Ideas to make exercise more enjoyable.
How to love Travel, Chocolate AND Exercise!
If you were asked to write a list of your top ten most enjoyable activities, chances are things like overseas travel, eating chocolate and sleeping in would far outrank events like cleaning the kitchen, flossing your teeth and doing exercise.
Exercise is a chore, right? It’s repetitive, boring, makes you sweaty and is completely ineffectual unless it’s causing you a huge degree if pain, right?
Wrong! While exercise does have the potential to be all of those things and more, the good news is that exercise can also be enjoyable! The secret lies in how you approach exercise and choosing activities which suit your personal likes and interests.
Environment can make a big difference to whether exercise is enjoyable. If you can’t stand sweating it out at the gym, why not choose a beautiful outdoor location and do your exercise there? Bush-walking, running and cycling are perfect for enjoying the outdoors and have the added benefit of helping you to unwind and de-stress.
One of the best ways to make exercise fun is to do it with others. And if you can’t manage to convince your friends that a walk on the beach would be better than a drink at the pub, there are plenty of exercise groups and sporting teams that happily welcome new members. Team sports offers a forum to meet new people while improving your fitness, and the element of competition provides the extra incentive to go your hardest!
Another way to make exercise enjoyable is to do activities you actually like. If you hate jogging, why not replace it with barre, swimming or ultimate Frisbee? If you can’t bear exercising in the cold, why not try indoor rock climbing, trampolining, squash or a spin class?
The more varied your exercise program, the less likely you are to get into an exercise rut, so mix up your activities and the length of time you spend doing exercise, to help keep the experience fun and fresh.
Sometimes a little extra incentive is necessary, and you’d be amazed at how something as simple as a great soundtrack or some new active wear can help get you off the couch and out being active! Treat yourself to a new playlist, or buy something new so that you feel fabulous when you get out and move.
If you need more serious motivation than a new tank top can bring, why not sign up for a fun run or team challenge, to give you a long-term goal top work towards? Set up a rewards system for yourself as you move towards the goal, and indulge yourself with a massage or similar luxury for each level you achieve.
Here at Symmetry Physiotherapy, we want to help you to think about exercise as an enjoyable treat rather than a tiresome chore. Our team of therapists are experienced in helping individuals to reach their fitness goals, so why not chat to one of our team members today about how you can start being active while still having fun!
The Team at Symmetry Physiotherapy.