Turn it up!

I won’t lie; some parts of fitness aren’t that inherently fun.  Almost no one loves doing lunges.  On my personal list of hated exercises, I also include plyojacks, hamstring curls, and YTA.  I get it.   Sometimes you have to do exercises you don’t like.  How do you make that fun?

Loud music.  I like lots of different kinds of music, so my workout mix can go from Elvis to Eminem to The Clash.  Pop music, disco, heavy metal, a smattering of country, alternative, punk, rap, whatever.  I even have carousel music.  The point is, if I am singing along, I won’t care too much what the rest of my body is doing.  If I’m working too hard to sing, I can still hum or pant to the beat.

Friends.  Having someone to talk with while getting through the worst stuff helps.  You can’t quit with someone Right There.  Your buddy will encourage you or at least distract you from the worst of it.

Rewards.  I believe in rewards.  Finish the workout and take a hot shower.  Indulge in a banana.  Steal fifteen minutes to read or nap or stare into space.

Some people find that watching TV or reading help them get their cardio done.  If it works for you, do it.  For me, I get caught up in the plot of shows and don’t put in enough effort when I watch TV.  If I’m doing my cardio hard enough to be a real workout, I’m moving too much for my eyes to track properly on a book or magazine.  But do what works!

Creativity isn’t all about painting or writing or music:  use yours to have a good time working out, even in the less fun bits.

Everybody in the pool!

Maybe the most obvious, if ignored, part of making fitness fun is choosing activities you enjoy.  Please note:  not activities that you are necessarily good at, but ones that make you smile.

I am a terrible swimmer.  I’m probably not going to drown any time soon, but I’m no risk to escape from Alcatraz.  The thing is, once I put my body in the water, I feel fabulous.  My favorite aromatherapy scent is chlorine with a side of suntan lotion.  I am not kidding.

My form is doubtless embarrassing.  I can only breathe on my left side.  I splash.  I have never attempted a flip turn.  But when I swim, my heart beats, my muscles work, and I grin inside; grinning outside ends up with sputtering and is not recommended.  Of course, I can work on my technique and I will.  The point is that I will swim more because I like swimming.  If I look funny doing it, extra bonus points because laughter is good for all of us.

Exercise heals because it treats body and mind.  My body may be panting and flailing, but my brain feels like I am nine years old and may get to have grape soda later when I dry off on the hot pavement.  (Grape soda, also a favorite aromatherapy scent, although I can’t actually drink it anymore.)

Go play!  Grab friends and play football.  Put on your dancing shoes.  Play hopscotch.  Ride your bike and ring that bike bell.  The only rule is that you have to have fun.

(The photos are of me when I was six in 1974 and of my grandma and great grandma in 1961.  I was trying to find one of my grandma in one of her notorious bathing caps, but settled on bathing beauty instead.)

Recess!

Even though I liked school, recess was always a treat.  Admittedly, I was as likely to stick my nose in a book as play handball, but the freedom to choose what to do elated me. 

Fitness, too often, seems to end up like school.  The teacher tells you what to do, you groan, and you do it.  What if it felt like a treat?  What if fitness was something you got to do, something you chose?  That’s what I want fitness to be, both for myself and for my clients.

With that in mind, I will be writing here about topics that may help make fitness more fun, more useful, and more peaceful.