Good exercise habits are essential for your overall health and fitness. Do you do a lot of sitting around? What will it take to get you off the couch and get moving? How can you make exercise fun? What are some excuses people make to get out of exercising? In this article, we will address all these questions, healthy exercise, and fitness habits.
Healthy Exercise Habits
How can you make exercise fun? Here are some suggestions to help you get going.
Ways to Make Exercise Enjoyable
- Always do something
- Get your family and friends involved
- Be prepared
- Take it outdoors
- Remember how you feel when you don’t exercise
- Make it fun
- Plan your exercise
- Seek expert guidance and coaching
- Set achievable goals
- Track your movement
Always do something
Do some kind of movement everyday. It could be five or ten minutes. That’s better than nothing. A sedentary lifestyle is your biggest enemy.
Get your family and friends involved
Exercising with others can be fun. Make your exercise time a social activity. Other people can hold you accountable and encourage you.
Be prepared
Get your workout gear out the day before. This will remind you to get out and exercise.
Take it outdoors
Being outside and getting fresh air can be refreshing. Beautiful sunrises, sunsets, plants, trees, and wildlife can serve as motivators.
Remember how you feel when you don’t exercise
When you don’t exercise, it’s difficult to get going. Remember how sluggish, tired, and stiff you feel when you don’t exercise.
Make it fun
Exercise should be fun! Find some exercises you enjoy. Make sure your activities vary to avoid boredom.
Plan your exercise
Failing to plan is planning to fail. Plan your physical activity and exercise for each day the week before. This will keep you organized and motivated to workout.
Seek expert guidance and coaching
Sometimes you can benefit from working with a personal trainer. They can help you individualize your workout plan, give you sound advice, and help you stay motivated.
Set achievable goals
You should always set goals. However, your goals must be achievable. If you’re unable to reach your goals, it’s easy to get discouraged and quit.
Track your movement
Activity trackers put your daily and weekly progress into perspective. These trackers are helpful to remind you not to sit for too long, and to get up and walk around every hour.
Excuses for not Exercising
Excuses, excuses, excuses! People always find ways to try to get out of something they dislike or don’t want to do. This also applies to exercising. It doesn’t come easy for everyone, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise. Here are some excuses and the solutions to overcome them.
- I dislike exercising
- I’m too busy
- I’m too tired
- I’m too fat, too old, or I’m in poor health
- Exercise is difficult and painful
- I’m not athletic
I dislike exercising
Going to the gym, or running on the treadmill may not be your cup of tea. There are many other ways to get exercise. Believe it or not, you can make exercise fun. Here are a few suggestions:
- Take a walk outside
- Go for a bike ride
- Exercise with a friend
- Listen to your music or your favorite podcast while you exercise
I’m too busy
We all have busy lives so that’s an easy excuse not to exercise. To overcome this excuse, build time to exercise into your busy schedule. It could be as simple as taking a short walk on your lunch break. Depending on where you live, you could ride your bike to work once or twice a week.
I’m too tired
Physical activity actually boosts your energy. Exercising regularly will help you feel more energized, refreshed, and ready to go!
I’m too fat, too old, or I’m in poor health
It’s never too late to start building your strength and fitness. Whether you’re older or would categorize yourself as a couch potato, exercise is possible. However, it would be wise to consult your doctor so that you don’t take on too much when you’re getting started.
Exercise is difficult and painful
Exercise shouldn’t be painful. You don’t have to push yourself until you’re soaked in sweat or every muscle aches to get results. You can build your strength and fitness by walking, swimming, or even playing golf, gardening, or cleaning the house.
I’m not athletic
Getting fit doesn’t mean you have to be a great athlete or coordinated. Focus on easy ways to boost your activity level, like walking, swimming, or even working more around the house. Anything that gets you moving will work.
Fitness Habits
Whether you’re beginning your fitness journey or just need inspiration, here are some great fitness habits to implement.
- Build a routine
- Lift weight
- Focus on form
- Don’t forget to stretch
- Relish in rest days
- Get good sleep
- Stay hydrated
- Eat right
Build a routine
Good routines are important for everyone. If you’re just starting out in the fitness world, individuals should make it a habit of getting active each day. This could include a short walk or workout before heading to work.
Lift weight
Weight and resistance training is extremely valuable for building muscle and cultivating a lean body mass. Weightlifting should be incorporated into workout regimens at least a couple times each week.
Focus on form
Be careful not to get ahead of yourself and remember to always focus on form. Along with protecting against injury, focusing on form can naturally heighten physical performance.
Don’t forget to stretch
Stretching often gets left out of workouts. Especially following strenuous activities, stretching helps prevent injury and keeps muscles strong and flexible, ultimately maintaining range of motion in the joints.
Get good sleep
Sleep is also important in building a strong immune system and healthy metabolism, along with combating against premature aging.
Stay hydrated
Staying hydrated prevents muscle cramping and fatigue, along with precipitating a cooling effect following workouts. Active, healthy individuals should consume at least eight, 8-ounce glasses of water each day.
Eating Right
Eating right is essential for anyone who wants to be healthy. However, it goes double for anyone that is working out. It is important to make sure that you are avoiding any overly processed and artificial foods. However, it is also important to make sure that you are getting the right nutrients. For example, many people skip out on their needed fiber daily. Fiber is one of the most important foods you can eat to be healthy.
Exercise should be fun and enjoyable. During the pandemic it’s been hard to spend time with your friends due to lockdown. Stop making excuses, get outside, and use exercise as an excuse to spend time with others!
