We all know that exercising and working out is good for us. But how many of us actually make the effort to do so? Society is becoming more educated about health and the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We now realize the risks of being overweight and leading a sedentary lifestyle. Click here for more from Research and You for ways to improve your health on the whole. Basically, a healthy lifestyle means eating the right foods, working out and taking a supplement to fill in the missing gaps.
The thought of hitting the gym may fill you with dread, but it doesn’t need to. There are some things you can do to make your workout fun and the time fly by. You may even be excited to do it again the next day (and the next and the next). We know life is busy and the excuses are plentiful, but here are 5 ways you can make working out work for you. Your health is worth it!
1. Grab A Partner
Finding a buddy to work out with may just be all you need to get going. A friend will keep you motivated and accountable to leave your house and go to the gym. If you have someone else relying on you, you are less likely to flake on your workout. You can even race your friend on the treadmill, providing some competition to spice things up. Working out with a friend is also a nice (and healthy) way to have a catch-up session instead of meeting in the coffee shop. Consider your workout a social interaction which studies have found to be very important for your health. It’s two birds with one stone, so to speak.
2. Blast Your Tunes
Music is a great distraction. Besides for taking your focus off your exertion and pain during a workout, research has also found that the music you listen to during a workout plays a role on your performance. Music also helps lift your mood and you can’t help but move when listening to music. So put together a list of your favorite up-tempo beats to keep you in the zone and have you power through a workout. Who knows, you may actually be excited to work out just to listen to your music!
3. Find A Fun Activity
Working out does not necessarily mean going to the gym and running on the treadmill for an hour. If this works for you, great. However, if you find this kind of activity too tedious and boring, chances are you won’t have the motivation to do it for very long. The good news is that today you can find an endless number of ways to workout. Feeling very adventurous? Try a trapeze class. Flying through the air will work on your strength and flexibility and is sure to give you a thrill which you will want to repeat. For those less daredevil types, there is a huge selection of exercise classes you can attend. Try the dancing moving of Zumba or bouncing around in a Kangoo class. You want to find a workout that actually makes you want to work out.
4. Download An App
A fitness app can be a great tool to stay motivated and help you reach your goals. Some help you plan effective workouts which you can even do from the comfort of your own home. Think of it like having a virtual personal trainer which can really be of use if you have no idea of where to start. Some of these apps track your progress to keep you motivated and also provide chat rooms to connect with others for some needed support and to make it more social.
5. Get A Reward
Think of something you really really want. Whether it is a new dress or a romantic getaway weekend. Now let that be your reward for working out. Set yourself a time frame, such as when you workout for 20 days you can buy that dress you have been wanting. Or each time you work out, put a dollar in a jar which you can then decide what to do with. This is a great incentive to keep going. And the effort you put in will make the reward so much more worthwhile.
Don’t let exercise become a chore that you need to do to stay healthy and reap the many benefits of losing weight. With the growth of the health and fitness industry and the advancement of technology, working out can be fun.