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Outside Magazine, December 2008

Bodywork
The Corrections
Mistake #3

By Matt Fitzgerald

Training on Empty | Working Out Just to Work Out | Living at the Gym | Stretching Cold | Going Long and Slow to Burn Calories | Ignoring Weights | Taking it Too Easy | Skipping Recovery | Moving in One Plane | Ab Obsession | Pretending You're Too Busy | Not Keeping Score

Living at the Gym
Sure, Equinox is convenient. But exercising indoors is boring, not to mention expensive. And oft-cited research shows it may not be as effective: Researchers at the University of Stockholm had athletes run at the same perceived exertion on an indoor treadmill and on an outdoor track. Result: They ran faster outdoors. Plus, if you're like 40 percent of Americans, you don't get enough vitamin D (conveniently provided by the sun). This deficiency can mean weak bones and skin whiter than Clay Aiken's.

The Fix: Exercise outdoors at least half the time. Avoid treadmills. If you're a gym rat, you can even modify your routines: Try doing lunges up a hill or using a park bench as a plyo box. And just because nobody really uses the chin-up bar on the fitness course at your local park doesn't mean that you can't.



Next Page: Mistake #4

Training on Empty | Working Out Just to Work Out | Living at the Gym | Stretching Cold | Going Long and Slow to Burn Calories | Ignoring Weights | Taking it Too Easy | Skipping Recovery | Moving in One Plane | Ab Obsession | Pretending You're Too Busy | Not Keeping Score



Matt Fitzgerald is a freelance writer in San Diego who is still perfecting his wilderness-navigation skills.

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