Mix It Up!

I had an interesting conversation about exercise with my brother a couple of days ago.  He was talking to me about how he'd like to get back into great shape, but that he was not quite sure what the correct way to approach a new fitness regimen would be.  Through describing what he normally does on a weekly basis, I brought to his attention that he already gets more exercise than he'd think.  He plays tennis a few times a week with his buddies, which may not sound like much, but this form of exercise can burn up to many hundreds of calories.  What's better yet is that it doesn't even FEEL like exercise!  My brother is getting a great cardio workout, burning fat (tennis is generally played for longer durations, tapping into the body's fat stores), and best of all, having FUN!  What more could you ask for out of a workout?!  This led me to write a post on this topic because it is incredibly important for those of us who hate the idea of exercising and view it as a chore.  It doesn't have to be a chore if you are doing something you enjoy!  Keep in mind that many things you enjoy doing are in fact EXERCISE!!  Even low-strenuous activities such as gardening can burn up to 250 calories in an hour.  Just try not to be sedentary!  Your body is still burning calories while resting, however, you'll find yourself having to watch your calories that much more without physical activity.  I ended up advising my brother to continue playing tennis 3 times a week (or more because it is an enjoyable hobby of his), take a 45 min-1 hour power walk 2-3 days a week, and weight train at least 3 times a week.  This should trim down unwanted body fat and leave the body with lean muscle.  He is performing both low-strenuous and high strenuous activities by mixing up his workouts and making them enjoyable!

For example, some of my favorite things to do are people watch and listen to music, so for me, power walking is my guilty pleasure.  I have come to love it because it doesn't feel like exercise, I get to see so many different people while I'm out, and I'm blasting some great tunes.  Sometimes I even lose track of time while I'm walking, and before I know it I've already walked 5 miles!  Also, I am by nature a competitive person, and love any sport involving a ball, so whether it's kicking around a soccer ball with a friend, shooting hoops, racing each other, etc., I have fun when I turn my exercise into a game.  Find what works for you.  It's important that you do a hobby you love, and do it as much as you can for the health benefits!  Exercise doesn't have to be in a gym on a boring treadmill.  I find treadmills harder to walk on because the scenery isn't changing, and you can see the time (which goes by sooooo slowly!) in front of you.  Begin viewing exercise as FUN by doing activities you enjoy, and you will soon begin developing a healthy lifestyle!