Drive to the gym: The ultimate waste of resources?

As I was driving to the gym yesterday, I started to consider the true cost of driving to the gym to get a workout. My trip to the gym is just under 10 miles one way. That’s 20 miles total. In my Mini Cooper, I get about 30 miles per gallon. So the obvious direct cost is the 3/4 of a gallon of gas. There are other secondary costs that are much harder to quantify including the cost of electricity at the gym, the incremental costs (electricity, wear and tear, etc) for traffic lights, road maintenance, traffic police, and Mini wear (tires, oil, belts). Consider the impact to the environment for all of these secondary costs and the infrastructure to support all of these systems. Without fossil fuels, this short 20 mile trip wouldn’t be possible in 20 minutes. If I were to make a list of the raw materials I’d need to make this trip possible, that list would include: Oil (gasoline, plastics, rubber), electricity (natural gas, coal), etc, etc, etc.

But let’s get realistic. If I’m really going to make an impact, I need to focus on the things I can change. It doesn’t help for me to feel overwhelmed with all the things that contribute to our global environmental problems. I’m pretty powerless to change the secondary impacts in a dramatic and meaningful way. However, I can take a hard look at the primary costs. I need to carefully consider my 20 mile trip to the gym. Once I understand the cost, I need to make a decision whether to continue making that trek in the same way or to make a change. Different transportation method? Different gym? No gym?

I wanted to put this problem into terms I can easily digest (pardon the pun) so I decided to evaluate the travel cost in calories. Calories are easy to understand and have a direct comparison to life. Since gasoline is a fuel just like food, the caloric content of gasoline can be measured just like food. One gallon of auto fuel is approximately 31,000 calories. The gym is 3/4 of a gallon round trip in my Mini (20 minutes one-way/40 minutes total). I’m burning about 23,250 calories round-trip to the gym. When I get to the gym, I’m burning about 900 calories during my hour-long workout. Granted, the car can travel faster than I can, but that’s still a dramatic difference in efficiency. (Here’s a great comparison of muscle-engine vs. auto-engine efficiency: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question527.htm)

When faced with the true costs of traveling to the gym to burn only 900 calories, it really makes me feel like I’m over-indulging in energy consumption. I could also say that I’m trading the health of the environment and our society for my own health. This seems like a selfish decision since the environment’s ill-health has an impact on every living thing on this planet. It’s also counterproductive since my trip adds to air and water pollution which is going to impact me as well. Makes me wonder why I’m permitted to make such a trade-off without consulting all those who will be impacted by my decision. I can’t drive my car without a seatbelt and I’m really the only person who’s harmed or saved by that decision. However, I can decide to waste 31,000 calories/mile and contribute to global warming and pollution all by myself. There must be a better way. I digress…

Why do I go to the gym? There are four reasons: Health, fitness, friendship, and (blushing) vanity. So here are my excuses for going to the gym and keeping up this energy gluttony (along with some nagging questions about my logic):

Exercise is important to staying healthy and reducing the burden on our healthcare system. (Do I need to go to a gym that’s 10 miles away to get exercise? Can’t I run around my neighborhood?)

It’s important to feel connected to a community and the gym I attend provides me with that connection. (Is your current gym the only gym that will provide that connection? What about a sports league – beach volleyball or running club? What about spending more time with friends in a context that doesn’t involve the gym?)

I can exercise outdoors without traveling to the gym during the nice weather months for cardiovascular exercise, but I need the weights for strength training. (What about a closer gym? How much would it lessen your impact if you buy the weights you need and do your lifting at home? What if you collect rocks from the beach and lift those??!! LOL!)

So it looks like I need to do some soul searching on this topic. I’m really torn. I picked this topic first because it’s so near and dear to my heart. I really enjoy going to the gym. I really enjoy working out. I love the physical benefits and I love the way it makes me feel about myself. However, I can’t deny that the costs of my current “fitness plan” aren’t sustainable. If I’m really serious about making a change, this is where the change needs to start.

More to come…