Stay Active, Stay Healthy: Fun Alternatives to Boring Workouts
Are you getting bored with your exercise routine? Is a run on the treadmill the last thing you want to do at the gym? Nothing drains motivation in the fitness world quite like boring, repetitive activities with little to no incentives directly at the end of the day. Whether it’s going to the gym or walking the treadmill during your vacations, the need for consistency can be hard especially when your usual workouts have become dull.
So what do you do? Should you just go home and play video games all day? Fitness doesn’t have to be all about weights and sweat. Here are some fun and enjoyable activities you can try to escape the treadmill monotony, have fun, and stay active. To keep my sanity in between intense workouts, I have found these enjoyable activities that allow me to move around and feel like I’m playing, rather than working out.
The Problem: Gym Boredom and Workout Burnout
Fitness is very important. However, maintaining consistency in this area can be challenging. Going through the same repetitive routines can make the boredom nearly unbearable. What can you do?
Bowling: More than just a casual pastime, bowling is my favorite pick-me-up activity when I’m in the mood for a bit of gaming. If you have even casual interest in something that requires coordination and the ability to hit a strike, you’ll love this. I admit, the first time I set foot in a bowling alley, I thought it was just for casual fun and socializing. Who knew that casual bowling would help me towards achieving all of my fitness goals?
Social and Mental Benefits
Bowling is social and in many ways, relaxing because of its fun nature. Whether you join a league, go with a group of friends who love to bowl every once in a while, or just hit a lane solo, you’ll be using your muscles and ligaments differently and likely without the repetitive boredom of a real workout. Such sports improve your social life and enhance your mood because you feel more relaxed and less stressful.
Physical Benefits
Bowling doesn’t just require you to pick up a ball and roll it down a large slide. It entails coordination, balance, and strength. Shouldering up the ball and throwing it with control will use your stabilizer muscles. And the repetitive motion will improve your muscle tone and joint health. In addition, you’ll end up walking from the lane back to your play area, adding up to some good steps for the steps counter.
Don’t forget to bring an option to stay warm at the lanes.
Golf: A walk in the park, with a twist. Golf is another fun alternative for workouts. When I first started playing golf, what got me hooked was the beauty of the landscape and the sport itself. Little did I know it would also help me maintain proper physical condition.
Social and Mental Benefits
Golf can be social, and very handy for those who want to meet new people. You can either play by yourself or join clubs and leagues. Joining a group is excellent when it comes to making new friends, allowing you to have a good time and stay social. A gaming activity such as this improves cognitive performance and boosts memory.
Physical Benefits
Walking, lifting, and swinging, all at the same time makes the golf game physically beneficial, and I was amazed by the enormous amount of moving I did while playing golf. However, I’m more used to playing putt-putt, as I can’t hit a golf ball for my life. You simply walk the course and carry the clubs while swinging, and if you purchase carts, you’ll save your back from undue work. On average, you’ll walk about four miles during a round of golf. You swing the club to drive the ball, and the two-handed swing also works out your core exercise as you learn how to balance the club around.
The good news is, you’re burning calories while you’re enjoying the outdoors. At least, I do.
Social Club Gaming: Fun and Fitness in One. Aside from bowling and golf, my curiosity got the best of me when I stumbled across a social club that offered physical gaming. After one encounter, I was quickly sold. They had games that strengthened your body while engaging the mind. Some of the games include bocce ball, shuffleboard, and cornhole.
Social and Mental Benefits
Now, if rolling a ball down a lane is your style, bocce ball is for you. Social, fun, and challenging enough to keep you moving. Playing this game requires you to bend, stretch, and walk your way around a designated area. This helps improve your flexibility, muscle tone, and can give you something to look forward to.
Mental Benefits
Every game involves some degree of thinking. Whether strategically or simply for fun.
Physical Benefits
Both shuffleboard and bocce ball are fun games that happen to involve more walking and standing. Cornhole, on the other hand, exercises your arms and improves hand-eye coordination, and works your core muscles that are required to improve your tossing moves. These games are low impact but are fit for all fitness levels.
Active casual-wear or Casual active-wear?
How to Start? If you want to give it a go, here’s how:
1. Find a Bowling Alley: Check with your local bowling alley center and ask about availability of groups or clubs that meet after hours. Joining a league is a good way to build commitment and socialize and have a good time.
2. Go to the Golf Course: Contact your local golf course. Look for a golf pro that offers lessons — either individual or group — if you are new to the sport.
3. Join a Social Club: Look for social clubs or even community centers that feature social gaming events. Sites such as Meetup list locations by zip code.
4. Bring a Friend: Play with friends; turning exercise into a social outing is a splendid idea.
5. Set Goals: Set small goals that you can accomplish, exercise-wise. Increase your score by one point each rounds when bowling. Walk more of the golf course instead of using the cart. Try new games at the social club. Setting small goals will keep you going because you’ll get motivated by the personal humps you have to jump over.
Fitness doesn’t have to be boring, and maintaining consistency does not have to be a drag. You can make it fun by adding games, swapping the gym for less boring activities, or learning to have fun with a hobby that works simultaneously for mind and body. When you have fun, you won’t be bored with exercise, and when you’re not bored, you’re more likely to do it, enhancing your health and wellbeing. Games are not just for children!
Planning something more low-key? This may be a great addition.
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