Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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and Finally ... PARTING SHOT Pumping Irony BOSTON'S FITNESS CULTURE IS GETTING STRONGER AND STRONGER, BUT ARE WE ANY FITTER FOR IT? BY R.S. COOK R ILLUSTRATION BY DANIEL O'LEARY emember when staying fit in the winter simply meant lifting weights or running on the treadmill? Today there seem to be more ways to work out in Boston than muscles in the body. From Bar Method to Boot Camp, CrossFit to Core Fusion, Pilates to P90X, the methods of breaking a sweat have bounded far beyond the StairMaster, leaving the likes of Richard Simmons to kick off their ankle weights and do a long, long, cooldown. Add to the mix an ever-growing cookbook of fad diets that have turned our food pyramid into an unnatural piece of origami, and it's safe to say that exercise culture in Boston is pretty much maxed out. But are we any healthier? Yes and no. According to Dr. Aaron Baggish of Massachusetts General Hospital's Cardiovascular Performance Program, "Boston as a city is fitter and healthier than other places around the country, particularly outside of the Northeast." A cardiologist who also serves as the co-medical director of the Boston Marathon, Dr. Baggish has his finger on the pulse of Boston's fitness culture. "Exercise has not only become socially acceptable, but socially encouraged," the doctor said. "But there is still a huge segment, if not the majority of our city, that doesn't do regular exercise." So while the exercises themselves may have changed dramatically in recent years, Dr. Baggish explained, the number of those exercising has not. What then are the benefits of Boston's evolving workout culture? Just ask Shandell Raposa, the group fitness manager of Equinox on Franklin Street. Since starting at Equinox five years ago, Raposa has seen more and more men lunging their way into her aerobics classes. "As programming changes to incorporate higher-intensity, athletic workouts, men are shedding the misconception that group fitness classes are equivalent to those of the Jane Fonda aerobics and Jazzercise era," she says. On the opposite end are the no-frills cults of CrossFit, Boot Camp, and Spartan Races, temples of "no guts, no glory." So with this wide range of workout options, maybe the most important question to ask yourself is: Do I fit in? Can I comfortably curl and crunch next to Gisele? Thanks to a new frontier of fitness centers and creative exercises, the good news is that there's a place for everyone to work out in Boston. Beyond that, the fundamental rule of working out still applies: no pain, no gain. BC 180 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 180_BC_BOB_PartingShot_Holiday_13.indd 180 11/1/13 4:55 PM