How To Make Your Workout Plan Fun

Here at Hilton Head Health, we offer over 50 fitness classes along with fun fitness actives and adventures to help our Guests develop an effective workout plan. We teach fitness guidelines in accordance to the American College of Sports Medicine (the golden standard for fitness guidelines). ACSM recommends that we exercise at least 30-60 minutes/day, 5 or more days/week at a moderate to vigorous intensity. "So you’re telling me that I have to block out time almost every day of my life to work out?!” Whether this is what you were thinking or not, answer these questions for yourself: What if exercise didn’t have to feel like a “work out” every single time? What if there were times when exercise could be thought of as fun or even recreational?

1. Join a community sports team: Remember when you were a little kid and you enjoyed rough housing with your friends? Maybe you played games like: hide and seek, kick the can, sharks and minnows, Red Light Green Light, Red Robin, and etc. Well, what if you could still be playful as an adult? Sometimes all it takes is something as simple as joining a community softball, flag football, tennis or soccer team in order to keep up physical activity as a regular part of our daily lives.

2. Treat Yourself to an Outdoor Excursion: Whether it be hiking, biking, kayaking, paddle-boarding or something else, outdoor adventures can be a great way to have fun while being active. We love taking our Guests on fitness adventures on Hilton Head Island! Instead of noticing the sweat on your body, notice the breeze in the fresh air. Instead of dreading the challenges of a hard workout, enjoy the sights of nature and wildlife that adventure brings to you.

3. Get an Activity Tracker: At Hilton Head Health, we promote the Garmin Vivo-fit as a great tool to keep track of your physical activity. Use it to track your calories, distance, heart rate, sleep quality and more. Create and accomplish daily goals such as getting in 10,000 or more steps a day. Having small, realistic daily goals to accomplish makes the journey to success more enjoyable. Learn more about the Vivo-fit here.

4. Attend a Group Fitness Class: Let’s face it, not too many people enjoy working out. However, everything becomes more exciting when done in a group setting. Sure, maybe you’re sweating and feeling the burn, but so is the person next to you. At the end of the day, not only did you get a great workout, you also have someone else to share the experience and laugh with.

While we recommend that you strive for 5 or more days of moderate to vigorous physical activity, we also recommend that you strive for a stress reduced lifestyle. These are just 4 of many ways you could make exercise fun. I challenge you to find ways to implement “fun exercise” into your life. How do you make your workout plan fun?