Katablogism

I was having lunch with some colleagues recently and the topic “which is a more suitable Gym?” came up.
Would you rather prefer a snazzy, high-class, Air-conditioned, sona-fitted Gym or a basic, middle-class amenity packed one?

There are quite a few common misconceptions regarding the topic. For e.g, “Hey that gym ain’t good….. you don’t sweat that much,there.The A.C if full blast, what’s the point?”.The numerous times, I have been forced to clinch and launch into a tirade of finger wagging advice thanks to such ill-informed statements, have prompted me to write this post.

1. Choosing a Gym depends on numerous factors. You have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages and arrive at a personalized conclusion. Like every other important decision in life there are no general one-line rules to this choice.
2. Sweating De-bunked : Sweating is the body’s natural way to bring your body temperature down (thermo-regulation in geek-lingo).Sweating profusely (more likely to happen in gyms with lesser Air Conditioning*) only means you lose more water. This only causes a temporary loss of weight. The minute you drink water(something you should do more often btw) this “weight lost” is re-gained. Hence loss of weight aimed through this way** is not only pointless but also precarious as it can be mis-leading. Lesson : More sweating in your gym does not mean your burning “more-fat” but simply that your burning fat.
3. It is important to choose a gym which has the most amount of usable-equipment.You need a wide range of equipment in order to uniformly exercise the different parts of your body.The key word though is usable. If a gym boasts of having equipment resembling the likes of props from Star Trek, think again. Keep in mind though two treadmills and one-cycling machine does not constitute a gym as well.
4. the most important point though, while choosing a gym, should be the one that would ensure your motivation to go to the gym stays high. If you choose a gym that satisfies most requirements but is 15 kms away, there’s bound to be some attendance problems. Unless of course your instructor is Angeline Jolie.
5. It’s the simpler more common-sensical points that you should watch out for. Like how long the gym stays open. What are the schemes like. Are they open on weekends. Does it have a pretty instructor.

Hope this helps.

* Slight digression: There is this common misconception that you tend to sweat more under humid conditions. Not true. In fact you tend to sweat lesser under humid conditions. You feel more miserable though. Simply because sweat, which should evaporate thus cooling your body, evaporates lesser under humid conditions and more under dry conditions. An efficient air conditioning system should maintain the humidity at optimum levels. Dryer/humid is not to be confused with hotter/colder.[MAJOR DIGRESSION >< ]

**Sweating more does make you burn fat (and this time I mean the kind you should be gunning to cut down on). But the amount of fat burnt this way, is of such minuscule proportions, that it’s pointless hoping to reduce this way.Let me clarify. Sweating requires “sweat” to be secreted in the 2.4 million sweat glands located throughout the human body. For any natural process the body undergoes, energy is required.This energy is derived from fat reserves in the body. Hence some fat IS burnt through this way. But the proportions are so small, you shouldn’t be banking on this in the first place.(This point has been stated merely for theoretical correctness).