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Christopher Harris
July 15, 2013
Prof. Weatbrook
English 2010 8 am
You! Get fit at home!
In this paper, many questions about fitness exist and are rather easy to answer. People
make fitness overly complicated and this really turns others away from living the lifestyle that
they want or deserve. Many people receive their ideas of what fitness is from the T.V., the
blockbuster movies like 300, or most anything with Brad Pitt in it. These people are also the ones
that will complain that they are not in the best shape, or that they looked better in High School.
This growing trend is fast becoming acceptable in the United States. Adult obesity rates climbing
close to 1/3 of the population, changes need to start in people’s attitudes and in the choices that
they make.
One of the first things that many people question about fitness is, “What does it mean to
be fit?” This question is a very important question that has no real answer. It is something that is
individual and boils down to the goals of the person wanting to be fit. To some their idea of
“being fit” is moving their brother into his new home and not run out of breath. To another they
want to be able to lift to a standing position their bodyweight in the gym. Perhaps they want to
do the Bench Press correctly and press 300 lbs. The possibilities are endless and are totally up to
the individual.
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One of the main points that get people into an uproar about the obesity rates here in
America is that of the Childhood obesity rate. Many are worried that the obesity of our children
will increase in a few years. In fact according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) the rate of obese children (aged 2-19 years old) has tripled since 1980. In fact,
approximately 12.5 million children or 17% of all children in the U.S. are overweight. This is
most prevalent among children who are in the low income families whom seem to be limited on
the foods that they can buy. These limitations of the affordable healthy food available for
purchase in these areas tend to lead to the purchase of unhealthy “comfort foods” instead.
There are other options for these children in these limited situations! So many schools
have a Physical Education program and yet the unhealthy living continues to grow. There are the
yearly tests that have such strict requirements that only 15% of all American children can pass
every year (Susan V. Graser 176). The children that “fail” these tests often do not understand
why the tests are given and what is expected of them. Graser et al put this to a test by putting the
children in charge of how the testing was administered by giving the children a monitoring
system that tracked their everyday activities, emphasizing that healthy choices and a healthy
lifestyle are the most important things in passing any fitness test. This was made easy by the use
of technology and a fitness tracking system, but no technology in the world changes the fact that
a lifestyle change needs to be made in the families at home.
The children in this study had many activities to do in order to make the study conclusive
and effective for their age group. Graser et al wrote about what the children thought about the
tests that were given to them. They write how the children feel when compared to the others in
their age group nationally. “[The fitness test] standards compare a student's scores to a percentile
standard that ranks them among their nationwide peers. This type of standard has given students
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an idea of how they fare against their peers but tells them nothing of how their level of fitness
affects their overall health. This type of fitness testing is essentially a nationwide competition
and not a fitness assessment that informs children and youth about personal fitness and health
status” (Graser et al 176). All of the things that the researchers taught the children are all things
that you can do at home and therefore help to build a healthy lifestyle. This applies to adults as
well, in the fact that many adults do not know why they need to be active and therefore simply
do not do it.
One of the things that many adults do consider fit is by being active and participating in
sports. Things such as basketball, football, and baseball all require a certain degree of fitness.
They all make you run and jump in order to have a fun and engaging game with all participating.
Most adults think that these are fun and many don’t think of these requiring fitness. Fitness and
sports go hand in hand.
One common factor of sports and exercise are the muscle groups that we use in the
physical activities. Perhaps the most referenced muscle group that is involved in sports is that of
“the core.” We read of the core muscles in magazines, newspaper articles, TV commercials, and
even the local news is talking about core. As defined in nearly every article you can read about
these muscles, these are the muscles around your stomach and in your low back. Nearly all
power that comes from sports, come from the core. Lee Brown et al did a study that is designed
to find the correlation between the core muscles and sports. They tested and retested the
participants in core exercises and other exercises in order to find the ones that best helped your
sports performance. Oddly enough, these are things that you can easily do at home, as part of an
exercise program and make it a part of your life.
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Everything boils down to how do you want to live when you get to be older and need to
reap the benefits of having a healthy life. Sao Paulo Federal University made a study of people
who have heart issues and them making a home based fitness program. Their study found that
people who put themselves in a cardiovascular program 3 times a week doing at least sixty
minutes of aerobic exercise during those sessions had an “improvement of aerobic capacity and
quality of life” (995). The seniors all had cardiovascular problems in the past, and put themselves
through this to show the benefits of this simple and effective program. The scientists concluded
that the “findings suggest that a home-based training programme provides an efficient low-cost
approach for cardiac patients” (995). It is also effective for individuals who wish to avoid
cardiac problems in the future. If a group of elderly people can stick to a program for 3 months
and do it with heart problems, then we ought to be able to do this as well.
Now, with this information put in front of us, what do we do with it? Gyms are expensive
and you may not have everything that a gym has at home. The possibilities are truly endless on
having an effective home based gym. There are home based programs that require nothing more
than open space. Many people become caught up with the weights and weight machines found at
the gym, and feel lost in trying to copy that at home. Many of these programs, as mentioned
before, need open space and maybe some dumbbells. You need to set your fitness goals and
evaluate what you need. If your goal is to run a 5k (3 miles) then all that you need is a pair of
running shoes, and comfortable clothes. If you want to gain some muscle then you will need
some weight training equipment. All of these things can be found at second hand stores or even
discounted at a sports store and do not require a fortune.
Countless articles validate all of this and forums on the internet, every site from
Bodybuilding.com, muscleandstrength.com, menshealth.com, and so many others will tell you
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that making your own gym at home can be easy and relatively cheap. Moreover, you can build
this home gym slowly and still acquire the things that you want for your goals.
The only thing that people lack is motivation to start their goals. Nothing can kill a
fitness program faster than not being motivated to do what the program asks you to do. What is
stunning for me is that if you do an internet search for the word fitness, nearly everyone will give
you the auto-filled response of fitness motivation. There is no shortage of motivational speeches
and videos to help “Pump you up” but motivation is an individual experience. It is something
that needs to be dug up and a constant reminder.
In my survey, I interviewed 50 people to find out what they thought about fitness and
where you have to go to get fit. Of these 50 people most actually gave their opinion to the topic
of the survey. “Is fitness something you can do at home, or only at the gym?” I did not write this
down, but I would say that 60% of people said the gym is the only place where you find fit
people. This is not surprising, however, because 70% of people said that they would rather go to
the gym to “perspire and wear fashionable spandex.” When asked however, which sounds like
better exercise the result was surprising. 40% of all those surveyed said that chasing a toddler
was the best exercise that you can do, followed by running at 26%, push-ups/pull-ups/sit-ups at
18%, and finally pushing your car 8 blocks at 16%. A majority of people when asked agreed that
doing a combination of strength and cardio was best for you and would give you better long
lasting results. Notice that many of the results were things that did not require a gym
membership. Chasing a toddler, pushing a car, and running are all done around the comfort of
your own home. Many people agreed with the results and some have taken this to heart.
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If there is one thing that I would like to leave with you, the reader, is that you can get fit
at-home. There are hundreds of home based programs and DVD sets meant to show you that it is
possible. You can purchase one, or research your own routine via the many websites dedicated to
fitness. Remember to set your own goals and arrange your routine around those goals. It is all
about the small steps that come together to make the journey of 1000 miles possible. I am taking
this to heart myself, for example, I have made the choice not to go to the gym for the entire
month of August. Instead, I am establishing an at home routine and plan to stick with it. I hope
that you make a similar choice to find a routine that fits your wants and needs.
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Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trends in the Prevalence of Extreme Obesity
Among US Preschool-Aged Children Living in Low-Income Families, 1998-2010.
JAMA. 2012; 308 (24): 2563-2565. Web. 15 July 2013.
Gräser, Susan Vincent, et al. "Children's Perceptions Of Fitness Self-Testing, The Purpose Of
Fitness Testing, And Personal Health." Physical Educator 68.4 (2011): 175187. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 June 2013.
Nikolenko, Max, et al. "Relationship Between Core Power And Measures Of Sport
Performance." Kinesiology 43.2 (2011): 163-168. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19
June 2013.
Salvetti, Xiomara Miranda, et al. "How Much Do The Benefits Cost? Effects Of A Home-Based
Training Programme On Cardiovascular Fitness, Quality Of Life, Programme Cost And
Adherence For Patients With Coronary Disease." Clinical Rehabilitation 22.10-11
(2008): 987-996. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 June 2013.
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Appendix
My survey, 50 people.
1.Who do you think is more fit?
a. A 5k runner 44%
b. A personal trainer 38%
c. A Bodybuilder 8%
d. That guy who can bench press 300 lbs. 0%
All of them are fit (which was not an answer) 10%
2. Would you rather exercise from home, using a home based program, or go to the
gym and grunt and perspire in fashionable spandex?
Home- 30%
Gym- 70%
3. Which sounds like better exercise?
a. pull-ups/push-ups/sit-ups 18%
b. running ½ hour 26%
c. pushing your car 8 blocks 16%
d. chasing a toddler all day 40%
4. Which form of exercise do you prefer more?
Cardio- 20%
Strength training- 18%
Cross fit or a combination of the two- 62%
5. Do you find your workouts fulfilling?
Yes- 88%
No- 12%