As cultural clichés and morning talk shows tell us, there’s no time like January to resolve oneself to getting healthy and losing weight. Never mind the fact that maintaining or improving one’s health and wellness are year-round obligations, January is boomtime for the physical fitness industry. So, you could just do what the fourth hour of Today tells you and snatch up one of those post-New Year’s membership specials at a gym that’ll charge you $99 a month for at least the next six months. But are you going to commit to getting your money’s worth? Or, are you going to go for a few weeks but ultimately let your newfound workout regimen lapse as Washington Sports Club or whatever continues to sap your bank account?
Why risk it? Besides, gyms are smelly, judgmental and expensive. Also, there are plenty of ways for D.C. residents to take their fitness routines into their own hands: running, cycling, hiking, dancing, even some things in your quotidian life that you might not have considered as viable workout options.
Fleet Feet Sports via Facebook
RUN, DAMN IT!: Throughout the year, Fleet Feet Sports offers two free weekly group runs. Dubbed “fun runs,” they welcome runners of various paces. On Wednesday, a women-only group meets at 6 p.m. and takes off at 6:30 p.m. along either a three- or five-mile course. The Saturday co-ed group meets before 9 a.m. to run five miles. The gathering usually attracts 10 to 12 people with paces that range from 7- to 12-minute mile times. The courses vary each week, but routes usually wind through Rock Creek Park. Water and energy chews are offered at the store before and after the exercise. To keep warm outside, Fleet Feet’s running gurus advise participants to protect their core and layer their running ensemble. —Kat Lucero
Fleet Feet Sports is located at 1841 Columbia Road NW; (202) 387-3888.
BicycleSPACE via Facebook
BIKE D.C.: There’s really no excuse not to own a bike in D.C.: given our mild climes and availability of routes, riding a bike is a spectacularly easy way to stay in shape while avoiding the gym. Listing every possible ride isn’t possible, but if you’re only just starting, consider doing some laps at Hains Point, riding up the Capital Crescent Trail to Bethesda, heading out the Custis and Washington & Old Dominion Trails to Arlington and beyond, or heading south along the Mt. Vernon Trail toward Alexandria. If you want to pedal a little further asunder, head up MacArthur Boulevard to Great Falls or hit River Road in Potomac to explore the largely undeveloped rolling countryside of western Montgomery County. Have a mountain bike? Get on the C&O Canal’s towpath in Georgetown, which will take you as far as the Pennsylvania border if you don’t stop. Feel a little daunted riding alone? The Bike Rack has a variety of group ride options, as does BicycleSPACE. —Martin Austermuhle
The Bike Rack is located at 1412 Q Street NW; (202) 387-2453. BicycleSPACE is located at 1019 Seventh Street NW; (202) 962-0123.
Photo by Danny Dougherty
HIKE D.C.: The D.C. area is blessed with plentiful hiking in and around the city. In D.C. proper, Rock Creek Park offers miles of trails that make you feel like you’re far removed from the urban bustle. Most of the trails offer easy, relaxing tours, though there are more strenuous paths along the hillsides girding the creek. The trails also pass by historical sites like Peirce Mill and Fort DeRussy, an earthen fort that formed part of the capital’s defenses during the Civil War. Roosevelt Island, facing Georgetown, also offers nature trails, and a bit up the C&O Canal in Great Falls, Md. there are some nice leisurely hikes along the canal and more demanding hikes up into the hills that lead to nice views. Farther afield, Shenandoah National Park is full of trails winding past waterfalls and along ridge lines to mountaintop vistas like Old Rag, while the town of Harper’s Ferry, W.Va. is full of trailheads that take hikers to the cliffs overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. —Andrew Wiseman
Photo via Joy of Motion
DANCE: If you’re looking for drop-in fitness classes that don’t require long-term membership commitments, pick from a variety of dance classes at studios like Joy of Motion. Classes range from very beginner 10-week courses in ballet, jazz, hip hop and other styles for $99 for the series. More limber folks should consider dropping by any of the MOVE classes, which are great for anyone looking to burn a ton of calories in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, or more intensive dance classes that specialize in specific styles of dance. —Lynne Venart
Joy of Motion is located at 1333 H Street NE; (202) 399-6763.
Photo by philliefan99
MASS TRANSIT TO LOWER YOUR MASS: Not only is mass transit better for the environment, it can be better for your health too. Don’t overlook the calorie-cutting benefits of that time every morning when you scream out in rush-hour agony, “Oh crap! The bus is pulling away and I have to run for it.” Researchers have found that short bursts of exercise can be as effective in improving your health as longer, slower workouts. Also, take advantage of other opporutunities during your commute to get a little workout in. While aboard Metrorail or Metrobus, try to balance without holding on to a railing or fellow passenger—it’s a great core workout. But, should you lose your balance and crash into someone, at least you’ll get the added exercise of running away or bobbing and weaving to avoid being punched. Finally, consider calf raises on the curb while waiting for the bus, walking up and down the escalator (whether it’s working or not), and hiking to a Metro station a little farther that the one you usually take. —Elisabeth Grant
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is an inter-jurisdictional transportation agency that operates trains and buses throughout the greater D.C. area. See wmata.com for schedules and maps. Buses $1.60, train fares vary.
Photo by Benjamin R. Freed
THAT AS-SEEN-ON-TV BULLSHIT SOLD AT BED BATH & BEYOND: Look: Running shoes, bikes, hiking boots? These are all serious investments—both in money and time. Well, what if you’re too busy to be bothered to keep up a strenuous regimen of running, cycling, or rambling through the bushes? Fortunately, there’s Bed Bath & Beyond. Not only does the big-box store sell aisles and aisles of housewares and linens, it also has a selection of that junk sold on late-night and midday infomercials that offers quick-and-easy ways to shed those excess pounds. The Slim Away device appears to be some kind of elastic torso wrap claiming to magically tone your body as it presses you into an oblong tube. Those blue yoga mats (upper left), include instructional DVDs. Not for yoga, but for the care and storage of the mats. Does any of this crap work? Probably not, but wasting $25 at the mall is far less costly than spending $100 a month on a gym you’ll never visit. —Benjamin R. Freed
Bed Bath and Beyond is located at 3100 14th Street NW, (202) 232-4310; and 709 Seventh Street NW, (202) 628-0002.
Photo by christaki
RUNNING UP STAIRS: If running up the steps leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art was enough to secure Rocky Balboa victory over the course of six movies, surely doing the same locally will guarantee that you’ll lose some weight and build some muscle, right? For a warm up, head to the Lincoln Memorial, where you can run up the 58 steps on the front side of the memorial, or try the steps that rise from Ohio Drive SW to the Lincoln Memorial Circle behind it. For a real workout, charge up the 75 stairs that make up Georgetown’s infamous Exorcist steps, located on M Street between the Car Barn and Exxon station. If that doesn’t seem like that many, consider this—the stairs rise five stories from top to bottom. (When you get to the top, please don’t allow demonic possession to throw you back down them, though.) And for a workout that will fit right into your commuting schedule, run up the longest escalators in the Metro system: Wheaton (230 feet), Bethesda (212 feet) and Woodley Park (204 feet). Knowing Metro, they’ll probably be busted anyway. Just hope that everyone stands to the right. —Martin Austermuhle
Stairs are also located in your house.
