THE BOYS' BRIGADE

Does the word ‘exercise’ make you cringe? Would you rather face a root canal, than the thought of a daily exercise routine?

Exercise is a necessary evil if you want health and fitness. Experts recommend thirty minutes of activity most days of the week, so how do you follow those guidelines when you’d rather do anything but sweat?

Don’t Look at It as ‘Exercise’

The word itself has a negative connotation. It creates this image of going to a sweaty, dirty gym and working your body until you feel like you want to die. No wonder you don’t want to do it. That’s not appealing at all.
Remove the word exercise from your vocabulary and just focus on being more active. The more you move, the more calories you burn and the higher your metabolism.
If you can get in a continuous thirty minute session of movement, great! If not, that’s okay too. Studies show that you still receive health benefits if you get your recommended daily thirty minutes in ten-minute increments.
That’s great news! It means that with some simple tweaks to your lifestyle, you can get fit by hardly trying!
If you go to the store, park as far away from the door as possible so you have to walk further than you normally would. If you work on the third floor of an office building, take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Normally stop at the mailbox in your car on your way home? Drive to the house and walk to it instead. By adding these extra steps throughout your day, you’ll be on your way to a healthy new tomorrow!

Pick Enjoyable Activities

Ready to add more activity to your day beyond the recommendations above? Do you want to reach your goal more quickly or achieve a higher level of fitness?
The key to staying motivated is to participate in activities you enjoy. If you don’t, you increase the likelihood that you’ll quit at some point in the future. Some people say that it grows on them and they learn to like it, but most just give up and walk away completely.
So, pick things that you like to do. Moved by music? Turn on the radio and dance around the house. Prefer fresh air? Go for a walk and take in the scenery. Want to catch up on your favorite TV show and not feel guilty about it? March in place or do leg lifts and sit-ups while you watch it.
Getting your body moving doesn’t have to be an event that you dread. Remember when you were a kid and spent your entire summer days playing outside? Maybe you enjoyed a game of tag with the neighbor kids, or played hopscotch with a friend. You didn’t look at it as exercise because it was fun. Find your fun again.
Can’t think of anything that peaks your interest enough to say you like it? Maybe it’s time you try something new. Think outside the box.
Want to try belly-dancing or pole pole-dancing? How about an exercise class that teach you how to give lap dances? Get in touch with your inner bad-girl and get in shape at the same time!
Are you more of an outdoorsy type? Want to learn how to rock climb? If your area isn’t conducive to this, some facilities offer classes. Like to hike? Try out a trail you’ve never been on.
The point is that the opportunities are endless if you just open your mind. Let your inner child do the thinking and see what you come up with.

Do It With a Friend or Group

If you find it hard to get together with friends with all your daily responsibilities, this is a great way to meet up with them and have some fun while getting healthier too.
It passes the time more quickly when you’re laughing and joking with others. Ever go on a walk by yourself and feel like it took forever, but taken the same walk with a friend and it felt like it ended right after it began?
Doing things with someone else distracts you from the fact that you’re working your body. This helps those of you who do not like doing anything active.
Plus the social aspect helps renew your mind just as much as the physical activity is rejuvenating the body. Whether you’re laughing and having a good time at a cardio kickboxing class or complaining about your day while walking around the block, there’s something about sharing time with others that’s good for your soul.
It’s that sense of connection. You’re both in it together so you already have a common bond.

Change Your Perspective

When you believe that being active is something you have to do as opposed to something you want to do, it has a whole different feel to it. It becomes a chore instead of a pleasure.
Here’s the thing. You don’t have to do anything. You can continue to live your non-active life and have all of the health complications that may, or may not come with it. It’s your choice.
But, if you have reasonably decent health, enough for your doctor to say that you can be active, then it is something you get to do. It’s an option that you have the luxury of having. Ask any person who can’t get out and get moving due to physical inability or illness, and they’d most certainly trade places with you in a heartbeat.
Sure, it may be tough to fit it in your already packed schedule of kids, work and home. But, it’s also tough to not have your health and fight a disease that may have been prevented had you taken better care of yourself.