City Living
City Living|
Peak Points
* Turn commuting time into exercise time by biking, in-line skating or walking to work. * Seek alternatives to crowded health clubs. Big cities are filled with martial arts trainers, swimming pools, biking clubs, whatever. * Build muscles and flexibility you need for city living, particularly in your back, shoulders and legs. |
They say there are nine million stories in the naked city, but where exercise is concerned, it's more like nine million excuses. Joining a gym is too expensive. Or if you do belong to one, it's always too crowded. Or you can't go running because you might get mugged. Or your commute takes so long, you never have time to work out.
If you've ever lived in a big city, you already know that it's strenuous enough just making your way amidst the teeming humanity—the crowds, the traffic, the stress, the endless demands on your time, your energy, your money. Add a workout on top of that? Not in a New York minute.
Think again, says Bob Arnot, M.D., CBS News medical correspondent and author of Dr. Bob Arnot's Guide to Turning Back the Clock. "I live in New York City and have a job that keeps me pretty busy. But I discovered there are plenty of ways to exercise in the city and make it part of your routine," he says.
Exercising in the Big City
Working out in the city requires two things: some small sense of time management and a willingness to explore new venues for old-fashioned exercise.
"Finding a time and a place for exercise is a little like making your way around on the subway. The first couple of times you do it, you'll probably miss a stop or lose your way. But the more you do it, the easier and more instinctive it becomes. Pretty soon you'll know the whole system," says Charles Kuntzleman, Ed.D., adjunct associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Consider this chapter your pocket guide to a city fitness system. Here are a few pointers to get you headed in the right direction.
Be a power-commuter. The time you spend commuting is time you could spend exercising. For example, Dr. Arnot gets up early and commutes to work every day by bike or in-line skates, then showers and changes when he gets to work. "If you can bike to work, it's certainly a great idea," says Dr. Kuntzleman. "You can either pack your work clothes and take them with you, or leave a change of clothes at the job."
Take the road less traveled. If you decide to follow in Dr. Arnot's tire tracks and commute to work by bike or skate, try to stay off busy streets. Instead, develop a network of parallel side streets that will get you to your office. Less crowded streets mean less danger to you, less stopping and starting and less exposure to exhaust and other harmful pollutants you could inhale.
Rules of the Road As philosophical questions go, it's not as pressing as, say, the meaning of life or the existence of God, but it's one you need to ask yourself if you're planning to commute in the city on a bike: Are you a vehicle or a pedestrian? The answer, of course, is both. Any time you want, you can always jump off a bike and walk it, so boom, you're a pedestrian. "But if you're on a bike, on the road, then you should consider yourself a moving vehicle," says Sandra Woods, past bicycling coordinator for the engineering department of the city of Seattle, which has one of the best city-bicycling programs in the United States. As a vehicle, you need to follow basic rules of the road to keep motorists aware of your actions and, more important, to keep you from becoming street pizza. Here are a few tips she mentioned. * Obey all traffic signs and signals, just as if you were in your car. * Use hand signals to indicate what you're doing next. Left arm extended horizontally means left turn; left elbow bent, hand extending upward means right turn; left hand extending downward means slow down or stop. * Keep to the right as far as possible. In general, you want to be just outside the actual flow of traffic. If you have to make a left turn, signal your intentions. If it's a turn-only lane, ride to the right in the turn lane. Once you make the turn, get back over to the right. * Stay off the sidewalk unless absolutely necessary. Woods warns that some city police departments are authorized to ticket cyclists on the sidewalk, especially if they ride in an unsafe manner. Whether local ordinances mandate it or not, it's a good idea to stay in the street. It is difficult to predict what a pedestrian is going to do. * Watch out for car doors or people in parked vehicles. If the road is wide enough, try to ride at least a car door's length from all parked cars. * Make yourself conspicuous by wearing bright colors and using reflectors or bike lights in dim light. The more obvious you are to motorists and pedestrians, the more likely you'll all be able to go your own way without incident. * Assume you are invisible to drivers and pedestrians. Never assume that a turning motorist will see you. Always be as cautious as you can.
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Stop and walk. If you don't have a bike, or don't have a shower where you work, you can still get in some exercise. Let's say you take a train or bus to work. "I'd suggest that you pack some sneakers, get off one stop early and walk the rest of the way to work," says exercise physiologist John Amberge, director of corporate programs for the Sports Training Institute in New York City. Do the same thing on the way home. "With the way traffic is in the city, you may find you can get where you're going faster on foot," Dr. Kuntzleman adds.
Grab a partner. Early morning or evening is often the only time city dwellers can conceivably work in a workout. But one of the realities of city life is crime, and many of us are understandably reluctant to go out alone in the dark, lonely hours.
"If you have an exercise partner—a neighbor, a co-worker, someone who can exercise with you—you are more likely to be consistent with your exercise routine, which will result in greater improvement in your fitness levels," says Amberge. First of all, if there are two or more of you, you'll be a less appealing target for a mugger. Second, because of that tacit commitment to another person, buddying up tends to make you more likely to roll out of bed for that morning run than to blow it off. After all, you don't want to let a friend down.
Do an all-building workout. If you live in an apartment building or complex, you can use the whole building as your own personal exercise facility. "From an aerobic standpoint, you can use your apartment building stairwell for stair-climbing, or you could do laps in the hallways," says Dr. Kuntzleman. Plus, Dr. Kuntzleman points out that the confines of where you live may be safer than exercising on the street or in the local park.
