Fitness. What images does this word bring to mind? Running…weight lifting…aerobics? Does it mean a lifestyle of deprivation and dedication? To be honest, that is the case for a segment of the populace. These are professional athletes, some actors, and models. For the majority of us this is not the case. Fitness doesn’t have to be a drudgery and can, in fact, be pleasurable. So let’s talk about a few of these ideas that can make fitness fun again.
Before we begin let’s go over some of the preliminaries. Dedication was mentioned earlier. This is something that is required for sustained weight loss. Don’t think drudgery here, think redoing fun things on a regular basis. Simply put, decide to introduce physical playtime into your life and decide to be active. Then stick to it. If the goal is to drop a few pounds, lose the turkey neck, or take some girth off the love handles, then this is for you. Achieve your goals with a smile. Oh, and of course, please speak with your physician before introducing new physical routines and exercises.
Dancing Fitness Fun
Surprised to see this? Well you shouldn’t. It’s been accepted that simply dancing for an hour burns around 400 calories. Having fun with friends moving to the rhythms of fast beating music is an excellent way to expend those unwanted calories and a great way to lose track of time. Burning calories is not the only benefit dancing brings. Dancing on a regular basis can lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate, lower cholesterol, and, of course, burn fat.
What kind of dancing? That depends on your style. And if you don’t know how to dance or where to go, ask a friend, do some reading, or go to a dance studio and have a professional show you the ropes. Maybe think about some of the hip swaying Latin dances like the samba. Not only will you be losing weight but you’ll be widening your social circles and learning some fun skills.
Dance Workouts
These are in the same vein as traditional dancing, but these rev things up and really ignite the fat burning process. These workout videos not only bring the same benefits as regular dancing but the calorie burn rate really takes off and doing these workouts speed up the weight loss and build toned muscles.
These are workouts, however. If you’ve never tried any of these, then the suggestion is to go slow. Join a beginner’s class until your body begins to adapt and you’re ready to step up to an intermediary level. Trying to do too much too soon will cause burn out. Try the beginner’s level for a few weeks. Learn the moves and begin to push the boundaries as you progress and feel more comfortable. The weight scales will start showing smaller numbers and there has been no sacrifice but there has been a lot of fitness fun going on.
Yoga is Fitness Fun Too
Perhaps yoga is not something people generally think of as fun. That is unfortunate. It’s true that Yoga is work and not always easy. It’s a discipline and takes time to develop form and technique. That being said, it still can be fun. Here are some ways to do just that:
Think about joining a yoga class if possible. Getting out of the house and meeting new people with similar goals can be quite fulfilling.
If getting out of the house isn’t practical all the time, then invite a friend to come to your home and practice together. This is an excellent way for beginners to learn in the safety and comfort of your own space.
Change up the music. There is no one musical theme that everyone conforms to when practicing. So feel free to add something personal that speaks to you. The familiar vibes will enhance the experience.
Fitness Fun Everyday Choices
Just as in adding spice to Yoga to make things more fun, adding “spice” to everyday tasks can be fun too. In fact, it just might make those daily chores something fun instead of drudgery.
When working around the house, turn off the television and turn up some music. Keep it up beat and motivating. Then, don’t just walk around the house carrying a load of wash, dance around. Get into it with flair and smiles. If there are children in the house, then enlist them in the dance moves. That should be a big hit.
When you’re out and about, think about parking further away from the entrance of whatever destination is in mind. Chart a zigzagging course to the doors. Count the steps and note the time. Compare time on each visit and see if improvements can be made. Achieving goals and breaking barriers are fun ways to see growth and know that progress is being made.
When grocery shopping, try different recipes replacing high carb foods with fruits, vegetables, and proteins. Look up carb counts and make an interesting game of seeing how far down the calorie count can go while also adding some spice and even mystery to the upcoming meals. Doing this is also a great way to discover new food pairings that will enhance the palette. As an interesting side effect, this can lead to discoveries to dishes that haven’t had previous exposure and open up new genres of cuisine.
Summary
The whole point of the article is to change the way the world of fitness is viewed. There are numerous ways to enhance and get fitness into daily patterns without making it seem like work. There are at least as many ways as there are people because people are unique. That’s the goal here…to make fitness fun unique and even second nature. Challenging ourselves and achieving goals is something everyone can get into. All it takes is some imagination and the desire to simply have fun while improving overall health.
