Is exercise supposed to be fun? You bet! When exercise routines are not fun, they become monotonous and people get bored, so when the next training session rolls around, they try to find one excuse or another to skip their workout. What’s the solution to this problem?
Well, on a practical scale, it is virtually impossible to devise new routines to placate the taste of every gym-goer. You can, however, put some zing into your workout experiences, as well as making a point to occasionally get outside the gym to find fun-filled and entertaining ways of maintaining your fitness. Try any or all of the following ideas:
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Man is basically a social animal. So, make it a point to socialize with your co-workout crowd as much as possible. It is also advisable to invite some of your friends join you for your workout schedule. This way, having somebody you know in your company, will make working out less of a chore and more of a social occasion. Further, to make those long drawn out walks, hikes, and bike trips entertaining, include picnics in the schedule appropriately. The theory is simple – boredom sets in when the workout regimes get monotonous. Once you can do this in a fun filled manner, you won’t realize the extent of physical exhaustion while working out.
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Cross training is an effective way to bypass the monotonous nature of certain exercises. The advantage of doing so is in fact twofold. One, it provides the much needed variety, and secondly, it helps build muscles of all parts of the body while being less demanding on any particular body part at a given time. It improves the overall fitness level quickly.
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Constantly challenge yourself. Certain basic workouts such as bench press, triceps extensions, and arm curls simply cannot be interesting over a period of time. In order to add some juice to such routines, increasing the target and constantly challenging yourself to meet it. In that way, you will find some minimal motivation for working out routinely.
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Exercises need not be limited to inside of the four walls of a gymnasium. It can be done outdoors, in the form of dancing, aerobics, or games such as beach volley, badminton, golf, and water sports. But, for results to show up, one has to be consistent in his/her efforts. If not, at the end of the day, it serves no purpose at all.
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When you get free time, test yourself and your fitness levels by joining a marathon or some local competition involving physical activities. To add fun and variety to your holidays, it is also advisable to go backpacking once in a while or try horseback riding. Mind you, it is not that easy to ride a horse!
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Finally, take a few minutes daily or on the weekends to play with your children. Assuming you have any. If you don’t have any of your own, borrow nieces and nephews or your friend’s children. A few hours with them will provide more physical activity than any local gym can provide. Not too mention it’s a ton of fun.
In fact, there are umpteen ways to make exercise fun filled, but one has to be creative in his/her thoughts. Involve your whole family in the process if possible. That will double as some quality time together as well as good fun.
Tail Piece: Always begin any exercise program after a medical checkup. Also, make it a point to only go to a certified fitness expert. It is very important that one exercises safely and only in the correct manner.
