The thought of a new year often brings up desires to make self-improvements. Adding more exercise is a goal that is made by many people this time of year.
It makes me sad to say this, but most people lose their motivation for their New Year’s goal around mid-February.
There are a lot of variables at play here. One of them is this; ask yourself, “do I enjoy the exercise that I am choosing to do?”
If you can’t somehow spin the answer in a positive way into “yes,” then you are going to have a very difficult time keeping up with that goal.
The beautiful thing about exercise is if you are increasing your heart rate with purposeful movements of your body, it counts! You may be someone that wants the benefits of exercise but needs to trick your brain into doing it so you actually enjoy it.
Here is a list of 5 things that can be your exercise in disguise:
Dance
Find a song that has a quick beat, turn it up and get your boogy on. Alternatively, channel your inner ballerina and slow down the music and focus on moving with grace and strength. YouTube has a lot of great free resources for dance workouts for everything from calorie torching Hip-hop to slow and controlled Barre.
Zumba is another great gym alternative. It is a structured class that is available at many local gyms and various facilities.
Boxing
You can’t float like a butterfly, sting like a bee from just sitting on the couch. There are a lot of avenues for boxing. You can try no-equipment cardio boxing, get access to a heavy bag and learn some basic beginner moves, or go to an actual boxing gym where there are fitness classes designed around different boxing movements.
Hula Hooping
Talk about strengthening your core! Hula hooping targets all of the major core muscles. You can do it on your own by varying between hula hooping for certain duration in intervals. Or look up specific hula hoop workouts. There are a lot of free workouts available on YouTube.
Trampoline Jumping
I’ve never met anyone that was unhappy while jumping. You can find a mini trampoline just about anywhere. Or you can head to a trampoline park.
Obstacle Courses
Not only is this a creative way to get exercise in for yourself. It’s also nice to have in your back pocket if you have children that need to get active or if you just need to entertain them. Incorporate things that get you moving like army crawling through the hallway, then bunny hopping to the kitchen, where you do 5 squats, then crab walk to the beginning. Get creative! If you do that a few times, you’ll be sure to get your heart rate up.