For the lucky few of us, exercise is a way of life and we don't think twice about turning up to the gym, bright eyed and bushy tailed first thing in the morning. But many people see exercise as a chore; something that has to be done in order to keep fit or lose weight.
However,
there are ways to make your workout enjoyable, so you actually start
looking forward to it and stop viewing exercise as only a means to an end
goal.
I
bet by now some of you are thinking nope, never gonna happen.
So I'm going to give you some ideas of how to change up your exercise
routine and start to learn to love it!
1.
Don't think of exercise as a punishment for eating bad foods. The
most important thing to do if you want to start enjoying exercise is
to change the way you think about it. Do you only go for a run as a
way to burn off that huge slice of chocolate cake you just devoured?
Well, that's where you're going wrong. Start thinking of your workout
as the special time you devote to yourself to take care of your body
and keep it strong. It should be a way to reward yourself by flooding
your brain with endorphins to make you feel good; not a way to punish
yourself for being 'naughty'.
2.
Find something you love doing. Step out of the gym if you
don't find it enjoyable and try out a range of activities until you
find something you like and can stick with. You could try hiking,
surfing, swimming, roller blading, skiing, canoeing,
climbing/abseiling, karate...the possibilities are endless. As in
every aspect of life, when you love what you're doing you're more
likely to see it through and achieve the results you crave.
3.
Team up with other people. Take a friend along with you for extra
motivation when you work out. You could also join a sports club and
take part in activities such as football, tennis, basketball and
hockey, or go to a class at the gym to learn zumba, yoga, aerobics or
whatever it is you feel like doing. Making your workout a social
occasion will make you more likely to stay with it. You'll meet
people with the same interests as you and start to look forward to
seeing them every week.
Follow
these suggestions for a couple of weeks and notice your attitude
towards exercise start to change. Slowly but surely you'll start to
realise that fitness really can be fun!
I
want to hear from you! Have you always enjoyed working out or did you
have to learn to love it? What are your tips for people who are still
struggling to like exercise?