Struggle with exercise? Here's how to make your fitness goals more FUN

• Be deliberate about the activity.  If you’re just getting started on your fitness journey, try something you’re already familiar with (like walking) rather than something really high-impact you’ve never done before.  This is both to encourage your routine, and to reduce the risk of injury.  If you want to add something new, start with some basic body-weight-based strength-training until you understand the proper biomechanics of basic postures like squats and abdominal engagement before moving onto progressive or dynamic loads.  Because I’m a pilates instructor, I’m partial to slow, controlled movements that emphasize motion in all planes of movement.  There are plenty of great programs and instructors rooted in pilates or physical therapy out there (mine is p.volve online,* created by NY-based personal trainer Steven Pasterino).  And if you already have an active job where you’re standing or moving much of the day, that absolutely counts towards your fitness goals.  Try to find something you enjoy that uses your body in a different way.  For example, if you’re walking a lot at work, lateral movement like shuffling side-to-side during tennis, or breast stroke while swimming, might help you feel balanced.
• Focus on how you feel.  Here, I mean tune in both physically and mentally to how you feel when you’re exercising.  I’ve recently started running again, and I’m not fast but I love building endurance.  Instead of listening to music, during each run, I’m thinking about my breathing and posture, how my abdominals are supporting me, how my foot makes contact with the ground, and which muscles are working at any given time.  I rarely experience a “runner’s high,” but I feel fantastic about doing something I find challenging.  So, while you’re moving, think about how your body is supporting that movement, and how you feel about showing up for your health.  What do you notice or appreciate about the weather or the atmosphere in the gym at that time?  What do you want to work on that doesn’t have a number associated with it – maybe you want to breathe through your nose as much as possible, maybe you want to feel your glutes light up more.  Would it be more fun to find a friend or two to join you?  I prefer to run solo, but when walking, I love to have a buddy to talk with or a great podcast to enjoy.        
• Once you’re in a routine, shake it up.  Alright, you’ve got an activity you don’t hate that feels alright to do regularly, now let’s add some fun.  Fartlek training (Swedish for “speed play”) originated in the 1930s for running, but you can apply it anywhere.  If you’re walking outside, decide from this fire hydrant to that stop sign you’re going to dance-walk or speed up.  If you run the same route several times a week, add some hills one day and speed intervals another.  If you practice a group sport, declare a few minutes where everyone has to do a drill you never use, like jogging backwards.  Get weird.  It helps your neuromuscular and cardiovascular fitness as well as your mental health. 

Does that give you some ideas about how to start a new routine or inject some fun in your current one?  If you want to go for goals bound by numbers, by all means, crush them, but I hope these prompts serve to add a bit of mindfulness and pride to your routine outside those numbers.

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*This referral code gets you $30 off p.volve's equipment (and gives me the same credit for their equipment, which I already own because I'm a raving fan).  I'm posting it because I want to see how many of you check out their program; I'm not a paid affiliate.