Biking

One of the most common New Year resolutions is to exercise more often, sign up for the gym, or loose weight. But after the second week or even a month it is very hard to stay motivated. I can actually write a list of my top 20 excuses to not exercise. However, I know that exercising helps me not only to stay healthy but also be happy. Once I get myself going, I enjoy whatever physical activity I’m doing.

Another reason I tend to loose focus on my exercise routines is that I don’t enjoy doing the same type of exercise over and over. I don’t like to just go to the gym, or be outdoors or just do cardio or take classes. So here are some of types of activities that I do to stay motivated to exercise daily.

Free Activities

Since I moved closer to the beach and the ocean, I’m now able to exercise for free. Here are some of the free alternatives to exercise and keep it interesting.

Walking & Running

I used to run at the gym on a machine. Now, I try walking and running on the sand or by the ocean on the paved road around my house. It doesn’t require a lot of preparation, I just put my shoes and go out for 15 minutes and done! No need get the gym bag, get in the car and drive, check in, etc.

Bicycle & Rollerblading

I’ve been rollerblading since I was six years old. And now that I’m by the beach is very easy to get the rollerblades and head out and exercise. I also was given a bicycle years ago and never used it. Now, I have two bikes and go almost every other day so that I exercise different muscles I don’t get to exercise doing other physical activities.

Swimming

Being by the ocean helps immensely, specially living in Florida since the temperature of the ocean is almost always warm. But years ago I had a pool in the house I lived, and I used it every day for months until after a year I got bored. When I had a membership at the gym, they had a pool too and was swimming at least two or three times a month so that I wouldn’t get bored just working on machines.

Hiking

This is new to me. I started hiking in 2008 right before I went to Sedona. I had done some “mild” hiking when I was in high school but nothing like the rocks in Sedona. In Florida is hard since there are no rocks or mountains, but we have trails.

Home activities

Activities like bouncing, watching workout videos, etc help to keep exercising fun. Especially in the winter when one can’t get out and do free outdoor activities. I have Netflix and often will add work out videos, Belly dance, yoga, etc and watch them at home and exercise. But I’m quite shy, so I wait until my hubby is out or sleeping to do it.

Paid Activities

A few years back, the only way I could stay motivated to exercise was knowing that I was paying money and that if I missed a day, that way money lost. So if you are like me (years ago), these are some of the paid activities you can do to keep you motivated and not bored with the same type of activity.

Sign up for a Gym

I had a subscription for many years and I truly enjoyed it until I was not able to afford it anymore. I went three or four times a week and took advantage of everything they provided from the machines to classes, the pool, the trainers, everything. That helped me enjoy exercising.

Take a Class

Whether is a yoga class or a dance class, sometimes if one lacks the discipline to stick with something, it helps to have an instructor that will keep you focused. I strongly recommend belly dance classes for women and yoga for men.

Winter Sports

Not everyone lives in sunny Florida where even in the coldest night we can still go out for a run. So if you live near a mountain or even a hill, paid winter sports such as skiing or snow shoeing is fun and keeps the diversity on physical activities during the winter.

Water Sports

Canoeing & snorkeling are a few that are fun to try at least once in a life time and can get your heart rate going.

So hopefully by the time you’ve finished reading this blog you have new ideas for fun physical activities that you can do to keep yourself motivated in exercising.

Hiking and doing yoga in Mt. Shasta, CA.