When I was in high school, I legitimately thought that I hated exercising. I dreaded gym class every day – my lack of coordination made sports embarrassingly difficult, and every time we had to run the mile, I thought I was going to pass out. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-20s that I discovered something my younger self would’ve thought was completely crazy: I love exercising. Exercise is fun, it gives you endorphins (which drastically improve mood), and it makes you feel energized.
My problem in high school wasn’t that I was lazy or that I actually hated exercise – I just hadn’t found the right types of exercise for me. I will probably never be a runner, and I hate (most) competitive sports, but there are still plenty of other ways to exercise!
If you want to get in shape but you can’t stand spending an hour on a treadmill, try out some of these fun ways to work out!
Group Fitness Classes – with the music blaring, group classes provide a fun, high energy environment to work out in. The classes are non-competitive and it doesn’t matter if you do every move perfectly. The point is to have fun and keep moving! My Zumba instructor started our first class by saying “When in doubt, shake it!”
Cardio Kickboxing
Jazzercise
Prancercise
Body Pump
Boot Camp
Turbo Kick
Aerobics
Spinning
Yoga
Pilates
PiYo (Pilates/Yoga combo)
Dancing – dancing is a more creative (and less boring) form of exercise, it improves flexibility, and it provides you with both aerobic (jumping, swaying) and anaerobic (lifting, balancing) movements.
Belly Dancing
Salsa Dancing
Swing Dancing
Ballroom Dancing
Ballet Dancing
Modern Dance
Hip-Hop Dance
Dance Dance Revolution
The Great Outdoors – enjoy the beautiful scenery and the fresh air while getting an awesome workout!
Power Walking
Hiking
Bicycling
Badminton
Swimming
Skiing
Snowboarding
Ice Skating
Surfing
Scuba Diving
Canoeing
Water Skiing
Adventurous – for the daredevils, these are some adrenaline-packed ways to exercise.
Acrobatics
Rock Climbing
Bouldering
AcroYoga (Acrobatics/Yoga combo)
Cliff Jumping
Whitewater Rafting
Motorcross
Cross Fit
Hang Gliding
Mountain Biking
Fencing
Silly and Fun – some of these might seem silly, but these activities will keep you moving (and laughing)!
Hula Hooping
Jump Roping
Go on a color run – the happiest kind of 5k!
Playing Hopscotch
Have a snowball fight
Have a water fight
Play paintball
Roller Skating
You don’t need to spend an hour on the treadmill every day to get in shape. Whatever you decide to do, just keep moving!
What’s your favorite fun way to exercise?
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Hi, I need to exercise to lose weight but also because i have arthritis in my lower spine, hips and shoulders. I also have heart failure, what sort of exercise would you reccomend for someone like me? I want to increase my fitness but i hate exercise so i give up too easily unless it`s something i can enjoy.
Regards
Karmen
Hi Karmen, I think it’s always great to start with something simple like walking or basic yoga, and then possibly move up from there ! Start with a 10 minute walk and slowly increase your duration and pace each day. Swimming or water aerobics are also a great option because they are very low impact exercises that will be easy on your joints :) hope this helps and I wish you the best on your exercise endeavors ! I hope you find something you enjoy :)
Zumba, yoga, piyo, bicycling, spin, rock climbing, badminton, hiking.
All great options!
Haha! Too funny!
There are many fun ways to exercise. Some things I’ve done in the past include: Salsa Dancing, Hip-Hop Dance, Hiking, Ice Skating, Skiing, Badminton, Swimming to name a few.Snowball fights are great. I remember back in 8th grade when my grade went to a camp up north. I said to the group, let’s have a snow ball fight. And, I don’t why , but they all threw snow balls at me. I wanted teams, like team A vs team B. but no, all gang up on Gilbert. I got a red mark on my thigh the next day from a throw that was hard. Don’t worry, I didn’t cry.