AN APPLE A DAY – 365 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE - EXERCISE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BORING

DAY 119 OF 365 DAYS TO A BETTER LIFESTYLE

HOW TO MAKE YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE INTERESTING AND FUN INSTEAD OF BORING

 (Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

When it comes to exercise, or anything for that matter; don’t let yourself get stuck in a rut.   You will enjoy your physical activities so much more if you follow just a few simple suggestions for adding a little variety into your routine workouts.  

CHANGE THE SCENERY OFTEN:  If you go walking or running or exercising in the same place every day, you will eventually begin to tire of the same old scenery.

I grabbed a hint about this from my daughter.  When it comes time for her jog, she just takes advantage of whereever or whatever place she finds herself in at the moment.  If she is at a friend's house; she asks her friend to walk around the neighborhood with her while they talk.  If she is at the office, she goes outside and explores the city on her walk.  If she is driving and she sees a nice little park; she stops and takes advantage of the good timing!  You don't have to exercise in the same place every day!  Duh!

Nature never gets boring, chose outside over the gym whenever you can, that way when you CAN’T go outside, the gym will feel novel to you.

EXERCISE YOUR SENSES AS YOU EXERCISE YOUR BODY:  Do you listen to headphones whenever you walk? That is a great way to incorporate your sense of hearing into your exercise routine; but don’t do it every day. Make phone calls, or just enjoy the sound of silence in your ears. Listen for water lapping in the creek or birds chirping in the trees. Become sound aware as you walk, it will keep your mind occupied and make the walking fun instead of a chore. 

Incorporate your sense of sight by noticing your surroundings.  Instead of focusing on how fast you are going or how many times your pulse is beating; try looking around as you walk or run or exercise.  What do you see?  Develop a keen sense of noticing the beauty of nature, the novelty of your cityscape, or the peacefulness of the countryside.  Let your eyes feast on the places that you love to encounter as you exercise.  You will begin to feel and think like an artist and your exercise will be enhanced because you will have more enthusiasm for the journey.  Pay attention to abstracts that you see in the landscape.  Do those shadows look like they have a message?  Let your eyes sharpen your imagination as you pound the pavement and move. 

Use your sense of touch as an inspiration to keep moving.  After so many miles; allow yourself to stop and stroke the mane of the waiting horse at your gate; or inspire yourself to go a mile further in order to pick a bouquet of lovely flowers from a garden for your dinner table tonight.  Take a moment to pet your dog or your cat and you can even invite them to exercise with you. 

Be inspired by the different tastes and smells along your journey.  Walk to a local coffee shop occasionally instead of following a trail.  Bask in the goodness of a cup of Joe, and then continue your exercise.  Breathe in the smells of bakeries and restaurants along your street.  Try to guess what they are serving today as you jog past them.  You might just become a more regular customer!  You will have to stop in occasionally to see if your guesses are accurate.  Not every day, but occasionally reward yourself with a yogurt from a local shop.  Be refreshed and continue to exercise afterward.

INCORPORATE YOUR FAVORITE HOBBY INTO YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE WHENEVER POSSIBLE.  My favorite thing to do when I walk is to take photographs of nature and all of its novel surroundings. You actually wind up walking further and you don’t even notice how the time passes. You are too busy looking for that perfect camera shot.

If you are a writer, try composing stories or poetry as you get your exercise.  It will still be fresh on your mind when you return to your desk after the exercise.  You will have longer to think before putting it down on paper and you may come up with better ideas this way.  There is nothing like healthy lungs full of fresh air to inspire words of wisdom and joy.

Do you love to sing?  No one would mind hearing you make a joyful noise as you are jogging down the lane.  Let your song overflow into your exercise routine.  Those voice muscles need exercising too. 

Do you paint or draw?  Keep a lookout as you walk or jog for objects and scenery for your next project.  You will be amazed at the ideas that might pop into your head if you just stay focused on your hobby while you exercise. 

Or maybe the exercise you enjoy most IS you favorite hobby. Do you love riding your bike or working in your garden?   Do you like rafting down a river, hiking, ice skating, bowling, rollerblading or snowboarding?  Are you an avid tennis player?  Do you enjoy horsebackriding? Enjoy your hobby and get your exercise all in one time period.  What could be better?

CHANGE UP YOUR ROUTINES EVERY DAY; IT MAKES LIFE MUCH MORE INTERESTING:  If you walk every day of the week, change your trails daily. Go to the park one day and the mall the next.  Take a stroll through the city sometimes; but look for country roads to jog on too.  

If you find you are still tired of walking EVERY day, you really don’t have to walk all the time - try swimming one day, biking one day and walking one day.  Alternate your activities and keep mixing them up.  Gather the neighborhood together around your basketball goal and have a friendly little neighborhood game instead of pacing around the block every now and then. You might make some new friends, you never know!   Inviting other interesting people to participate in your exercise routines with you makes things a lot more interesting and you are more likely to continue the activity with a partner by your side.  Don’t be a hermit all the time – invite a friend to join you.

Staying healthy is just about living better, not at all about being bored. A little imagination goes a long way toward your eventual greater happiness. 

Ponder how you exercise and keep thinking of ways that you can make positive refreshing changes that will keep you out there moving and inspired about life.