We’re entering our second week of Family Wellness Month. It’s a good time to promote the type of lifestyle that we know contributes to optimal health — emotionally, mentally and physically. Eating well and getting regular exercise has been proven to extend life, sharpen the mind and lift spirits.
One place to get active is a gym. When I was growing up, exercising indoors typically meant bending and stretching to Jack LaLanne and his contemporaries. I remember coming home after school to see Mom stretched out on the floor in front of the television, doing leg raises and sit-ups to the bracing instructions of the Father of Fitness.
But it wasn’t until the 1980s and Jane Fonda that anyone ever dreamed of doing their cardio work inside. Before aerobics there was walking, running, dancing, and playing sports. Then along came high-stepping group routines that increased the opportunity to, paraphrasing an adage from those days, not sit, but get fit.
Then, demand for more opportunities to step up the game saw gyms popping up in almost every community and folks lining up for memberships. Ellipticals, treadmills and cycles had people running and training in spite of inclement weather or time of day.
If you’ve been thinking the time has come to get moving, maybe these photos of people working out will give you the push you need:
