Whether it’s early morning, after work or late at night, making exercise
happen in your life can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task – we’ve all
been there.
Exercise can feel like a chore for anyone, no matter your fitness
level! But there are ways to turn this around.
Here’s a few tips to make exercise more enjoyable, and something
you actually look forward to doing.
Why Does Exercise Sometimes Feel Like a Chore?
For most people, exercise is a means to an end i.e. the method for
reaching your goal. Whether that’s weight loss, building strength, preparing
for a bodybuilding competition or anything in between, the end result is often
what’s on our mind.
As a result, the pathway to get there can sometimes feel tedious.
We’re all thinking, “Ok, can my body hurry up?” When we’re thinking about a long-term
goal, it’s quite easy to lose sight of what’s happening right now. This can
turn exercise into a chore that we dread on a daily or weekly basis. That’s why
turning exercise into something fun is essential for whatever fitness journey
you might be on.
How to
Make Exercise
Fun Again
1. Give Yourself a Reward
One of the best ways to turn exercise from nay to yay is by giving yourself a reward
and a target to aim for. Whether it’s cutting down your time on a run or trying
to bump your reps and weights at the gym, having something at the finish line
can really help motivate you.
This might be taking yourself out for something to eat, or saving
a few dollars each workout in a piggy bank to use towards something you really
want, or going to a movie. Rewarding yourself can not only motivate you for one
workout but more to come.
2. Join a Local Sports
Team of Gym Challenge
If going for a
solo workout or just running for running’s sake isn’t for you, adding some
weekly or weekend sport or challenge to your schedule could be the fun exercise
antidote you need.
Not only does
it give you a great chance to experience the social and camaraderie aspect of
playing with a team, it can also give you some more fitness targets. Maybe you
want to build up some strength so your tackling improves in footy, or perhaps
you want to develop your endurance to run out a soccer match with gusto.
Plus, you
might really enjoy pushing towards a Finals appearance or trophy, giving you an
added incentive to run harder and get a good workout during your matches. Team
sport and gym challenges can help inject fun into your active lifestyle in a
lot of ways.
3. Make Sure You’ve Got some Audio or Visual Entertainment
To add some
fun to your workout, it can be crucial to have some great tunes pumping into your headphones. In fact, playing some upbeat tracks is scientifically proven to release dopamine and opioids into your system, with these feel-good and pain-relieving
chemicals giving you more energy to workout.
If music isn’t
your jam, then it’s pretty easy these days to watch your favourite tv shows or
movies while you’re on a cardio machine. Just get set up on your machine, login
with your phone or Virgin Active’s Technogym cardio machines to Netflix and you’ll
be finished your workout in no time.
4. Go With A Friend
One way of taking the chore out of your workouts and physical
activities is going along with a friend. It can be great to partner up during a
workout with one of your closest companions, pushing each other along the way,
and maybe rewarding yourself afterwards with a healthy bite to eat. Or ice
cream, or champagne. We clearly won’t judge!
Workout classes are a great way to make your workout fun with a
friend, and Virgin Active clubs have a wide array for every fitness need.
Blending feel-good movement and well-crafted programming, we have classes such
as boxing, yoga, cycling, Pilates, Body Attack and more.
Come see us for a free tour and find out how we can help put some fun back into your exercise lifestyle.