Fit Talk

I have a passion for exercising that most people can’t comprehend. I love to workout; I love the challenge of surpassing my personal records. I have belonged to a gym near my house for about three years. Throughout these years, it has been interesting to observe the four types of gym members: the passionates, the faithfuls, the sporadics, and the never-goers.

The first type, the passionate group, consists of fanatic people who basically live at the gym. Like me, the people who belong to this group love to workout. You can see them sweating away one night and the next morning they are back at it; it’s as if they never left the gym. These people are talented; they can read a magazine and listen to music while running on the treadmill. They can talk on the phone, watch TV, and burn calories on the elliptical machine all at the same time. These enthusiasts don’t just exercise for twenty minutes and call it quits; they exercise for at least an hour, seven days a week. When they exercise, the passionate group really exercises. They challenge themselves to go the extra mile—literally. These people were not always as passionate about exercising as they are now; they were once a part of the faithful group.

The second type of gym members is the faithful group. These individuals are very dedicated to exercising and visit the gym at least three times a week. They are determined to achieve their goals, but they don’t go to huge extremes to attain them. They exercise for a reasonable amount of time—usually 30-40 minutes per session. Some of them even lift weights. Most of the faithfuls joined the gym to lose some weight and shape up. Sometimes, once the faithfuls are satisfied with the outcome, they relapse to the sporadic group.

The third type of people who exercise at a health club is the sporadic group. Every once in a while the members of this group step foot into a gym. At first, they do a great job of exercising on a regular basis, but then they start to skip a few days here and there. Soon, instead of running on the treadmill, they are watching re-runs of their favorite TV shows while eating a bag of Doritos. These people will continue to vegetate until something or someone motivates them to take action. It may be their doctor’s warning about the health risks of a sedentary lifestyle or the ten pounds of stuffing they ate during Thanksgiving dinner that ignites their willpower. Once the benefits of exercising outweigh the comforts of staying at home, the sporadic type is back at the gym. The individuals who belong to the sporadic group go through a cycle of emotions related to inspiration, lost momentum, and apathy. They start by exercising on a regular basis, then skipping a few days, and finally they stop going altogether.

The last group is the never-goers. In order to fulfill the first step in their New Year’s resolutions, these individuals join a gym, but that’s as far as they get. When February rolls around, their first bill is opened with a puzzled look. They exclaim to themselves, “What? I belong to a gym?” Still, they pay the bill thinking that someday they’ll take the time to hit the gym.

Next time you are in a gym, take time to evaluate the people who are working out. You will see the passionate group—the fanatics who bike to the gym, exercise for an hour, and bike home. You will also see the committed group trying to lose a few pounds after Christmas. You may see the sporadic group finally taking Dr. Phil’s most recent advice. On a rare occasion, you may run into a new member of the never-goers who just joined the gym. One characteristic of all four groups is that they have started their journey of a healthier lifestyle.