Making Exercise Fun: Ways to Get Moving When You'd Rather Not

We hear it all the time: We need exercise. Every single one of us. Exercise can make us healthier, happier, and more productive. It can make our muscles stronger, our waists smaller, our minds clearer and our lives longer.

But despite its obvious and well-documented benefits, sometimes we just don’t want to exercise. Does that give us an excuse to be couch potatoes? Not so much.

The average person needs a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day for maximum benefit. I sat down with Shannon Slovensky, M.Ed., an exercise physiologist with UVA Health System, to talk about fun ways to incorporate physical activity into our days. When exercise is fun, we’re more likely to stick with it and make it a permanent part of our routines.

Move to the Music

Dancing isn’t just for movie stars. Anyone can crank up the music in their living room and get moving. “Dancing is a great way to get the whole family involved,” Slovensky says. “Have the kids make a playlist of about 4-5 upbeat songs, and then dance for about 15 minutes. The idea is to get your heart rate up, which dancing can definitely do.”

Try a Zumba Class

Zumba and hip-hop dance classes are really popular right now. Not only are these workouts a lot of fun and set to energizing music, but they also benefit the body in ways that some traditional workouts do not. Exercise like walking, running or cardio machines tend to rely on the same muscle groups moving within a limited range of motion repeatedly. With Zumba, and other forms of aerobic dance, the routines consist of multidirectional movements and involve multiple muscle groups, footwork, coordination and balance.

Get Back to the Basics and Walk (your dog wants to come, too)

Walking is one of the easiest and most effective forms of exercise. It’s a great way to build leg strength and cardiovascular endurance, and research shows that walking helps to reduce stress. This is another good one for the whole family to enjoy together.

Grab a Hula Hoop 

That’s right, a hula hoop. Hooping is an aerobic exercise that tones your abdominals, increases cardiovascular stamina and strengthens core muscles. It’s been proven that women can burn 200 calories in 30 minutes of hula hooping, which is about the amount of calories burned while walking briskly for 30 minutes. And, it’s more fun and a better core workout!