How to Take Regular Exercise (And Love It)

One of the keys to health is taking regular exercise (and if you doubt that, just check out this story of a 100 year old British woman taking keep fit classes!) But many of us find it difficult to stick with an exercise routine. Perhaps we’re too busy or too tired, or maybe we just don’t enjoy exercise that much.

Being active doesn’t have to feel like a chore or a punishment – it’s a great way to boost your mood, to keep your heart and bones healthy, and to burn calories and build muscle. Here’s how you can fit regular exercise into your life – and enjoy it!

Integrate Your Exercise

It’s much easier to stick to a routine if you integrate your exercise into your week, rather than seeing it as an extra thing to try to shoehorn into a busy life. Some good ways to make exercise suit you, rather than having to disrupt your whole routine to fit it in, are:

• Walk, cycle or jog to work, or to the local shops
• Think “little and often” – rather than trying to do marathon gym sessions twice a week, try walking briskly for just 20 minutes a day
• Get an exercise DVD or some equipment which you can use at home – and find a regular time of day (maybe first thing in the morning) to get exercising
• Find a gym which you can get to in your lunch hour, or which is on your route home from work

Find Activities You Enjoy

A lot of us have all sorts of “shoulds” in our heads when it comes to exercise. Perhaps it’s the memory of horrible school gym lessons, or maybe we just feel badgered by health advice. If you force yourself to exercise because you know you “should”, it’s unlikely you’ll stick with it for very long – and you’ll end up feeling guilty when you give up.

The truth is, there are plenty of ways of being active and having fun at the same time – just check out the activity calculator for some ideas. If you hate the gym, jog outside. If you don’t like running, try long country walks. If you get bored on the treadmill, try trampolining.

Once you’ve found an activity you really love, it’s much easier to stick with it.

Get Together With a Friend

Do you keep promising yourself an exercise session … only to end up skipping it because you’re tired or not in the mood? One of the best ways to avoid this is to get together with a friend: maybe go to the pool together, or play tennis or badminton against one another.

When someone else is relying on you to show up, you’ll have a lot more incentive to do so! Making exercise into a social occasion can also be a great way to have more fun – whether it’s a long walk in the countryside with your partner, or a game of Frisbee with a bunch of pals in the park.

Make it a Treat

Finally, rather than seeing your exercise time as a chore, can you start viewing it as a treat instead? When I used to work in an office job, I went to the gym three times a week in my lunch hour, and it was a great way to escape my desk and the pressures of the day.

You could try:

• Listening to your favorite music while working out
• Relaxing in the sauna after you’ve been to the gym
• Putting an audio book on your MP3 player while jogging
• Chatting to a friend on the phone while walking
• Going for a coffee with your exercise buddy after a session

Whatever you do, find a way to make sure that exercise is a natural, fun and refreshing part of your life!

Written by Ali Hale

Related posts:

1. How to Establish an Exercise Routine You Can Stick To
2. Ten Little Tricks for Enjoying Exercise More
3. Three Ways To Diet And Exercise When You Have No Time At All