There's more to fitness than the scale!

Exercise, nutrition, and personal training are great tools for losing weight and improving ones body composition and physical appearance. Let's face it, most people first enter a gym to look better in the mirror. This isn't everybody, of course, but I think it's a fair statement to say that human beings (especially those in Western cultures dominated by media images of physical beauty) are vain creatures to some extent. We want to look good to attract a mate if you look at it from a purely biological perspective. So we enter gyms, sweat like mad, and endure physical discomfort to achieve the goal. And there is nothing wrong with that. It's in our genetic and social programming.

But, that's only the tip of the iceberg. (nobody make one Titanic comment, please!) Exercise and the training process should be about more than the mirror or scale. Often people lose sight of the other (more important) aspects of the benefits of the gym.

Exercise can improve all aspects of ones physical and mental health, and the relationships forged by the mutual shedding of blood, sweat, and tears in the process are some of the most concrete and beneficial that one can make.

From a physical standpoint, weight training combined with proper cardiovascular programming can lower cholesterol, improve insulin sensitivity, boost metabolism, and improve the body's performance in every aspect of life. Being stronger and having better endurance makes you a more effective parent, employee, and member of society. That's just plain and simple truth.

From a mental health perspective, the endorphin release from a good workout can improve mood temporarily, and over time, exercise has been shown to combat symptoms of clinical depression long term. These benefits should not be ignored. While perhaps not as tangible as saying "I lost X pounds" I think that having a healthier, happier you is a pretty huge win.

I suggest that we all take a step away from the scale, mirror, and calipers for a little while, and ponder how exercise, and the community aspect of our gym family benefits us all. Keep sight of your fitness goals of course, but look also at the intangible positive effects of the gym and our workouts have on our lives. My clients and co-workers, and the rest of our gym community are the most important people in my life (along with family, of course), and I love not only the challenge, but the benefits of training hard week in and week out.

-Steve Decker