Motivate Yourself to Get Healthy with Fun!by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger 22 Aug 2008 05:25 PM A friend of mine got a Wii Fit as an anniversary present... and her excitement and enthusiasm was absolutely contagious! (Anybody have a Wii Fit they want to let me try?) I'll be honest -- I don't usually feel excited and enthusiastic about exercising. I know it's good for me. I know it helps my body stay healthy and flexible and strong. But exercise isn't something I think of as fun. When healthy choices are chores, you're less likely to stick with them (whether we're talking about a diet or an exercise plan). But if you can make your lifestyle choice something fun and exciting, you're going to look forward to doing it. Motivation is HUGE when it comes to maintaining a lifestyle change. The Wii Fit reminded me that playing can be exercise, too. Exercise doesn't have to be torture. And hey -- studies have shown that when exercise is fun, you're more like to do it regularly and longer. At one playground-style gym in Wisconsin, 85% of members do some sort of cardiovascular activity three times per week. That's what we're supposed to do for good health, but on a national level, we're falling short. The bottom line? Pick activities that are more fun than work and you'll keep "funning" out much longer.
One of my favorite pool games as a kid would be a pretty good (and fun) water workout. It was one part soccer, one part tube racing, and one part swimming. Each player sat in an inner tube and "rowed" around the pool using arms and legs. The goal was to get an inflated beach ball to the opposite side of the pool to score. My friends and I would play this game for hours... I had no clue I was exercising, I was just having a blast. Learn more about Aimee Amodio  Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover... Relevanthealth tags User Comments Coachdi (16) 10 Sep 2008 01:56 PMAnother idea is dancing in a non-structured way. I put on some music today and danced wildly around by myself until I was out of breath. Great aerobic workout in the privacy of my home. It's amazing what you can do when you look for a fun activity as Aimee pointed out. We get in a rut thinking of boring exercise. Think like a child--have fun! Diana Fletcher, Diana Fletcher Life Coaching  Courtney Mroch (9169) 11 Oct 2008 07:27 AMI used to dance with wild abandon after I'd come home from school in high school, Coachdi. I didn't know it at the time, but it was why I got in the best shape I'd ever been in and come that next summer I was slim enough to wear a two-piece. But now I want a Wii Fit because like, you, Aimee, I've heard all sorts of raves from my friends, and I love playing our Wii anyway (currently my favorite game is Mario vs. Sonic summer Olympics, which has some heart-raising games on it), but I've requested from Wayne the Wii Fit and Dance Revolution for my Christmas presents this year. =) Community Tags dancing, exercise fun, fitness, fun, funning out, health, Play, working out Discuss this article
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