Exercising is good for us, but it’s not always very enjoyable. Going for a long run or lifting weights isn’t the right workout for everyone, and those activities can often make us dread exercising. In order to look forward to your exercise routine, you need to have workouts that you enjoy and that make you excited about moving your body. To help you get started, here are some non-traditional ways that you can exercise and get moving that are actually pretty fun!
Climbing is a great way to strengthen your upper body and try something totally new! There are rock climbing gyms all over the place, and if you’re willing to pay the entrance fee or membership fee, you can get started on your climbing journey as soon as today!This kind of exercise will challenge your mind as much as your body, and it will keep you both physically and mentally strong.
If you’re not used to pushing yourself, this is fun way to give yourself a bit of a challenge. You can start out with some easier climbs, and over time, you’ll be ready to take on the most challenging routes! This is also an activity you can do all year long; during the cold months or days of bad weather, head to an indoor climbing gym! And when it’s nice and warm, you can even try climbing outdoors; who knows, you could be scaling mountains in no time.
This is another form of exercise that you can do year-round. Whether it’s at an indoor pool or outside in a lake, swimming is a great way to get your body moving, even if you’re taking things slow and leisurely. You don’t have to be swimming laps in order to stay fit; just moving your arms and kicking your legs at a slow pace will help you build up strength over time.
Swimming is just a ton of fun, and you won’t even feel like you’re exercising at all. It doesn’t necessarily feel like exercise, but your body needs a lot of strength to stay afloat, so you can be sure that you’re getting a proper workout while swimming!
While this is more of a summer activity, going kayaking is a fun workout that will really get your muscles working hard. This is a great way to exercise your arms without lifting weights. It takes a bit of upper body and arm strength to be a successful kayaker, and you can achieve that over time!
Choose a calm day to go for the first time so that you’re not needing to paddle against the wind and the waves. From there you can begin to do some more strenuous kayaking—or you can just keep it light and easy! Even if you’re doing it in a leisurely manner, kayaking will require strength and movement no matter what.
Whether this is a Zumba class or just dancing around your room with fun music playing, dancing is a great way to exercise without feeling like you’re exercising. Dance is a super fun activity, and it won’t seem like a workout until afterwards when those endorphins are running high and you’re feeling great.
Even playing a game like Just Dance can be a workout; you don’t have to be at a gym or in exercise clothes to get moving by any means. Just playing Just Dance with a friend is a way that you can get some exercise in and still enjoy your time.
This can be completely customizable to your preferences; you can go hard and hike some more difficult trails or go at a fast pace, or you can keep it easy and go as slow as you’d like and take chill trails. Hiking is whatever you make of it, so you can turn it into a real workout or just go for a nice stroll. Either way, you’re moving your body and getting some healthy exercise—and it won’t even feel like real exercise if you’re just enjoying and taking in the scenery around you!
The only thing you need for this is a jump rope and you’re completely set! Unlike lots of other exercises, the equipment is cheap and minimal, and you can get a great workout from this. Jumping takes a lot of endurance and leg strength, which is a big part of good exercise.
This isn’t just an activity for kids on the playground; adults can enjoy jump roping, and you might even find yourself laughing and smiling as you go! It will get your heart rate up and your whole body working hard.
Most people think you can only bike outdoors, but if you have a gym accessible to you, chances are that they have a spin bike! You can decide if you’d rather bike around outside and enjoy the weather and the nature, or if it’s a bad day, stay indoors and hit the spin bike. There are tons of spin classes and videos online for free, and you can really push yourself if you want to.
Biking is a form of exercise that can be extremely leisurely or very intense; do whatever is most fun for you and you’ll find a way to really enjoy biking!
If you read that title and did a double take, I wouldn’t blame you. Trampolining is not a form of exercise that usually crosses our minds, but it’s really fun and it truly is a workout! Trampoline parks have become pretty popular over the last decade or so, and there are places all over that you can go to.
Simply spend some time bouncing around a trampoline park—or your own trampoline, if you have one—and I promise that you’ll feel like you just ran ten miles… while having the time of your life! This really just feels like a fun activity, and you can totally trick your body into exercising by doing this.
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