"Running is the cheapest way to exercise! All you need is shoes!"
Nonesense.
Here's what I need to do a daily 20 minute run:
- Shoes ($50, replaced every 200 - 500 miles)
- Shorts. I own like 3 pair, at maybe $20 to $30 a pair.
- Shirts. I own like 3, same cost as shorts.
- access to a gym (included in rent.)
- phone ($700 + ~30 / month)
- Headphones (used to be $5, now $40. Because 3.5 mm headphone jack)
These all wear out, and need replacement call it every year. So that's 50 + 20 + 20 + 20 (phone use direcred towards running.) + 40 = $150 / year. Baseline.
That's just to do a run in the gym. If I want to go outside, I need:
-- sidewalks (where I grew up did not have sidewalks)
-- A safe neighborhood (cost: a lot)
To do it well, I also need:
-- Neighbors that are pro running. (cost: countless efforts by local governance.)
- WATER. I've got a fancy coffee shop that has free and easily nabbed water. Ice cold, perfect as runner bait. Direct cost is zero.
Running causes injuries, so I also need:
-- Healthcare. Visits to a physical therapist easily run $20 after insurance, and before you go you must see a doctor. This runs more. Plus, the ruinous premiums.
Running is expensive.
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You've given evidence demonstrating that the second statement is nonsense but not the first.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things I learned at martial arts is how to exercise for free. Push ups, sit ups, various squats and lunges, kicks, punches, forms, stretches.
ReplyDeleteI should probably do it more often.
George Austin: Brian Ashford has provided such evidence.
ReplyDeleteWell, you could train yourself to be able to run barefoot and save on the shoes!
ReplyDeleteSure, but even so...there are pretty obvious exercises which don't require the things described. Things like pushups don't require such space and have less risk of injury.
ReplyDeleteIt does make me wonder about alternative inexpensive DIY exercise devices.
Like maybe, you could fill a plastic bin with some sand. This is a cheap alternative to a stair stepping machine. You could walk in place while watching TV or a laptop or something.
You do /not/ need a phone, headphones, a gym, sidewalks, a safe neighborhood, or neighbors that are pro running. I'll grant that you need clothing that is at least somewhat weather appropriate, and a place to run (you poke around this one, but you are very focused on your own experience. a park or local track or streets that aren't busy would also work... though PoC will likely have higher opportunity costs in the places they can run without hassle, so the gym might have some more merit), and water would be good to have but most of this other stuff... I mean, I get what you are saying, it's not necessarily free. But this is a very... interesting perspective.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you leave out "free time" to be able to do it in.
Also, I think this boils down to "the cheapest exercise is the thing you can so with what you already own". Because really, that is what "All you need is shoes" is getting at... the idea that you probably already own the item you need to be able to do it, as opposed to like biking or whatnot.
Yeah the phone and headphones thing is an excess. It's a want not a need. I prefer running without music or other audio.
ReplyDeleteClothing also seems pretty high. I can go to Walgreens and buy sweatpants at 3 for $10. If I need shorts I can apply scissors
Running actually reduces the chance of leg, ankle, and knee injuries (it strengthens the muscles and ligaments) if you do it correctly and have a good pair of shoes, so it should save you more money than it costs in that respect.
ReplyDeleteIt's also commonly recommended that you not listen to music while you're running. If you're running outside you run the risk of missing ambient sound that could warn you against a mishap, and even if you're in the gym listening to music actually distracts you from the signals your body is sending making it more likely that you get an injury from overexertion or repetitive stress, though I don't have research on this I've heard it from some pretty reliable sources. (Though I really doubt you're buying the phone and headphones specifically for running anyway.)
I used to run 1-3 miles every day before I had to stop (knee injury, genetic ironically, and my doctor told me that my running kept it from being a problem sooner than it was.) Here's how my costs broke down:
- Shoes. This is the most important one. You should buy sneakers that provide cushioning and ankle support. Typically between $50-$100.
That's it.
Shirts and shorts? I'm not a nudist. I already have some. I didn't buy any specifically to run.
Gym? I ran outside.
Sidewalks? I ran in the dirt along the shoulder of a small paved road. (Running on a soft path is actually better than running on pavement, if possible.)
A safe neighborhood? I lived in a very small town that was inexpensive and very safe, but I wasn't living there specifically to run, I was living there because it was close to my job.
Neighbors that are pro running? I don't understand this one. What does having an anti-running neighbor look like? I had one neighbor that would let his dog run around unleashed and not fenced in and when I tried to run by it charged at me barking and snarling forcing me to climb a fence to get away from it (good thing I wasn't wearing headphones so that I heard it) so I mapped another route. Is that what you mean?
Overall though I think my impression is similar to Matt Johnson's. It seems like you're focusing on a nitpicky interpretation of what people say (you need literally nothing except shoes to run) vs. what they mean (you need a good pair of shoes and probably have everything else if you want to start running.)
You absolutely need a phone when running while female or trans because people will harass you and you may need to get help!
ReplyDeleteSandy J-T That's an interesting point... I mentioned PoC but I should have extended that to basically every minority. The "run in safety" entry point for "White dude" is very different than the entry point for anyone else. It also makes me wonder about if we are talking about the actual requirements for running, or what a given individual would need to run in comfort/safety.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we are no doubt over analyzing what is basically a motivational poster one liner...
And that’s without getting into the proper diet. Eating healthy is heartbreakingly difficult for many, many people.
ReplyDeleteI need a phone because I have the direction sense of a sea cucumber. I get lost.
ReplyDelete