How To Make Exercise Fun

Do you struggle to make it to the gym or find a regular practice of exercise that you enjoy? If you do, then maybe you can try a different approach. Paying a gym membership and having an accountability partners are great ways to motivate yourself, but sometimes that just isn’t enough. And let’s get down to what it is really about: we want to have fun! Do you remember being a kid and running around playing tag, climbing trees, riding a bike, or swimming at the pool? Let’s get back in touch with that side of you… The YOU who crawls in bed exhausted at night with a smile on your face because you played the day away!

Think about what kind of activities you had fun doing as a kid. For me, the first activities that come to mind are playing bad mitten, bike tag (a game I invented using flags to tag people while riding our bikes–I know, not the smartest thing!), and square dancing in gym class or at family weddings.

So how could I recreate those experiences in adulthood?

Here were the 3 equivalents that I found:

1. Pickleball– This has similarities to bad mitten but is even better.
2. Biking with friends– I don’t want to be competitive and race or have a goal like tagging people anymore. I just want to ride around with a few people and discover new places, feel the wind in my hair as we go downhill, and maybe even stop for a treat halfway (like a coffee or an ice-cream).
3. Country Line Dancing (or contra dancing)- I could not find square dancing in the South but I did discover that country line dancing and contra dancing both offer that feeling of dancing in a group, swinging people around, spinning, and moving in rhythm to the music.

Now it’s your turn: What did you love to do? If it was climbing, why not join a climbing gym or a hiking group that does boulder climbing? If it was playing in the water, you could try a water aerobics class. Or maybe you want to pick up something you tried as a kid and haven’t done in a while like martial arts or a soccer club. No matter what you are looking for, I guarantee there are others out there who want the same thing. So if it doesn’t exist in your town, set up a meet-up group and see who shows up…. or just invite one friend to join you.

The KEY is to HAVE FUN!

About the Author: Julie Glaser is a healer who creates sacred spaces for people to share, release, and grow. She’s in the habit of being in awe and wonder and writes to share her own experiences and learnings with other inquisitive souls in the process of transforming.