Using the Thurston County Outdoors as Your Gym

Published On Thursday, March 24, 2011 By ThurstonTalk. Under: Outdoor Life, Sports. 

By: Chris Fry
With our busy schedules and lifestyles it is hard to plan a time to get to the gym. Here is an alternative: create your own Thurston County gym outside. We here in the Pacific Northwest live in one of the best outdoor gyms imaginable. Taking your fitness outdoors allows you to get a more varied and complete workout. Plus it is more fun.
The advantages of taking your fitness outdoors is:

• No gym fee
• No constraints
• The environmental benefits: Fresh air and connecting with your surroundings
• More creative: Putting your mind to work creating a workout plan using your natural surroundings and local parks.
• Less negative distraction: Nature itself is a very positive distraction.
• No travelling to the gym
• No waiting for equipment
• Less chance of catching a virus

Use outdoor stairs as your stair climbing machine, a picnic tables for push-ups, tricep work among other things, driftwood on the beach to create an obstacle course, use your water bottles as weights, or use your own body weight for exercises. Create a resistance band workout utilizing light poles or playground equipment. The possibilities are endless throughout Thurston County.
Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater have many great venues to keep your workouts fresh, among them are:

• Priest Point Park, Olympia
• Rotary Park (West Bay Park), Olympia
• Burfoot Park, Thurston County
• Pioneer Park, Tumwater
• Woodard Bay, Thurston County
• Tolmie State Park, Lacey

If you are not interested in getting fit outdoors alone then find a buddy, or better yet, find an outdoor fitness boot camp and do it as a group. Finding a fitness pal or working with a group will provide the motivational component needed to get you in the best shape of your life outside the gym.
There are many resources online that will give you an idea on what type of exercises can be done in the great outdoors, or better yet, find a certified fitness trainer to help get you going.

About Rock Bottom Personal Training:

 

Christe Smith is the owner of Rock Bottom Personal Training. Rock Bottom serves all of Thurston County and offers customized fitness services in homes, workplaces, local parks and other locations to cater to the client. Rock Bottom has many Professional Certified trainers to help you with all your health needs

Stairclimb Flight Club

The Stairclimb Flight Club Meet-up Group is designed to get you into the best shape of your life using stairclimbing. This is a three month program that you will be signing up for. The three month program will allow you to shed stubborn body fat and really increase your overall defintion and get ready for beach season. 

Program Tools:

You will recieve the following tools at the beginning of your three month program:

1) Training Guidelines

2) Training Log (One copy given to you at the climb)

3) Membership Punch Card

4) Nutritonal Gudelines

Program Outline:

The program will be structured so that their will be a "beginner workout" and a "advanced workout." 

There will be a white board set at the bottom of the stairs so that everyone will see the workout for the night. This is so you know what workout to track on your training journal

Program Times:

Tue-Thurs 6 - 7 pm

Program Costs:

$50.00 for 10 climbs (5.00 a climb) Sessions expire within two months of purchase. 

Payment Methods:

Cash

Checks - made payable to Rock Bottom

Paypal

March Motivational Madness

Right now everyone is preparing for March Madness, the annual college basketball tournament that gets players and fans highly motivated to go all the way and make the winning basket. 

Unfortunately, 80% of the people that set health and fitness goals in January have already dropped out of the game. Most give up due to loss of motivation, boredom, not knowing what to do and a lack of variety. People take themselves out of the game and go back to bad habits because they don't have that really great coach on the side lines guiding them, pushing them, trying to make them better and motivating them to reach their goal. 

A personal trainer is your coach in the real world. One who is certified and experienced  will come up with creative ways to make your work out fresh and fun and will keep you motivated to help you reach your health and fitness goals. 

Due to our country’s current economic situation, many people view exercise and fitness as an expendable luxury because they don't have money for gyms and don't know where or how to start their exercise routines. Some people don't realize that you don't need any equipment at all to have a fun, exciting work out. You can use your own body weight and work out in your own home, at your work place or even in local parks. 

Some people just need accountability, and a great way to do that is to find someone to buddy up with such as a friend, a spouse or a co-worker who will be waiting for you like a coach, a teammate and a fan.  Whether it’s walking, strength training or a new activity you have always wanted to try, there are numerous and fun ways to get and stay fit. 

Others let an injury keep them on the sidelines. Just because you have an injury in one body part (whether it’s a knee or shoulder), don't let it keep you out of the game. If one body part is injured, just focus on the other areas until it is healed and ready to come off the bench. 

There’s no better time to start back up than right now. So, for that 80% of you that have dropped out since January, put your uniform back on, get off the bench and get back in the game! 

By Christe Smith

360-481-8196