Think outside the gym.
Maybe it’s the idea of going to a gym you loathe. You have to take time out of an already overloaded schedule to change clothes, drive to the gym and shower afterward. Or perhaps you just feel blah — you’re unmotivated and have little energy. Whatever the reason, you hate exercise — or at least what comes to mind when you think of being active. And yet the research supporting the wide-ranging, mind-blowing benefits of physical activity for mind and body is impossible to ignore. So what do you do? Well, for one thing, experts say, change your concept of what you consider exercise. Get out of your rut by thinking outside the big box gym.
Forget working out. Play.
Remember tag? Yeah, that’s still a thing. It’s a game Tanner Martty, personal trainer and owner of 34 Degrees North in Santa Monica, California, will have his group workout classes play sometimes. After just a minute or two, “people are literally exhausted,” he says. No group? No problem. Go outside and shoot around, if basketball is (or was) your thing. Not a baller? Do jumping jacks or whatever makes you feel like a kid. The key is to get lost in whatever you’re doing, as a kid would, to break from more structured exercise.
Family obligations monopolizing your time? Bench press a kid.
Rick Richey — owner of the Independent Training Spot in New York City, faculty for the National Academy of Sports Medicine and father of three kids, ages 2 to 9 — recommends parents include their kids in their workout routine. That could mean playing that game of tag with them; rest assured, they won’t stop — and they’ll get you moving. Or be the human horse to younger kids. While you’re on the floor, get a rep or two in sans the bar or barbells. “I love working out with my kids. I shoulder press them. I squat with them,” Richey says — and of course the kids love it too.
Toast your running habit.
You don’t have to look far to find clubs and events that pair running with alcohol. The point is not to tank your jaunt (certainly for health and safety reasons moderation is still encouraged). Rather, it’s about reorienting the focus to make it a social event first and foremost, which can take the edge off, in terms of making physical activity feel more fun and less obligatory. “Exercise and fitness are the byproduct of the social events” put on at locations across the country by Running for Brews, says John McMahan, co-founder, owner and CEO of the organization. Participants meet at a bar, typically run a 5K, then drink craft brews afterward.
Run in your undies or away from zombies.
There’s no shortage of themed exercise events — many injecting a flair for goofing off into the workout mix. You can still push yourself — and through mud, no less, like with Warrior Dash, an obstacle course race series; or just run-walk in your skivvies. Or evade zombies, like with Zombie Run, which founder and owner Richard Vaughn, calls a “couch to 5K” run; the events are open to people of all abilities, including those who want to be zombies — and thus, in character, move more slowly. Participants in themed events and organizers say sometimes the zany provides a spark that motivates people, who are turned off by more straight-laced exercising, to be active.
Commune with Mother Nature.
Emerging research reveals many benefits of green exercise — or working out while experiencing nature — from improving immune function and sleep to boosting mood. “Think of creative ways that you can interact with the natural environment,” Martty suggests — such as jumping from one large rock to another or dashing through a wooded park while dodging trees. Climbing trees or stacking heavy stones can also be a great workout (just be careful and follow the leave-no-trace ethic, especially in wild, protected areas, putting everything back where you found it). If you’re just easing into activity, a hike is a great way to do it, Martty adds.
Try the amazing Towel 2017 Body Shaper!
OK, so a product by that name doesn’t really exist. But you can use any towel to improve your shape. Really. For example, Richey suggests, hold a towel in front of you and flap it up and down for 30 seconds. “Sounds easy? It’s not,” he says. Or take an old towel you don’t care about, plant your feet firmly on it and pull up to work your back muscles. Essentially any exercises you could do with ropes, you can do with a towel, he says. Similarly, if you don’t have workout equipment at home, try to be creative about using other household items — like a canned product as a small weight.
Use your body — and only your body.
One impediment to working out that trips up many people is the misperception that you must have access to equipment to do it right. “Your body is the ultimate tool, because it’s always with you,” Richey says. “So bodyweight exercises are probably the best thing to start with.” A simple one: Repeatedly stand up and sit down on a couch, doing that up-and-down for an increasingly long period as you’re able; or simply stand in place and pump your arms back and forth as quickly as possible to increase your heart rate and work your core, Richey says. Of course, more obvious things from floor exercises — such as pushups — to walking and running are great ways to use the equipment you came with.
Geek out: Try geocaching.
Exercising shouldn’t be about joining a cult of personality, like say a polished, uniformed, every-workout-must-be-hardcore crowd. Feel like nerding out instead? For a high-tech incidental workout, try geocaching, real-world treasure hunting that requires participants to use GPS coordinates to find what others have hidden. Check out sites like geocaching.com to get started. Then hustle from one treasure to the next to exercise body and mind.
Get your side hustle on.
Nope, this isn’t about doing more work. Rather, try for more “filler” exercise — that is to say, physical activity between scheduled, structured workouts, or to ease into workouts. Richey points out that mentally we’re very good at — moments after getting the urge to do something active — shutting that urge down. Maybe, for example, you simply tell yourself you don’t have time for a full workout. A better bet, experts suggest: Squeeze in whatever works in the moment. “If your sport is nothing more than taking a tennis ball outside, and throwing it against the wall and playing catch with yourself, do that,” he says. “But make yourself get up and move” while the thought is fresh.
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9 Offbeat Physical Activity Hacks for People Who Really Hate to Exercise originally appeared on usnews.com
