities in to the day as possible. The more movement we get the more fit we are.