What Is The Best Exercise?

At the time when this article is written, it appears that the conventional approach to getting fit (by subscribing to a gym membership or plodding along on the pavement) is failing us! Despite being told that you can find and practise the best exercise in the gym, 70% of the Western population are found to be overweight and over 30% are classified as obese. Malaysia, as most of the world, is beginning to follow these unhealthy footsteps.

Let’s hit the gym!

Who enjoys going to the gym? Very few! In the west about 12% of the population have gym memberships and only about 10% of them attend regularly. In fact, The International Health Club Association reports that “50% of all new health club members quit within the first six months of signing up and 90% of those who join health and fitness clubs will stop going regularly within the first 3 months”. We are now 6 months into 2014… how’s your exercise routine going?

The common philosophy when individuals want to get fit is to join a gym. Many government agencies vigorously promote joining fitness clubs. This leads me to the question of what is the best exercise? What is promoted as the best exercise?

So what is the best exercise?

Depending on who you ask you’ll get a copious number of different answers. Some will say the best exercise is the squat, or maybe the deadlift, perhaps sprinting up hill or according to Rich Froning, a top CrossFit athlete; it’s the barbell thruster (squat with an overhead press). Do these fill you with motivation to get active and fit? It seems that there is a fundamental flaw in how we think of physical activity and fitness. There also seems to be a major failing in how conventional fitness facilities service their members… losing 90% of your clientele within 90 days of meeting them is shocking! These statistics clearly show that there is something seriously wrong with the way in which people view getting fit and the services provided by the majority of conventional gyms – the two aspects obviously do not align.

My answer to the question is simple. The best exercise is the one that you will do consistently and regularly. Here is where I wait for the eye-rolling, scoffing and smirks to stop. I know it’s cheesy but it’s undeniably very true. Sure, I can tell you that this exercise, done this way, is better than that exercise or done another way. But what’s the point of discussing the finer aspects of exercises or ways of completing activities if you don’t do them at al! The challenge is to find something that you enjoy and compels you to participate. The simple fact is that adherence is the most important factor in the effectiveness of a fitness regime.

Playing = the best exercise?

You thought I was going to sit on the fence, didn’t you? However, with this in mind, I do believe that there is a type of exercise that is better than others. Playing is the best type of exercise, as it compels people to take part. I classify “play” as an activity that you enjoy and actively want to participate in. As we get older we tend to forget the art of play.

Stuart Brown a leading psychologist who has proven that play continually shapes the human brain throughout our lifetime and calls play a “profound biological process” suggests that this should be the main type of exercise promoted. A world leading health and fitness professional Mark Sisson states that “when we embrace play, we claim a better quality of life for ourselves. We decrease stress. We connect better with those around us. We get out more and get more out of what we do. We find more fun and maybe even meaning”.

There are many benefits to play and this is prompting a change in how some cities are dealing with the health issues related to inactively. The New York City Council is building adult playgrounds for their citizens to play on in an effort to get people active. Dr David Ludwig, a Harvard Medical School professor, who directs the Obesity Prevention Centre at Boston Children’s Hospital comments “the point is to make physical activity fun, easy and accessible, so it’s the normal thing to do”. The simple fact is the best exercise is something you’ll do on a regular basis… becoming the normal thing to do.

Are gyms failing us or is it just a simple thing of finding something that you enjoy. Zumba, dance classes, kickboxing, ultimate frisbee, touch rugby, netball… whatever activity it is when you include a social element where you develop friends and a sense of community you will get fitness rewards and more. An activity that requires you to actually interact before, during and after and not just exercising with someone else beside you in a class. This communal concept is why CrossFit is so popular at the moment. I would hazard a guess that the 10% of gym members enjoy the social aspect of attending their facility.

The fact is how we approach and think about fitness, as a society needs to be adjusted to focus on social aspects to drive adherence and make people remember how fun it is to move your body.