HOW DOES ENVIRONMENT IMPACT THE SUCCESS OF OUR FITNESS JOURNEY?

 

         Fitness can and often times be perceived as an easy venture especially when viewed on paper. The practical aspect of successfully maintaining it comes with its fair share of challenges. Occasionally, we end up concluding that by frequently hitting the gym and eating right gets everything sorted. It's true to a greater extent but could there be other factors that highly impact its success in the long run?

Could there be?

   When discussing the term "environment" in relation to its effects on our fitness journey, we’re looking at all the external conditions, surroundings, and factors that influence our ability to stay active and maintain healthy habits. It can be broken down into several key aspects:

1. Physical Environment.

• Outdoor spaces: Accessibility to parks, trails, and open spaces for activities like running, walking, or cycling creates the ability to consistently chase fitness goals. Anyone with the intention of getting fit but lack such spaces, will find it difficult bring it into fruition.
• Indoor facilities: This entails availability of gyms, swimming pools, fitness studios, or even home exercise areas. In areas where the temperature drops to minus zero degrees celsius, it becomes easier to continue exercising in closed but well aerated facilities. Assuming one doesn't have access to any, it will surely slow down their progress.
• Geographical terrain: These are features like hills, flat landscapes, or coastal regions that shape the types of workouts you might engage in. This becomes more practical for professional athletes who rely on certain geographical zones to practice for events that require specific stamina and endurance. Makes sense why some travel to Africa where most of these features are easily found. 
• Climate and weather: Temperature, humidity, and seasonal variations have a huge impact on this. When it's too cold or it's raining a lot, most people put their fitness commitments on hold. It's difficult to pursue some of the ventures like hiking or cycling when the weather is bad.

2. Social Environment.

• Community and support systems: Friends, family, or fitness communities that motivate and encourage you. Being surrounded by fit people or a group of members who embrace fitness can highly influence anyone to venture into it. Vice versa is also true, leading to demotivation most times.
• Cultural norms: Societal attitudes toward exercise, body image, and healthy living can contribute to either it's success or failure. If being overweight is associated to beauty especially for women, then working out to be fit will totally be out of the equation. 

  

  In Mauritania, there is a practice called "Gavage". In order to get a suitable match,
  women are forced to eat in large quantities which include goat meat,
  camel milk, bread crumbs soaked in olive oil and dates 
  to gain weight.
  
  

  
  
• Workplace culture: Opportunities for movement, like walking meetings or standing desks. In a setup where none of this exist, it becomes difficult to get some steps in, burn extra calories or stretch a little. This derails the aspect of fitness for those who highly rely on the concept of calories in versus calories out.

3. Economic Environment.

• Financial resources: In our context, it is the ability to afford gym memberships, equipment, or healthier food options. In an area where the aspect of affordability is high, it will be difficult for anyone that lacks the purchasing power to have these experiences. This will have a huge impact on the success of their fitness journey.
  
  
  
• Proximity to resources: Ease of access to affordable fitness facilities or grocery stores with fresh produce makes sustainability of the venture  to be effortless. Vice versa is also true.

4. Built Environment.

• Urban planning: It entails walkable cities, bike lanes, and public transportation that promote active commuting. In third world countries, most areas are excessively congested and overpopulated. This means that for this to work, a lot of restructuring has to be done which is close to impossible. It leaves residences with  no option of engaging in such activities.

  

  It's difficult to venture into fitness activities in a congested city like this.
  Any attempt could fall under 1000 ways to die.

  
  
• Residential spaces: Layouts that either encourage or discourage movement, such as apartment gyms or compact living areas. This especially in modern regions, makes it convenient and safe, hence promote physical fitness.

5. Psychological Environment.

• Mental associations: It could be an environment that either inspires motivation or contributes to distraction. This can also be linked to the people you hang around with and the content you expose yourself to. If they revolve around positive attributes of fitness, the spark of starting will light up.

  

  If these are the type of social media contents you consume, then
  the journey will be a rollercoaster without a doubt.

  
  
• Noise and stress levels: Chaotic or overcrowded spaces can affect your focus during workouts. Could it be a reason as to why others opt for home gyms unlike commercial gyms?

6. Technological Environment

• Digital tools: Access to fitness apps, virtual trainers, or online communities for guidance and support. An app like MyFitnessPal is a great tool to help successfully track calories being consumed. This could be the only difference between guys who lose weight/gain muscles verses guys who make no progress despite both groups training hard.
  
  
  
• Wearable technology: This could be devices like fitness trackers that monitor progress and keep you motivated. Ability to gauge how many calories burnt verses how many consumed puts anyone is a trajectory of success.

Environment is just but a portion of what it entails to keep fit for a long time. That said, the impact can have lasting effects as seen above. Other key fundamental factors like nutrition, type of training, recovery, hormonal health etc plays huge roles in it. 

Lack of conducive environment, shouldn't be a reason as to why anyone doesn't take steps to engage in physical fitness. Improvising in most cases can become a game changer. The ability of knowing how to go about it should make the improvisation easier. Having a stationary bike in the house can help mimic on-road cycling, having a modernized treadmill can help mimic running on different terrains. The feeling at times might not be the same but it's better than nothing.

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