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Exercise brings a ton of physical and mental health benefits. It can help strengthen the body, increase muscles, help with weight loss, help you focus, decrease the risk of health issues, and so much more.
However, most people think of exercise as something that is tedious, and staying consistent with it week after week can be very challenging.Â
Not a lot of individuals realize that exercise doesn’t have to fit in the box of a gym with a weight room, treadmill, and other equipment. Working out can be anything that you want it to be.
Working out can be biking, walking, ice skating, dancing, and a lot more. Want to know more? Read on to know the most fun ways to exercise.
What are Some Ways to Make Exercise More Fun?
Exercise is hard work, certainly, but it can also be something that’s absolutely enjoyable. Whether you’re working out alone or with a friend, there are a lot of ways to make it fun. Start by trying out different workouts and find the one that you take a liking to and one that’s aligned with your health goals.
You can also do sports, try out a class, or even use an app to guide you as you work out. There are also a ton of activities that may not seem like exercise but they count as one: swimming, dancing, martial arts, and the like.Â
Aside from the activities themselves, one of the best ways to make working out fun is rewarding yourself after sweating it out. Looking forward to a post-workout treat, no matter what it may be, can help motivate you during a challenging routine.
It will also help you associate exercise with positive feelings and create a daily exercise routine that you will enjoy.
How Can I Make Exercise Fun Alone?
Exercising alone can be boring or nerve-wracking. You may even feel that exercising by yourself can seem like a chore that you’ll have to drag yourself up to do. Exercise doesn’t have to be something tedious; it can be something absolutely fun that you can look forward to every day.
In fact, when you find exercise more enjoyable, you’ll be able to make a habit out of it. And, in turn, having exercise as your fun daily habit can give you an overall better quality of life. Here are some fun ways to exercise alone.
Find an Exercise You Enjoy
One of the most important things to keep in mind when working out is to find one that you enjoy and can help with your fitness goals. There’s no point in making yourself feel miserable by forcing yourself to go to the gym.
Making yourself do workouts that you don’t enjoy will make you lose motivation and you could even end up hating exercising.Â
Instead, start with a fitness regimen that you like and enjoy. There are numerous things that you can do and try to keep your workouts fun and interesting. Once you find yourself enjoying your workout, you’ll have a higher motivation to achieve your health goals, and you’ll stay consistent in keeping up with your new routine.
Try a New Sport
How long has it been since you’ve tried something new? Challenging yourself to do something you’ve always wanted can be something that can make you excited about being physically active.
If you’ve ever wanted to try a sport since you were a kid, now is your chance. Ice skating, fencing, kendo, ballet, dancing — the list is endless. Pick one out to try and who knows, it could be the game changer in your fitness journey.
Listen to Your Favorite Music
Whether you’re taking a walk, jogging, or lifting weights at the gym, cranking up your favorite playlist can help your heart rate pumping in a fun way. The music can also help distract you from the boring, tedious parts of working out.
You’ll find it very surprising how long you can go with your workout when your favorite tunes are playing.Â
What are Fun Exercises?
It’s very important to stay active but sometimes, getting yourself to exercise can be challenging. Fortunately, there are ways to make staying fit enjoyable.
We’ve rounded up a lot of people’s favorite fun ways to exercise. Rope in your co-workers, friends, and family to do these fun workouts with you!
Walking
One of the best and most fun ways to exercise outside of the gym is to take a walk. The only things you need are yourself and some great walking shoes.
Taking a walk has a ton of health benefits: it can help you focus, it can refresh your mind, and it can also help reduce your aches and pains. Best of all, walking is free and you can do it anytime, anywhere.
Hiking
Hiking is a fun exercise that kills two birds with one stone: you get to get out of your usual routine and be active at the same time. You can reconnect with nature while you hike up the woods.
Martial Arts
Ever noticed how experienced martial artists are in good shape? Martial arts such as karate, taekwondo, or jiu-jitsu are full-body workouts that not only engage your body but your mind as well.
This fun workout can help you improve your coordination and balance, and can even help enhance your mental health.Â
Rock Climbing
A fun workout that you can consider doing is rock climbing. This activity is a total body workout that uses both the upper and lower body to navigate the terrain. It’s also a great core exercise that improves your balance.
