DAY 119 OF 365 DAYS TO A BETTER LIFESTYLE
HOW TO MAKE YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE INTERESTING AND FUN
INSTEAD OF BORING
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.
