- Are you tired of having low energy?
- Are you carrying a few unwanted pounds?
- Can you be healthy and still have fun?
- Do you make excuses for not exercising?
"I'm too busy." "I'm too fat." "I'm too old." "I'm too tired." "Exercise is too difficult." "I'm not athletic."
And are you the type of person that hates to go to the gym? Maybe you don't believe it, but physical activity is actually a powerful energy booster that leaves us alert, motivated, and refreshed.
When you say "but I don't like exercising," what you're probably saying is: "I don't enjoy the particular type of exercise I think I have to do."
So, if you don't like lifting weights in a gym, don't do it. If you don't like running, don't do that. Don't settle for the elliptical machine if you think it's a snooze.
You probably do want to live a healthy, active life, so it will help if you understand a couple of essential facts:
- Exercise is anything that elevates your heart rate and takes your body outside of its normal comfort zone.
Find something you like; that gives you a rush; that you look forward to doing. Whether it's alone or in a group, there's probably some activity that will give you the benefits you're looking for and appeals to you. One of the hardest habits to build is an exercise habit. It will be a lot easier if you look forward to it.
Here are 5 suggestions for alternatives to your usual exercise choices:
Hate Running? (535 calories for an 11-minute mile)... and Riding a Stationary Bike is Too Repetitive? (393 calories)... Try Riding a Real Bicycle (340 calories at a moderate speed of 10 mph). There's no impact on a bike, plus you get to see the world around you instead of the four walls of a gym. And if you join a cycling group, you'll make new friends. (Source)
Think Hopping Up and Down on a Step is Silly? (360-714 calories)... Try Hula Hooping (420-600 calories). A recent study by the American Council on Exercise found that hula hooping can burn as many calories per minute as step aerobics, or boot camp. (Source)
Instead of an Aerobics Class (400 - 551 calories)... Put on Your Dancing Shoes (310 - 552 calories). Not a gym rat? Dancing is a great way to get fit, and there's a type to appeal to everyone, even if you don't have a partner. Or, you may love Zumba, which blends choreographed footwork and body movements from Latin dances, and you won't even realize you're working your muscles as well. (Source)
Instead of Swimming (429-600 calories)... Try an Aquatic Fitness Class (350-600 calories). Aquatic training is no longer seen only as a place to turn to if you are injured, overweight or elderly, instead it is a proven method of training used by people of all ages and abilities, including some of the world's top athletes. (Source)
Instead of Weight Training (214 calories)... Try Hiking (500 calories). Working out with weights increases muscle mass and boosts metabolism. However, hiking is a fantastic workout for burning calories in addition to building muscles, and you may even forget you are exercising. (Source)
Jacqueline Gikow is an enthusiastic, supportive personal trainer and wellness coach, inspiring a healthy, active, and vital life, now and tomorrow, through taking control of weight issues, maintaining healthy bones and brain, keeping their hearts strong and joints flexible as well as letting go of old habits.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Contact me through Audacious-Aging.NYC® to get started with remote coaching or an in-home personalized fitness program.