Whether you go indoor or outdoor rock climbing, you’re getting the same benefits.
Bike Riding
One of the best fun ways to exercise is to ride a bike. Whether you’re someone who rode a bike when you were a kid and stopped as you grew older or a complete newbie to riding a bike and need training wheels, you’ll have a lot of fun and get your heart rate rising the more that you do it.
Yoga
From the outside, yoga can look like an exercise that is all about gentle flows and deep breaths but in reality, it’s much more than that. Yoga is a fun stress reliever that can improve your balance, increase your flexibility, and enhance your range of motion.
Moreover, there are a thousand kinds of yoga to do. You can start with a beginner’s yoga and once you’ve found your footing, you can challenge yourself with poses that require you to bend your limbs in different ways.
Gym Class
Make the most out of your gym membership by joining a class. Go kickboxing if you want to try out high-energy, fast-paced movements. Try out a spin class or join a Zumba class for a fun time.
There are many things to do in the gym beyond the workout equipment. You can even get a friend as your workout partner and try things out together at the gym to make it fun for both of you.
What are Some Unique Exercises?
A good workout doesn’t have to be limited to the gym or be an actual exercise. There are a ton of activities out there that are physically demanding that they count as a form of workout. Check out these other fun ways to exercise.
Obstacle Course
Channel your inner child and make your exercise fun by running through a training course. You don’t even have to go to a parkour gym or a jungle gym to do this. You can make your own course in your backyard or a friend’s house!
Doing so can make exercise feel less of a burden and more of a fun activity that you can do with your friends.
Dancing
Dancing your heart out alone to your favorite music in your living room or hosting a dance party with your friends absolutely counts as exercise. Dance is a great workout that can get your heart pumping in the best way.
It can make you sweat and help you burn calories as you move your entire body on the dance floor.
If you aren’t up to dancing in your living room or if you want to hone your dance skills, you can also sign up for a class. Hip hop, salsa, there are so many different styles of dance that you’re bound to find a class or instructor that you like.Â
Join a Rec League
Want to stay on top of your fitness and meet new people along the way? You can join a recreational league! Healthy competition via a recreational league can bring a breath of fresh air to your monotonous days.
Check if your city or county has a recreation department to find team sports leagues near you.Â
There are tons of options when it comes to recreational league sports. You can play basketball, tennis, soccer, volleyball, softball, and more. Games are usually held on weeknights, which means you can exercise and meet a new friend or two while keeping your weekends free.
Play Active Video Games
When we say play video games, we’re not talking about you sitting down in front of your console and playing first-person shooter games for hours on end. No, what we’re talking about here are active video games.
For those who want a challenge while having fun, games such as Wii Sports, Wii Fit, and Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure can help you work up a sweat without ever leaving your living room. You can play alone or with a family member or a friend.
These video game titles offer a wide range of activities; you can play golf, then switch to fishing, or even go snowboarding afterward.
Host a Fair Games Day
Egg relays, spoon races, two-legged races, sack races — these are silly races done at fairs to get people to be competitive and have fun at the same time. These games aren’t just fair activities but they can be fun ways to exercise as well.
Plus, you’ll be able to bond more with your family and friends through them.
Learn a Musical Instrument
One of the most unexpected yet fun ways to exercise is learning to play an instrument. Playing an instrument can be a great form of physical activity. Learning to play the piano, guitar, or drums takes a lot of upper-body strength.
Moreover, when you play for extended periods of time, you can build muscle, improve your posture, and increase your stamina.Â
Additionally, research shows that the benefits of playing instruments can be reaped at any age and can come from playing any instrument. Go on and pick up that guitar or flute or saxophone you’ve been wanting to try out!
Play at a Playground
Do you remember all the times you went to the playground when you were a kid? Even if you’re an adult now, playing at a playground can still give you a fun workout. Head to your local park and go wild as you play on the playground.
Swing from the monkey bars, go down the slide, play tag with friends, run up and down, and such. You’ll have so much fun that you won’t even notice you’re working out.
Final Note
Working out doesn’t have to be confined to lifting weights and grunting it out at the gym. Doing fun physical activities totally count as workouts. If you find any of the fun exercises appealing, try them out and see which one interests you enough that you’ll do it a few times a week. Have fun!
