Have you ever heard of the terms “contract gym” or “contract PE”? Maybe your school calls it something different, so bear with me for a moment. The gist is that instead of getting sweaty during the school day, you sign an agreement that you will go to your local gym, YMCA, JCC, etc. at least two times a week for an hour to work out on your own time.

In my humble opinion, this is the most brilliant idea ever.

With all due respect to my own high school gym teacher, a very cool lady who actually lived around the corner from me when I was growing up, I would have much preferred this method of staying fit. I would have gladly ditched kickball and floor hockey to head to the gym and take a class in kickboxing, Spin, yoga, etc. Not only would I truly feel that I burned some calories, but it would also establish a lifelong habit of regular exercise, not to mention going to my college fitness center on a regular basis.

That’s where the brilliant part comes in. Instead of encouraging the idea that gym is only for the athletically inclined, contract gym allows non-athletes to find a physical activity that they enjoy enough to do on a regular basis. If you haven’t already heard, many Americans are obese. This is an awesome way to counterattack that trend, not to mention avoiding the Freshman 15 that Joe Campus wrote so eloquently about last week.

Your thoughts?