About half of U.S. adults exercise at least 90 minutes a week, according to a 20-month survey conducted between January 2008 and October 2010 by Gallup and Healthways Well-Being Index survey. Even knowing that regular exercise plays a key role in weight management and heart health, it can be difficult to motivate yourself to develop and follow an exercise plan. As you consider ways to make exercise fun and enjoyable, employ strategies to try new exercise routines and discover some non-traditional ways to burn calories in order to take advantage of the health benefits of regular exercise.
Step 1
Break up exercise sessions into small pieces. Smaller segments of exercise burn calories and help you avoid the tedium of longer routines. Walk in place to fast music for 10 minutes in the morning. Take a quick eight to 10 minute walk during your lunch hour, and skip rope for five to eight minutes while watching television at night.
Step 2
Use unconventional exercise equipment. Hula hoops are challenging to use and help increase your flexibility, core strength and raise your heart rate. Play a round of disc golf, walking quickly from tee pad to tee pad to increase your heart rate.
Step 3
Exercise with a group of friends. Gather three or four friends together to form a walking club. Walking together gives you an opportunity to visit, encourage each other to go faster and keep each other accountable. Keep your intensity level high by taking quick steps and walking up and down hills.
Step 4
Use your GPS device to get involved in geocaching and hiking. Hiking burns about 438 calories per hour if you weigh 160 lbs., or 546 an hour if you weigh 200 lbs., according to the Mayo Clinic website. While you are searching for the next cache, you will be building your leg muscles and exercising your heart. When hiking, select hilly areas to enhance your muscle and cardiovascular strength.
Step 5
Play outdoor games with family or friends. Soccer, touch football or pick-up basketball games are all good ways to exercise without the negative connotations of structured exercise. Games which require constant or continuous running help you meet the 30 minutes of daily exercise recommended by the American Heart Association.
Step 6
Hire a fitness coach. A trained coach understands you may not enjoy exercising, and can lead you in fun exercise routines such as using the fitness ball to build core strength, teaching you how to perform aerobic dance steps or teaching you to swim.
Tips and Warnings
- Get fitted with high-quality athletic shoes to help avoid injury. Try a new form of exercise once a week. Ask your local gym for a free pass in order to try new equipment.
- Consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
Things You'll Need
- Jump rope
- Hula hoop
- Disc golf equipment
- GPS device
- Soccer ball
- Football
- Basketball
- Fitness ball
References
- Gallup and Healthways Well-Being Index: A Million People Have Spoken: Gallup, Healthways Unlock the Meaning of Well-Being; October 28, 2010
- Disc Golf Association: Disc Golf Education
- Weight-Control Information Network: "The World Around You"; November 2010
- Mayo Clinic: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour; December 1, 2009
- American Heart Association: Physical Activity
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