This is the main obstacle to exercise I hear more than any other, even more than the others like not having enough time. It seems that if exercise is not perceived as fun, the likelihood of people beginning and sticking with it is minimal. Possibly the reason is because exercise is always associated with something uncomfortable or even painful! Many times when we start to exercise the first thing we are thinking about is “Ugh…when is this going to be over?”
Remember when we were younger and we exercised all the time? We couldn’t wait to start and kept going until someone dragged us back into the house as the sun was going down. There was no thought of “when will this be over” or” I hate exercise.” It was simply something we loved to do. You may be thinking that was not the case for you and this article is being written for someone else.
Well, what if I told you that I am talking about you? If you changed one word you might start to understand my concept. So let’s change the word exercise for another word …PLAY! Whether you realize it or not most forms of play are great ways to exercise. Oh, and I am not talking about playing video games but “old school” forms of play. When was the last time you rode your bike, played some basketball or went out dancing? Believe it or not, all of these are forms of play and at the same time great exercise.
You can even play at the gym! Formal exercise can be fun as well if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone. In addition to classes like Zumba , Spin or Bar Technique there are all kinds of new pieces of equipment and exercise techniques that can challenge your body and mind while giving you a fresh feeling about exercise. Consider trying a new piece of equipment like TRX suspension system or working out on a BOSU ball. Both give you a great workout and have you feeling muscles you may have never felt before. You can set up an appointment with a qualified fitness trainer like me to learn how to use these pieces of equipment safely and effectively.
So I challenge you to start making exercise fun again. Go and dust off that bike or find that soccer ball in the back of the garage (or deep within your closet). Whether it is a sport you used to play or trying for the first time or trying something new in the gym, you might be pleasantly surprised that the kid in you might just reappear! Suddenly, exercise will go from being a chore to a form of play again!
Feel free to leave your comments in the box below. Let’s get some ideas flowing on how you can make exercise fun.
