Making Your Workout Fun

You have been walking that same route every day for the past two years. You dread tying your walking shoes, and hate that rain or shine your trudging down that sidewalk at the crack of dawn. Your debating on quitting, but know that after losing that last five pounds if you stop you will just gain it all back!

There are many reasons to add variety to your workout, for one boredom, doing the same thing over and over again for most of us is tedious, even if you love the work out you have been doing, eventually it will get dull. For another, and one I personally didn't know until I started chatting with my fitness coach is that your body acclimates to its fitness regiment, in other words your body will stop burning when it gets use to it! That's why they say you need to "feel the burn."

So what can you do to shake up your exercise? Here's some ideas:

Take a dance class. These classes are great ways to teach your "old muscles new tricks." For example, there is something in belly dancing called an "undulation." The way my belly dance instructor taught it was by saying its a "muscle roll." Its an entirely new feeling and will awaken your body in ways that you didn't know existed! In my sister's "Stomp" class she said her legs have never burned so much. Some others to consider: Ballet, Jazz, Zumba, Ballroom, Swing, and Tap.

Get a library card. Yeah I know, what does this have to do with fitness? You would be surprised how many work out videos line the shelves at your local library, remember they take donations? Every February a whole slew of new workout videos join the racks (from New Year's Resolutions being abandoned). This is a great way to check out different types of workouts without investing hundreds of dollars! This was actually where I first discovered Belly Dancing, and where I first tried kick boxing.

Sign up at your local Rec Center. This is great for a variety of weight machines, cardio machines, and a wide variety of exercise classes. Pilates, Yoga, Cycling, Hi-Cardio, Tae Bo, etc. Joining a gym, or Rec however is a costly way of dedicating yourself to your health, but its also great for getting ideas from the "pro's."

Join a Martial Art. Karate, Kickboxing, Taekwondo, Thai Chi. These are marvelous for your body to lean out, and for learning self discipline, while at the same time teaching you about your body and about the balance within.

Set up a self challenge. Some ideas: Grab a pair of dice roll them twice. First number is how many crunches you need to do, second is how many sets. Sometimes you'll get lucky and only have to do 2 sets of 2, sometimes you'll have to push yourself and do 12 sets of 12! TV Show challenge. If your a big TV watcher vow to "Not fast forward" over the commercials and do crunches or pushups through the entire commercial break - count it out to see how many you do and keep a record. I bet you reach 100 faster than you think!

Go out with your kids. You would be surprised how much energy (and calories) your little tyke can burn, try to keep up! Play freeze tag, or tunnel tag, crawl through the tunnels at the park with them, or go down the slide 15 times with them (great step exercise!) Not only is this great for your body but will also be great bonding time with your little ones.

Go rollerskating or ice skating. This used to be a popular weekend getaway and has diminished in the last few years, but it is still fun and available in most cities.

Go rock climbing, learn at a fitness center and then take it out to nature!

Go hiking. Most people think it must be done in the mountains, but not true! If you have any form of nature around you you can go hiking.

And finally get your family and friends involved! No matter what I'm doing its more fun to do it with someone I love, plus it will help establish good health in your kids, spouse, or friends. Nearly all the regulars I see at the gym are with a partner. Sometimes they are a silent partner, sometimes they are laughing and giggling with them.

There are hundreds of other ideas out there, I've only listed a few, but hopefully it will inspire you think outside of the walking-shoe-box. Just remember that exercising doesn't need to be a chore! You can work while you play!