We have some easy ways to make exercise more fun so that you don’t get bored and risk the temptation of giving up.
Mix it up
If you only do the same routine each time you train, your body will adapt, it will become easy and most importantly, you’ll be very bored. You’ll get to a point where you’ll feel like you’re merely going through the motions. Try different classes, sign up for something new and vary the order of the exercises you’re currently doing.
Push yourself
Try something you’ve never done before that pushes you out of your comfort zone. It could be doing a Boxercise class for the first time or taking up an entirely new form of exercise like tennis or even rock climbing. Anything that’s different to what you’d normally choose will stimulate the body.
Get help from experts
Whether you’re swimming, running or doing a new yoga class, ask the experts to help you improve. Hire a swimming coach so that you can work on your technique and improve or join a running club. If you’re doing yoga for the first time, have a couple of one-to-one sessions with a yoga instructor first, so that you’re comfortable with technique and can do the poses well before you join a class. The better you are at something, the more confident you will feel and you’ll be very inspired when you begin to improve.
Sign up for a virtual challenge
There’s plenty of running events, obstacle races, triathlons (of various distances), swimathons or other charity events you can do to raise money for a good cause and also give yourself a target of something to get fit and train for. When you are training for an event like a 10K or a mini-triathlon, you will be more motivated to do your workout than if you don’t have a specific reason for training. There’s nothing more motivational than knowing you’ve got to be fit to run, cycle or swim a certain distance by a certain date.
Try circuit training
Devise your own circuits routine at home. You could choose bodyweight squats, lunges, push-ups, bench dips and abdominal crunches. Do the exercises together. If you’re doing them at home, make sure you warm up with a brisk walk or jog around the block first and make sure you clear all furniture and objects out of the way so that you’ve got plenty of room. Doing a mini-circuit together is great fun, as you can encourage each other. Try 30-45 seconds on each exercise, or you can count reps and do 15-20 repetitions before moving on to the next exercise.
Train for an event with your partner
Sign up for an event like a triathlon or half marathon and train together, so that you can support and inspire each other. It’s great fun to have the same goal in mind and you’ll be more likely to stick at it.
Create a playlist
Decide how long you’re going to exercise for and create a playlist of the same length. Make sure you have upbeat inspirational tunes and don’t stop exercising until your playlist has finished.
Cut the rest breaks
Get your workout done soon and make it more dynamic by keeping the rest breaks short to avoid distractions. If you normally rest on a machine for 60 seconds, cut the rest period in half to 30 seconds. Alternatively, you can superset, which means moving from one exercise to another without rest breaks – you might do two exercises back to back, for instance. This could be for the same muscle group, such as leg press followed by squats, or it could mean doing opposing muscle groups without a rest, such as doing lat pull down machine for back followed by chest press. This will ramp up your fitness and allow you to get more done in less time. It’s a very effective way to train and is ideal for busy people.
Make it a game
Remember how you used to exercise at school? You didn’t think about it, you just ran around after a ball or chased your friends, and that was exercise. You weren’t counting the calories burned or worrying about whether you’d done enough to make a difference. If you’re getting bored, ditch your normal routine for a day and go to the park with a friend and throw a ball around. It’s fun, and it doesn’t have to be competitive.
