A friend of mine got a Wii Fit as an anniversary present… and her excitement and enthusiasm was absolutely contagious! (Anybody have a Wii Fit they want to let me try?) I’ll be honest — I don’t usually feel excited and enthusiastic about exercising. I know it’s good for me. I know it helps my body stay healthy and flexible and strong.
But exercise isn’t something I think of as fun.
When healthy choices are chores, you’re less likely to stick with them (whether we’re talking about a diet or an exercise plan). But if you can make your lifestyle choice something fun and exciting, you’re going to look forward to doing it. Motivation is HUGE when it comes to maintaining a lifestyle change.
The Wii Fit reminded me that playing can be exercise, too. Exercise doesn’t have to be torture. And hey — studies have shown that when exercise is fun, you’re more like to do it regularly and longer. At one playground-style gym in Wisconsin, 85% of members do some sort of cardiovascular activity three times per week. That’s what we’re supposed to do for good health, but on a national level, we’re falling short.
The bottom line? Pick activities that are more fun than work and you’ll keep “funning” out much longer.
- Did you love climbing trees? Try rock climbing to work on balance, upper body strength, and coordination.
- Did you love jumping on a trampoline and other gymnastics? Try rebounding — exercises on a mini-trampoline to burn fat without stressing joints.
- Did you love dancing? Try dance classes. Bellydancing is great for toning muscles!
- Did you love scavenger hunts? Try Orienteering — using a compass and map to race to find checkpoints in a certain area.
One of my favorite pool games as a kid would be a pretty good (and fun) water workout. It was one part soccer, one part tube racing, and one part swimming. Each player sat in an inner tube and “rowed” around the pool using arms and legs. The goal was to get an inflated beach ball to the opposite side of the pool to score. My friends and I would play this game for hours… I had no clue I was exercising, I was just having a blast.