How to Have Fun While Meeting Your Fitness Goals

Being healthy and in shape is a goal on many people’s list of priorities, but few people actually follow through. Some get started but often fall off track. Is it because it’s just too difficult? Not usually.

There are often two reasons why people fall off the bandwagon – or they never get on it in the first place: time and boredom. The following tips can help as they provide enjoyment. Some can also be done in conjunction with other priorities, like spending time with loved ones.

Get Friends to Join In

Getting in shape can be much more fun when doing it with friends. You can keep each other motivated, use it as an excuse to see each other, and plan to go for a coffee or power drink afterward to catch up.

Make It a Family Affair

You can get just as much of a cardio workout chasing your kids around the park as you can with many other exercises. Make a list of activities you all like to do together, like running through the sprinklers, swimming, playing baseball or soccer, riding bikes, having water balloon fights, playing with Nerf guns, or going to the trampoline park.

Pick an activity to do each day for several days a week and you’ve accomplished two tasks: exercising and spending time with your kids. Even if you don’t have any kids, there’s no reason not to enjoy kids’ activities. Get a trampoline in your yard, break out the hula hoop, shoot some hoops or anything else you did when you were a kid.

Start An Activity – Or Several

What do you enjoy doing? Or what have you always dreamed of doing? For many people, this will include things like skating, rock climbing, martial arts, parkour, playing an instrument, throwing a Frisbee, and dancing.

The great news is that every single one of these activities can burn calories and work your muscles. Pick one or several things you want to try and dive in.

Be Free With It

Exercise does not have to be structured – not at all. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is turn on some music and just be free. Whether you want to dance along, clean, do jumping jacks and random movements, or wrestle and pillow fight with the kids, you’ll find your heart beating faster and some perspiration across your forehead.

Join a Gym With Interesting Classes

When people hear the word “gym,” they imagine exercise bikes, treadmills, weight benches, and leg press machines. It’s often an intimidating environment – one that tends to feel sterile and not much like fun.

Fortunately, not every gym is like this. And many have additional options, such as swimming pools, dance classes, and spin classes. Fitness Evolution, for example, has Hot Yoga, TRX classes, beginner boxing, and more. If you look around, you’re likely to find a gym with some classes that make fitness fun.

Get Out in Nature

Nature is an incredible, beautiful gym. Hikes along mountains, walks around the neighborhood, paddle boarding on a lake, and similar activities have a way of working muscles you didn’t even realize you had.

It’s safest to be sure you have someone with you in case of accidents. If none of your friends or loved ones are willing to brave the wilderness with you, search for groups in and around your city. You should be able to find some like-minded people to enjoy these activities.

Play Games

Remember playing charades and Twister? How about having two-legged and sack races? Do you remember how much your heart would be pounding and how your muscles would burn? This counts as a workout.

You can also play video games. This may sound counterproductive to working out, but there are video games that require you to be active. These include VR games, dance games, and more that are great for family nights and rainy days.

If you want to get in shape but don’t want to spend hours lifting weights, these activities can help. Just aim to complete at least one activity three to five days a week and you’ll notice a difference in no time.