Summer is the time to really enjoy the outdoors.  So why not add some fun to your fitness routine?  Maybe then it won’t feel so much like “working” out! 

Getting in shape should be fun as well as good for you.  Try these tips to put the fun back in your fitness routine.

5 Ways To Put Fun Back In Fitness

1. Get Out There 

If you’re near a beach or lake, the opportunities for water fun are almost endless.  Try wind-surfing, or maybe even swimming the way nature intended––without chlorine.  If you live near fresh water, you can row your way out, drop a fishing line and relax while you’re waiting for a bite.

2. Walkabout

Research shows that walking is one of the best exercises around. But instead of burning electricity as you walk to nowhere on the treadmill, check out the beauty of your neighborhood, window shop in the city or hike in the woods. Take your dog with you! Fido needs the exercise as much as you do!

3. No spin zone

Whoever coined the term “spinning” may be a marketing genius, but deserves to be in the exercise hall of shame.  All that peddling and where do you end up? Nowhere.  Get on an actual bike and see the sights while you firm up. Get your friends and family in on the action a few times a week and bike together.

4. Take Your Class Outside

Into yoga, Tai Chi or mat pilates? Take your workout to the park or even your backyard.  Exercising outside may enhance your experience by allowing you to meditate within your natural surroundings. Invite a friend to join you and double the fun.

5. Rowing Nowhere

The person who invented the rowing machine was someone who was not easily bored.  All that work and all you see is the behind of the person on the stair-climber in front of you.  Get in a boat and actually row.  If you don’t own a boat, they are easy to rent at most lakes or beaches.  You might also try a peddle-boat or even punting, like the gondoliers in Venice, Italy.  You’ll see beautiful scenery, de-stress your mind and get a chance to commune with nature.  Plus, you get the satisfaction of going somewhere real, not just counting off the minutes until you’ve burned off that chocolate cupcake you ate for breakfast.

Putting a bit of fun into your fitness routine not only keeps you from getting bored, it forces you to use muscles that may be over–or under–trained. And that’s a good thing.  So get out there and mix it up a little.  Summer is the perfect time to get outside and put  fun back in fitness.