Exercise

In my post yesterday I mentioned exercise as a way to improve your mood and up your fun potential. However, I also know that the word "exercise" comes with a stigma for most people. Some associations people have with "exercise" are sweating it out on a treadmill, lifting ever so boring weights, an unused gym membership. I actually googled "percentage of gym memberships that go unused" but was unable to locate any seemingly accurate data. I'm guessing it's huge, though, based on my own unofficial data collection. Myself, I HATE gyms! So I don't go to them. Instead I do "exercise" I enjoy and because of that I stay in great shape (Well, I'm getting back to the great shape... we'll use good for now.). The key to enjoying "exercise" is to only do physical activity you enjoy! Rocket science, I know. I'll be expecting my Nobel Prize next round. Not only will you enjoy the time you spend "exercising" but it's also been shown that a positive attitude improves weight loss. Here's my extensive list of fun "exercise" (I wish I had time for all of these.). I'm sure everyone who really wants to enjoy their workout will find something on here.

Aerobics classes
Baby-sitting (Not exactly a registered "exercise" but you'll get plenty of it chasing kids around playing.)
Backpacking
Basketball
Bicycling
Canoeing/Kayaking
Dancing (Surprise exercise!)
Dodgeball (This might not be for everyone due to gym class nightmares but I believe they're using softer balls these days.)
Gymnastics
Hiking/Walking
Hockey
Hopscotch
Jumping rope
Kickball (Coed kickball leagues are the new bars.)
Paddle boarding
Pilates (Hard as hell!)
Pole Dancing
Rock climbing
Running
Skiing
Snowboarding
Softball (Baseball too for those of you who are more hard core.)
Soccer
Softball
Surfing
Swimming
Tai Chi
Wake boarding
Water skiing
Yoga

Another benefit of many of these activities is that they're team activities so it's a great way to meet new people and/or have a support group while "exercising." There's nothing like sweating it up with others to max the fun potential. One place to find teams/partners for fun "exercise" activities is Meetup.

Any I left off you really enjoy?



Now here are some peeps having a good time "exercising"