News Flash: Exercise can be Fun!

A lot of us don’t like to exercise. In fact, many of the people I see at the gym look like they’d rather be anywhere else, but I maintain that exercise can be fun. You may be skeptical, but if you think back to your childhood you can probably come up with at least a few physical activities that you enjoyed. It might have been jumping rope, playing ball or just running around in the woods. So if you could have fun then, why not now?

I encourage you to find exercise that you find pleasurable—for the simple reason that you’ll be more likely to do it regularly.

Here’s a list of ideas to get you thinking:

• Get a friend or family member to join you while you exercise. It’s a great way to build a relationship.
• Join a club—hiking, cycling, tennis—it doesn’t matter as long as it gets you moving.
• Get a dog (woof, woof).
• Purchase some exercise DVDs that interest you. Often you can buy these inexpensively at garage sales or rent them from the local library to try.
• Sign up for a “fun” run or walk. You may be more motivated if you have to prepare for an event.
• Attend an exercise class. It could be yoga or spinning or anything else that interests you.
• Listen to music or audio books on your iPod. I usually like to just meditate and clear my head while I exercise, but sometimes it’s nice to have a distraction.

Also, I encourage you to mix things up a bit. You don’t have to do the same thing every day. It might be that you go to the health club three times a week, and on the other days you ride your bike or take your kids for a walk. Whatever you do, make sure your exercise is appropriate for your lifestyle and level of conditioning. If in doubt, talk to your doctor about what is safe for you.

To increase your chances of success, start with small goals and build up from there. If you haven’t exercised since gym class in seventh grade, don’t try to run a 5K the first time out. If you have trouble staying motivated, consider hiring a fitness trainer or coach—that’s what they’re for!

We, as humans, were designed to exercise. It is only a recent phenomenon that we became sedentary. According to the Mayo Clinic, lifestyle issues account for 70% of chronic conditions and the majority of our health care costs. The bottom line is that you really can’t be healthy unless you exercise, so you might as well have fun doing it!