{"id":6583,"date":"2011-09-25T22:25:20","date_gmt":"2011-09-26T05:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/becomingblog.wpengine.com\/?p=6583"},"modified":"2019-09-05T17:43:38","modified_gmt":"2019-09-06T00:43:38","slug":"the-simplest-guide-to-fitness-you-will-ever-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/the-simplest-guide-to-fitness-you-will-ever-read\/","title":{"rendered":"The Simplest Guide to Fitness You Will Ever Read"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post by Mike Donghia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>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 particular season of my life.<\/p>\n

These days, however, I\u2019m more interested in staying fit and having fun and creating life long habits that keep me active.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t really care about \u201cgetting big\u201d or breaking personal records for the bench press. I don\u2019t keep a log book of my workouts or measure progress from one week to the next. It\u2019s not that these things are bad, I\u2019ve just found that I don\u2019t need them anymore. I\u2019ve found a way that works better for me\u2026 a simpler, more enjoyable approach to staying fit.<\/p>\n

The Problem with Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n

For 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>\n

Now 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