When you hear someone say that fitness can be fun, do you snort and roll your eyes? If you’re one of those people who hates the idea of working out, please take heart. We’re going to tell you about ways to get and stay fit without any drudgery whatsoever. In fact, fitness can be fun. It all depends on how you look at it.
Beautiful benefits of exercise
Regular exercise, no matter how you get it, can forfend excess weight gain and help maintain diet-induced weight loss. More intense activity burns more calories than lesser activities, but virtually any kind of exercise is good for you. The key is to be consistent, advise health experts at Mayo Clinic. To stay fit, incorporate more steps into your day. Park at the far end of the lot and walk to the store door. When a choice is offered, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Even moderate exertion helps to deliver necessary nutrients and life-giving oxygen throughout your body. Lung and heart health are bound to improve when you move around more. Exercise is a win-win endeavor. The more you move, the more energy you’ll have.
Exercise by any other name
By now, you know in your heart of hearts that exercise is imperative to optimal human health. The trouble is making time to do it. If you can make a workout FUN, you’ll do it more often. Exercise more often, and you’ll feel better in every way. See how that works? There are lots of ways to view exercise as playtime. Sign up for a dance class and learn to do the salsa, mashed potato, or cha cha cha. Take a kid to the park and kick your heels high on a swing set. Visit a beach volleyball court and join a game. Read Bellicon Rebounder reviews and choose a mini-trampoline that provides laughs along with a superbly entertaining physical workout that doesn’t feel like work. Exercise may be defined as any activity that raises your heart rate, explains Nerd Fitness magazine.
If it’s been awhile since you worked out, start slow and don’t overdo it. Add time and energy to your workouts over a period of time. You don’t want to get sore and lose your inspiration. Write your fitness goals on paper and post them where you’ll see them. When you complete a workout, put a gold star on the calendar to boost your resolve and remind yourself of your progress, recommends Active magazine. Whatever you do, don’t overtrain. Take it easy at the beginning, and enjoy the benefits of improved respiration, a better resting heart rate, and an all-over sense of great well-being.
Daily chores and errands can be exercise, too
Next time you set out to do household chores, turn on your favorite music and turn cleaning into a merry dance. Vacuum the carpets in one direction, then turn around and run the vacuum the other way. When you do dishes, march in place. Make beds with enthusiasm and flair. Sweep the porches with energetic delight. Put a spring in your step when you’re spring-cleaning, and reap the bountiful benefits of improved health along with the satisfaction of a spic-and-span residence.
Set attainable fitness goals
So, you’ve decided to get in shape. Good for you! Now, don’t set goals that are too far out of reach. If you need to lose, say, twenty pounds, set a goal to lose five, instead. Once you’ve accomplished that happy task, set a new goal to drop another five. This way, you won’t lose motivation. Reaching one small goal is a lot of fun, and it can impel you forward to another fitness objective.
Face it. Working out can be tedious, but it doesn’t have to be a bore. Switch up your routine, and make any physical activity more fun. Dance one day, go for a swim the next. Stroll around the block with five-pound weights on your ankles this week. Next week, jump rope. No matter what you do, make it fun and be sure to enjoy each moment. Life is short, but you might live longer if you move with vigor and with a smile on your face.
Physical activity boosts brain health, too. A thirty-minute walk or a quick swim can eliminate stress, build self-confidence, and leave you feeling emotionally refreshed. When you experience less stress, your entire countenance improves. Feel better, look better. It’s as easy as that.
Jeff Grill is the publisher and author of many publications including the popular Skin Care & Health. He is a graduate of Binghamton University where he studied psycho-physical awareness. Out of that research came his passion for exercise and over 20 years of experience writing about the science behind fitness. In turn, this led to his fascination with the benefits of rebounding on general health and the lymphatic system.
