5 easy tips to make exercise more fun
What if instead of toughing out a workout session, you could make exercise a source of enjoyment and positivity? Here are some simple tips to make fitness fun.
Watching reality weight-loss shows, exercise seems to be about punishing yourself until you puke.
After all the hard work, with some ex-army trainer shouting commands, finally you emerge at your goal weight, and all is forgiven.
But does exercise have to look like such torture along the way?
Workouts are also known to trigger mood-boosting effects in the body, sometimes dubbed the “feel-better effect”.
How to tailor your workout to deliver more “feel better” results
Jump for joy
While a gentle workout can deliver mood boosting effects, one study has found certain movements inherently express and amplify joy, especially bouncing, spinning with arms outstretched, reaching for the sky, swaying and literally jumping for joy.
Corporate wellbeing speaker and coach Angela Lee Jenkins says this finding aligns with the movements we would say inherently look happy when we see others do them – think Maria spinning joyfully on top of a mountain in The Sound of Music.
“Open and expansive postures have been shown in research to lower cortisol and increase testosterone in a couple of minutes, reducing stress and making us feel more powerful,” the exercise physiologist says.
“Shaking can help release muscular tension, burn excess adrenaline, calm the nervous system, manage stress, manage emotional states, help with trauma (and) anxiety and get us feeling better in a very short time.”
The opposing movements of shrinking into ourselves and sinking down evoke negative emotions such as sadness and fear.
Play some music as you exercise
Incorporating more joyful, expansive reaching and jumping movements into your workout can help enhance the mood-boosting effects, but what else can we do to maximise the enjoyment of moving our bodies?
Listening to music while exercising is one way.
University of Sydney School of Health Sciences lecturer Dr Kotryna Fraser says the key is pairing the music to the tempo of your movements and the mood you want to create, whether upbeat and energised or relaxed.
“If we are running and want to run a specific tempo, listening to music of a similar tempo is going to help us achieve that,” Dr Fraser says.
“If you do yoga or pilates, the music used is a much lower tempo to match that mood, because that’s what happens – we match to what we hear.”
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Time your workout to suit you
Another factor is when you choose to exercise, making sure it fits in with your lifestyle and your body’s needs.
“The time of day of exercise can influence enjoyment as well, due to our biological rhythms,” Angela says.
“Night owls, for example, are better suited to afternoon exercise – not getting up at 5am.
“It’s way more enjoyable for them.
“Early birds are the opposite.”
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Take your workout outdoors
Exercising in nature also has a positive effect.
In 2020, a University of Essex team published a report concluding “green exercise” improves mood, particularly of study participants with the lowest mental wellbeing at the beginning.
Team up – or don’t
The effects of socialising while you exercise depend on the preferences of the individual.
Some people like solo activities such as running, while others are happier participating in team sports or going for a walk with a friend.
However, if you’re looking for support, bear in mind the varying skill levels of all involved, as humans are naturally inclined to compare themselves to others.
“It’s easy to say ‘exercise with someone who supports you’, but if there’s a huge difference in fitness levels, that’s not going to work,” Dr Fraser says.
Ultimately, it’s about trying different activities and testing what works for you.
“If it brings happiness and joy, it means we are more likely to maintain that activity and maintain a more active lifestyle.”
Written by Rebecca Douglas.
