Week 3 of Fitness February: Ways to Make Exercising Fun
Happy week 3 of Fitness February! We are officially halfway through the month of February, which means we only have two more weeks to solidify our goals and put them into action. If this is your first time hearing about our fitness month, don’t worry because there is no better time to start than now. Take this as an opportunity to let us help you achieve your fitness goals. In our previous blogs, we have developed our fitness goals and we have also discussed what we should put into our fitness routine based on those goals. This week we are talking about ways to make exercising more enjoyable because, let’s be honest, for most people, it is not fun and is often viewed as a chore or something that can’t be fit into our busy schedules. However, it can be fun, and it may even become the highlight of your day. Some people treat their workouts like their morning coffee— they can’t do their day without it. This relationship will develop over time if you have the right mindset.
Mindset is extremely important when it comes to doing something that is uncomfortable. If you treat exercise as a chore, rather than a hobby, your brain is going to start believing it and before you know it, you stop exercising and are back at square one. The key factor is to fall in love with bettering yourself. Don’t look at your workout session and say that you don’t want to do it. Instead envision your end goals and imagine how you are going to look and feel if you dedicate the time to these activities. Use this as a constant reminder that will push you forward and help you stick with your goals!
While mindset is the most important motivator in this equation, there are other things that you can do to drive you to get out of bed each day and move your body. Below is a list of ways that you can make exercise more fun and enjoyable:
Have an exercise buddy: Ask a friend or family to join you on your fitness journey. Sit down and develop your goals and jump right into putting them into existence. Having a partner will not only keep you motivated but they will also help hold you accountable. Choose someone who is reliable, positive, and upbeat.
Join a class (either in person or virtually due to Covid-19): There are so many different types of exercise classes that you can take: pilates, yoga, cycling, Zumba, boxing, and more. Find what you enjoy most and search for a class either nearby or online. Due to the COVID-19, we understand that it is hard to get out into a physical class but there are still plenty of classes that you can find virtually. Not to mention, these classes will help hold you accountable because, in some cases, you will have to sign up for them and pay for a spot.
Put on some music or listen to an audiobook/podcast: Play your favorite music and pump up the volume! If you find that music does not help you, try listening to a podcast or chapters in an audiobook. Listening to something will help make the time go by faster making your workout more enjoyable and something even to look forward to.
There’s an app for that: Simply download a fitness app off the app store on your phone and get moving. The fact that you can have a full workout program right on your phone for you to do in your own home is amazing, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having an app will allow you to have a fully developed program while being in the comfort of your home.
Be sure to reward yourself: In my book, every time you exercise is a victory so take that victory and run with it! Every single time you workout take $1-$15 and put it into a jar, by the end of the month you will have that money set aside for a little treat for yourself. Go out and buy yourself a new workout outfit, running shoes, or even just flowers. Any kind of positive reward will help make that loving connection with working out. Don’t overindulge on sweets or unhealthy foods as your reward.
Work out while doing your chores: Depending on the size of the house, vacuuming and mopping roughly burns 100-200 calories an hour, while doing laundry can burn 50-100 calories an hour. Gardening and using a push mower for an hour burns between 350-500 calories an hour. Cleaning the pool burns between 300-500 calories an hour and pressure-washing requires anywhere between 250-300 calories an hour. Exercising this way is two-fold because you get a workout in and your chores get done faster!
Get outside and go for a 30-minute walk every day: Try to get outside within the first two hours of waking up. This will help boost your serotonin and Vitamin D levels. Living at the Jersey Shore, you can head up to the beach or boardwalk and go for a nice scenic walk. Don’t forget your sunscreen though, even on those cloudy days.
Watch TV: Make TV time exercise time. Try standing during commercials and do some jumping jacks, burpees, push-ups, squats, lunges. Or set a timer and see how long you can hold a plank position. If on the couch, do some leg lifts. Don’t forget to stretch before and after.
Pull out your childhood toys: Tune up your bike, play jump rope, throw the frisbee, or see how well you do with a hula hoop. If you’re in a silly mood, try to see how long you can skip down the street without stopping. You may also consider getting a trampoline.
Create a wall chart for a month: Record every exercise, activity, best times, sets/reps, plus your measurements and at the end of the month, you’ll feel great seeing what you accomplished! Writing it down will also help hold you accountable for staying on track. Instead of hopping on the scale every week, measure yourself weekly in the same spots. Measure your chest, upper arms, stomach, waist, upper thighs, and calves and write the results on your chart.
Hope these tips help make your exercising fun. Next week, we will discuss why you may not be getting the results you want.
