5 Ways to Make Working Out Fun

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Good morning everyone! Hope you are all enjoying the week. If not, it’s almost the weekend. The end is in sight.

In a funny turn of events, I have SERIOUSLY struggled with scheduling lately! If you follow me on Twitter (if not, you should be) then you have already heard snippets. Long story short – I have two weekend events in Nashville this month. I had the dates wrong for BOTH. Seriously – graduate school is frying my brain!

Something that doesn’t fry my brain? Exercise. Years ago, I hated exercise. Seriously. It wasn’t fun at all. It was painful, and boring, and a miserable use of my time. But last year? All of that changed.

Need a little inspiration for your exercise life? Here are my five favorite tips for making exercise slightly less painful slightly more fun!

1. Enlist a buddy. One of my favorite workout buddies in college (or at least for one year of college) was my friend Steph. We held each other accountable, we pushed each other, and we pretended to do ab exercises while laying on the mat together at the end of a fun workout! (Really, we were just laying there. It was glorious. Rest for the win!)

2. Make it into a game. I like to race the clock. But you could also pretend to race other gym-goers around you! After all, competition is a killer motivation. I love a good victory…

3. Pick exercises that you truly enjoy. For me? I hate the stair master. It’s boring, it’s hard, and I never feel like I’ve accomplished anything. But weight lifting? Currently I could do that all.day.long. So I’ve added a lot of into my routine! Staying interested means that I also stay motivated.

4. Pump up the jams. See my marathon playlist. Proceed to dance around like a fool. Or pick songs that inspire you and make you want to sing at the top of your lungs. The cornier, the better! After all – no one can hear what’s blasting out of your headphones but you…

5. Make a plan, and stick to it. So it might not be fun, but it’s super-rewarding! I love a good checklist. And the only thing I love more? Checking something off of a good checklist. Hence, why I did so well sticking to a half-marathon plan.

 

So there you have it. Fitness shouldn’t be something to dread, it should be FUN! I love discovering new workouts, and putting on new workout clothes, and rocking out to new workout tunes. All in the spirit of staying healthy.

Do you have any tips for keeping workouts fun?

16 thoughts on “5 Ways to Make Working Out Fun”

  1. pump up jams all the way! When I have a long run that I’m not looking forward to, I’ll splurge and spend a couple $ on iTunes. It makes the run SO much more fun. I actually look forward to it the night before while I’m falling asleep! I just have to be careful to not turn the songs on repeat right when I buy them and listen to them 100,000 times right away:)

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    • I’m the same way!! I’m always over-listening to songs, and then burning out on them. My college roommate had a favorite song that she only allowed herself to listen to once every 6 months so she didn’t burn out. I don’t have that kind of willpower!

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  6. I suppose it depends on your favorite way of working out, but I personally prefer outdoor workouts. One MAJOR way I was motivated to go running, walking or biking was to find the most beautiful neighborhoods in my town (the kind you day dream about living in) and do it there. Your mind wanders to the beautiful houses and you don’t focus on how out of breath you are!

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  7. Great tips! Building on the theme of workout buddy, I love when my workout pals take it on the road for some destination race/workout action! SO MUCH FUN!

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