Seek alternative workouts. One of the great things about city life is that there's always a broad range of choices. That applies to restaurants, theaters and places to work out.
"Never mind that, the bigger the city, the more health clubs there are. If those clubs are always crowded, look to other options for exercise, places where you'll get a good workout and maybe even learn a new sport at the same time," recommends Dr. Kuntzleman. Racquet clubs and martial arts studios are some obvious choices. Other options you might want to try include indoor climbing walls or boxing gyms.
Join an alternative club. While that fashionable health club in your neighborhood may be too much for your budget, there are other fitness clubs that will be a lot easier on your wallet to join.
"The YMCA is an obvious choice. Membership is usually much cheaper than most health clubs. And the Ys in bigger cities have comparable facilities," says Dr. Kuntzleman. Also, most large cities subsidize an athletic or social club that sponsors intramural team sports or lessons in various sports, from swimming to in-line skating. To see if your city has one, check your local government telephone listing. "You may have to pay a nominal fee to join or take lessons, but once again, these options are likely to be far less expensive than a health club," points out Dr. Kuntzleman.
Urban Exercise Essentials If you plan to exercise out on those wild city streets, exercise physiologist John Amberge, director of corporate programs for the Sports Training Institute in New York City, suggests that you don't go out without the following items. * Spare key. Don't take a whole ring of keys—they'll just weigh you down. Instead, take one key, something you can put on an elastic band and slip around your wrist. * ID. Slip your license in your sock or put it in a zippered pocket. * Medical alert necklace or bracelet. If you're out cold in the middle of the street, this little trinket may just save your life. * 20 bucks. Long-time veterans of city life are well aware of the principle of mugger money. If you get accosted, give it up. This strategy may actually be safer than carrying no money. If you're penniless, your would-be robber may get a little testy and take his frustrations out on you. * Exercise partner—or partners. There's strength in numbers. If you can get some co-workers, neighbors or pals to exercise with you, you'll be far less vulnerable than if you went out all by your lonesome.
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Urban Workouts
City life doesn't require muscle so much as flexibility and cardiovascular strength. You need a good set of heart and lungs if you want to catch the bus before it heads downtown. And it helps to be supple if you need to slide between the train doors, just before they close.
We had our experts recommend a few stretches and cardiovascular exercises that will help keep a good level of aerobic fitness and flexibility. The best thing about them is that you can do them anywhere in the city.
"You don't want this to be your only workout, of course," says Dr. Kuntzleman. But these exercises make a nice addition to a basic routine. Some of them even help you turn some basic elements of city life into effective workout tools.
Shoulder Exercises
Your shoulder joints have it hard in the city. Whether you're shouldering your way through a crowd or trying to force a temperamental subway door open, you'll want to protect your shoulders. Do plenty of shrugs as part of your regular workout. Lateral raises will also help increase shoulder strength.
Abdominal Exercises
Even in the most cramped apartment, you ought to have room to do crunches. And you should do them—every day. Besides improving your maneuverability, your abdominals also help shore up your lower back, which gets sore when you sit on public conveyances for hours at a time, and absorbs a lot of impact when you walk on hard, city pavement. Do crunches, including oblique crunches and oblique twists.
Arm Exercises
Whether you're hauling shopping bags across town or trying to hold on while the bus is swaying wildly through rush-hour traffic, you'll need arm strength aplenty. Keep a couple of dumbbells handy in your apartment so you can do biceps curls and standing kickbacks on a regular basis. Push-ups are also another handy exercise you can do in your apartment—and they work the chest muscles to boot.
Stair-Climbing
Every day at work, every night at home, avoid that elevator. Stair-climbing delivers an important aerobic benefit most urban dwellers overlook, says Dr. Kuntzleman. "When you're commuting every day, on the train, the bus or by car, you're probably not getting much of an aerobic workout as it is. This gives you a little extra workout. And it's something you can do every day."
To give the exercise a little extra kick, vary your stair-stepping. "For example, on the way down, take the steps two at a time. On the way up, with each step you take, rise up briefly on the toes of your stepping foot, then take another step, rise up on your toes, and continue down the stairs that way. It looks funny, but it's a great calf exercise," says Dr. Kuntzleman.
Heel Raises
To exercise your calf muscles, stand with your feet hip-width apart. Your toes should be resting up on the edge of the curb; your heels should be hanging over the edge. Hold your arms loosely at your sides (if you have hand weights or dumbbells, hold them in each hand, palms facing in). You should be leaning forward slightly.
Now rise all the way up on your toes. Feel the contraction in your calves, and pause briefly at the top. Your arms should remain in position, though your body will probably be more upright. Lower, repeat.
Curb Stretch
To stretch your Achilles tendon and ankle before a run, or while you're waiting for the bus, stand with the ball of your right foot on the edge of a curb—the rest of your foot should be hanging off the edge. Your left foot should be fully on the curb.
Now slowly lower your right heel below the level of the curb. If you need to, place one hand on a sign or parking meter for balance. Your right leg should remain straight as you stretch the ankle. Hold for 20 seconds, then switch your legs.
Chain-Link Fence Chest Stretch
You can use this handy shoulder and chest stretcher on any doorway or chain-link fence.
Stand with your back to the fence. Hold your arms behind you at shoulder level and grab the fence. Your palms should be facing away from you.
Now lean slightly forward, feeling the stretch across your chest and shoulders. Hold your chest up and tuck your chin slightly in toward your chest.
Note: You can also modify this stretch for your daily commute. Instead of a doorway or fence, use the support poles found on either side of the aisle in most trains or buses.