You don’t need a gym to shed calories

Nov 21 2008 by Nicholas Craig, Watson Burton

MIDDLESBROUGH is one of nine pilot areas to begin a reward scheme aimed at improving health and slimming down our increasingly overweight nation.

If you take part in keep-fit or weight loss sessions or even go for a run in the park you can collect points. And points mean prizes – healthy food, sports equipment or gym sessions.

It seems an admirably simple scheme. Obesity is not only affecting the next generation but adding significantly to absenteeism from work, and a massive NHS bill. According to a government report nine out of 10 British adults and two-thirds of children will be overweight or obese by the year 2050. The fatter you are the more likely you are to take time off work says another study. People with a body mass index of 40 or more are 118% more likely to miss time at work.

The North East used to have the highest gym membership in the country. Last year, however, the dropout rate from the North East was also one of the highest, at 8%.

I’m no gym bunny. Gyms are too clinical for my liking. Sport and leisure should fit in to our daily routines. Gyms set the rules to suit the majority, which means many commuters missing out on set classes, and gym-goers glowing hotly alongside serried ranks of others at peak times. Not my idea of relaxation.

For those of us who like to exercise a bit of free will in our spare time I would advise getting back to basics. Walk, cycle or run whenever you wish. Runners can train when and where they like, for free, and the motivation for many is the date of the Great North Run, which goes from strength to strength.

If you enjoy it you’re likely to do it more often. You don’t need membership to shed thousands of calories, and you don’t need to shell out hundreds of pounds. Just get moving.

Nicholas Craig is a partner at Watson Burton law firm.