For many people, exercise can be a nightmare they would rather turn their eyes away from and never have to face again. The reasons why are no secret: it’s difficult to find any encouragement after an already exhausting day, not to mention that most of the recommended fitness routines are simply… boring. Thankfully, if you’re looking for ways to have fun and reap the benefits of physical activity, you’ve come to the right place. Explore the concept of removing the “work” from “workout” with these 10 fun suggestions:
1. Don’t Leave the House
This might seem like a counterintuitive suggestion, but the truth is that many people find their excuses stemming from a want to stay at home, for example bad weather, or that your bed is right there. So why not have fun right in your natural habitat? There are plenty of fitness/sporting/dancing console games available to get you moving, not to mention the (literal!) millions of free exercise videos at your fingertips just by searching YouTube. No more excuses!
2. Spice up Your Walks
Instead of just walking around the block for your health fix, add some flavor by joining a walking tour of your closest city, pretending to be a tourist whilst you learn about the history behind your area. Alternatively, why not walk a dog? Their boundless energy will motivate you and their unconditional love will do wonders for your mental health too.
3. Just Like Riding a Bike
If any form of walking seems far too mundane for you, speed things up by exploring your city with a bicycle, watching the scenery as it zips past you, reaching your destination in no time at all. Affordable and well-built road bikes under 300 dollars make your trek enjoyable.
4. The Beach is Your Oyster
A day trip to the beach can easily double as a full exercise session. Join in with a volleyball game, throw a frisbee between friends, or go for a surf. Even swimming in the ocean is great for muscle strength, not to mention the salty water will clear your skin right up.
5. Keeping up with the Kids
If there are any children in your life, you can use them as your own personal trainers no matter what their age. Build your hand muscles by playing with finger strengthener putty with the little ones, enjoy hopscotch with the slightly older ones, or challenge your teenagers to an intense game of paintball, if you dare. No kids? No problem! Summon your own inner child by rollerblading or jumping on a trampoline.
6. The World is a Playground
Speaking of your inner child, your local playground could be the ideal place to catch a workout too, as the equipment there is often specifically designed to exercise your children anyway. Test your balance by walking along the seesaw, perform some pull-ups on the swing set, or simply run around using these fixtures as an obstacle course. Please don’t get in the way of the youngsters though, it is their territory after all.
7. Just Dance
There is never an excuse not to dance. Pick a club that plays your favorite tunes and go socialize while you exercise. If you love dancing, join a random class to enhance your skills, such as belly dancing, pole dancing, tap dancing, or breakdancing. And if you can’t dance, start small with online tutorials. There aren’t many fitness choices as entertaining as this one.
8. Keeping It Social
Dancing is only one example of the endless social classes or sports teams you can join to improve your physical game and meet new people. Whether it be basketball, yoga, tennis, martial arts, football, bowling… you name it, it’s there, with the first session usually free. Experiment with many, find the one you love, and then stick to it!
9. Adventure Time
For those of you who are a little more courageous, why not have a face off with nature? Go on a long scenic hike up a mountain to destroy calories, go kayaking for an intense core workout, or go rock climbing for flexible upper body strength. Stare danger in the face whilst breathing in some tasty fresh air from the outside world for a change.
10. Scare Yourself into Shape
Finally, if you want to go all the way, sign up for a marathon or an obstacle course. Nothing will motivate you quite like a competitive deadline racing towards your schedule, and when you reach the end of the event, you will have an elevated sense of accomplishment quite unlike anything else. Not to mention, your friends will be very impressed with you too.