The Problem with Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\nFor many people, the word \u201cexercise\u201d carries bad connotations. Words like boredom, drudgery, painful and exhausting come to mind. And because exercise feels like such a chore, we stop doing it and bad habits are formed that lead to years and years of sedentary living.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s a darn shame that we feel this way, because staying fit can actually be a ton of fun. So what\u2019s the problem?<\/p>\n
The problem is that we don\u2019t play anymore.<\/p>\n
Instead of having fun with our bodies, we’re doing the same old exercises day in and day out: pushups, situps, bench press, squats, etc. But if you\u2019d watch kids playing in a backyard for any length of time, you\u2019ll realize that we don\u2019t need to do all of these things to stay healthy and strong. What we really need is a playful spirit.<\/p>\n
A Fun Solution<\/strong><\/p>\nNow I\u2019m not convinced that everything in life should be a breeze or that we should always run away from hard work. But when you\u2019re trying to create a lifelong habit that literally means the difference between life and death \u2013 the first priority should be making a habit that sticks.<\/p>\n
I read about too many people dying of heart disease and weight related disease to believe that will-power alone is enough to get people moving. At its core, exercise has to be something fun and creative — something that is enjoyable and doesn\u2019t feel like a chore. It has to be more like play and less like a continuation of our jobs.<\/p>\n
Here are just a few ways I like to stay active these days:<\/p>\n
\nDigging massive holes at the beach<\/li>\n Walking to the library to get books<\/li>\n Playing touch-football and ultimate frisbee w\/ friends<\/li>\n Trail running with my wife<\/li>\n Climbing just about anything that looks fun to climb<\/li>\n Biking to explore new places<\/li>\n Pull-up and push-up competitons against friends<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nOf course, almost any of these activities can feel like \u201creal\u201d exercise if you let them. Running can become a chore and so can biking \u2013 the thing is, I rarely set goals or expectations when I do these things. My mindset is more about being playful and quenching my curiorsity for life. It\u2019s a mindset I\u2019ve cultivated over time by slowly letting go of my need to control every single thing.<\/p>\n
I fully realize that your list will look different than mine. What is fun for me may not be fun for you… but that’s exactly the point. We are all unique individuals with different definitions of fun. And one-size-fits-all exercise routines that miss that point often fail.<\/p>\n
How to Make The Fitness Habit Stick<\/strong><\/p>\nInstead of worrying about my body weight or appearance, I focus on being child-like and staying active. And that means not setting time limits or distance quotas to meet \u2013 that takes the fun out of it. I just run when I want to run, climb when I want to climb, and play when I feel like playing.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the simplest approach to fitness I\u2019ve ever tried, but it works. It works because it makes being active and having fun an end in itself. Insteading of doing exercise as a means to lose weight or build muscle, I\u2019m doing it because I love it.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s a habit that\u2019s hard to break.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post by Mike Donghia. I used to be a gym rat back in my early college days. In the spring semester of my sophmore year, I worked hard in the weight room and put on nearly 20 pounds of muscle. It was fun while it lasted \u2013 during that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[440],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
The Simplest Guide to Fitness You Will Ever Read<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n