MAKE FITNESS FUN

10 Ways to Make Fitness Fun!
Put the Jungle Back in Gym
By Jennifer Gruenemay, ACE-Certified, LifeScript Staff Writer
Published March 10, 2009

When children play, they’re exercising – and having a great time. Ask an adult to climb the jungle gym and you’ll get a look that shouts, “You’ve got to be kidding!” Reclaim the joy of exercise with these 10 tips for making fitness fun again…

How you exercise isn’t nearly as important as finding the inner drive to do it and keep at it until you see results. Join a spin class or train for a marathon. In fact, you can burn a ton of calories just jumping up and down for an hour in your living room.

So why haven’t you done it yet?

Lack of motivation is at the heart of so many adults’ struggle to get fit. Exercise just isn’t fun! It’s a tedious, sweaty task – like scrubbing the toilet. Nobody wants to do it.

What’s the secret of those who do get out of bed, off the couch and away from the computer long enough to work out? They make exercise fun. Here are 10 tips to put some shape-sculpting play into your day:

1. Get Out of That Rut
Don’t use only the treadmill, stationary bike and step machine at the gym. Variety is the spice of any successful fitness routine. So give yourself some more exciting options.

Buy a jump rope, and see if you can still do a double jump. Strap on some rollerblades and speed down the street – if you dare. For more ideas, check out 10 Fitness Essentials for Women.

How about working out with a balance ball? A medicine ball? In the water? Or relive a favorite childhood pastime, like tossing a Frisbee or a fierce game of tag.

As long as you’re having fun, you’ll forget you’re burning calories.

2. Walk out the Door
The Great Outdoors is the world’s largest, most diverse playground. Look around your city for parks, walking trails and bike paths. Research nearby scenic landmarks, canyons, rivers or lakes for a great day hike. Many places may be the perfect spot to take your mate for an inexpensive date.

Don’t feel like driving anywhere and making a full day of it? Find a pair of ratty old pants, a comfy shirt, sun visor and gloves, and get knee-deep in your garden. Burning calories is more fun when you get to play in the dirt.

3. Mark It on Your Social Calendar
Don’t have enough time for fraternizing and fitness? Make it a double date! Exercising with your friends adds an important layer of enjoyment to your workout – distraction. You’re too busy having a good time or chatting to realize that you’re burning calories.

Sign up with friends for a weekly salsa class. Meet up at the gym for an hour of hip-hop kickboxing. Or make good use of your lunch hour and get outside for a brisk walk with co-workers before you eat.

4. Try the Couch Potato Workout
Spending too much time in front of the TV? You’re probably making a permanent dent in the couch cushions – but not your weight-loss goals.

According to a 2003 Harvard study, watching television for just two hours a day increases your risk of obesity by 23%. Scarier still: The average woman watches nearly five hours of TV a day, more than doubling her risk.

Why is television so bad for you? Combine one part sedentary hobby with two parts unhealthy TV munchies, and you have a primetime recipe for weight gain.

If you’re addicted to television, turn the living room into a home gym. Put your treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical trainer in front of the screen and exercise while you watch.

5. Crank Up the Music
Whether it’s Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” or Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” everyone has a song that gets them moving.

Your toes start tapping and your head begins to bob. Soon your hips are in full swing and you’re dancing like a lunatic in front of the bathroom mirror.

Adrenaline is your workout’s best friend. So the next time you head to the gym, grab your favorite tunes and rock out while you work out.

6. Give Yourself an Incentive
You've set some healthy fitness goals, and you’re really going for it – congrats! So what’s your reward? Nothing? Oops.

Sure, getting fit is enough for all your hard work, but let’s be honest. You want more, don’t you?

Few would be satisfied with just waiting patiently for the inches to melt away. We want a return on our efforts, and we want it now. So develop a reward program that will benefit you today, not six months away.

Your rewards can be whatever you want, as long as they keep you focused on the goal.

They should never reverse your gains. So forget an ice cream binge to reward your five-pound weight loss. Instead plan for a weekend trip away or splurge on new shoes.

Whatever you choose, it should motivate you enough to keep you heading toward your fitness goal.

7. Train for a Race
When you train for an athletic event, you invite adrenaline, excitement and anticipation into your fitness plans. You’re out to prove to yourself that you can do it.

Because events are scheduled, you have can’t get lazy along the way.

If you’ve never trained for a race before, start small. Enter a 5k run (3.1 miles), and see how you do. If it’s a breeze, great – try the next challenge. A 10k run (6.2 miles), half-marathon (13.1 miles) or short road bike race are all within your reach.

Give yourself at least 10 to 12 weeks to train, and chart your progress. And remember, each workout is a step closer to crossing that finish line.

8. Team Up
If the thought of spending an hour sweating alongside strangers doesn’t thrill you, ditch the gym and join a community sports team. You get camaraderie and competition, which are hugely motivating reasons to exercise.

Structured practices and games will also keep your exercise schedule plentiful and consistent. And because your own fitness and skill level contributes to a team’s success, you’ll probably feel motivated to push yourself even harder than if you were going it alone.

Research adult leagues in your area – you’d be surprised how many are out there. Softball, soccer, basketball, doubles tennis… the list goes on.

What if there are no teams in your area? Start one.

9. Make It a Family Event
Sitting down to a family dinner isn’t the only opportunity you have to connect with your spouse and kids after a busy day. Make fitness a family tradition too.

Your back yard is full of possibilities. Put up a basketball hoop and challenge your spouse to a game of H-O-R-S-E. Set up a net for volleyball or badminton and make the teams parents vs. kids or boys vs. girls.

Pound a couple horseshoe posts into the ground, and bet your son a week’s worth of chores you’ll win.

Too rainy outside? Take it indoors with Ping Pong, air hockey, billiards…

10. Get the Pets Involved
Is Fido starting to pack on pounds too? Animals need exercise as much as we do. Taking the dog out for a walk or run is another chance to get your own butt in gear.

Make it a morning or evening routine, and you’ll easily take care of the 30 minutes of cardio recommended each day.

What’s Your Fitness Style?
Some people find it easy to set the alarm clock for 4:30 a.m. and jump out of bed for a five-mile run; others hit the snooze button so many times that they sleep through a morning workout. Take this fitness quiz to find out which kinds of exercise are right for you.

MY THOUGHTS

in my case, the culprit is the internet. my forefinger automatically reaches for the on button of the laptop as soon as i'm done with the early morning prayers. i browse the net even before i eat breakfast. i'd get so engrossed, i forget about exercise altogether.