Get active
Fun exercises: 6 ways to make exercise more enjoyable
BHF Senior Cardiac Nurse Ruth Goss and readers give their top tips for making exercising enjoyable, such as working out with a friend or adding music, and suggest fun exercises such as hula-hooping.
What’s on this page
How can I make exercise fun?
- Ask others to join you
- Add some entertainment
- Be a big kid
- Make exercise a game
- Move for a cause
- Reward yourself
6 fun exercises to try
How can I make exercise fun?
Ask others to join you
Studies have shown that we’re mostly happier exercising with friends, family or work colleagues than alone.
“When I’m walking with a friend, I’m so busy chatting, I don’t notice how many steps I’m doing and I go further than usual,” says reader Julie Thomas.
Other readers have told us how going with a partner or friend has made cycling, dance and exercise classes more enjoyable, encouraging them to stick with it and do more.
“Exercising with my partner encourages me to go when I don’t feel like it,” says Rowena Salter, while Jane Blythe tells us: “Making a commitment with a friend is a motivator.”
If you’re unsure about a new exercise class, taking a friend for moral support can help. And if you don’t have someone you can exercise with, joining a class can be a good chance to meet new people.
Bob Swepstone told us: “I take part in an exercise for the heart class, with many people who have become friends. It’s a pleasant social experience as well as a way to keep fit.”
Add some entertainment
If you find the exercise boring, you could distract yourself. Television, radio or music can help you work out for longer.
“Watching the news while rowing or cycling at the gym helps me,” says Cochrane Young, while Amanda Scott says: “Running on the home treadmill is boring, so listening to the radio or a podcast helps the exercise go by quicker.”
Making a commitment with a friend is a motivator.
Jane Blythe
You could create a playlist of favourite songs, or download podcasts to keep you going.
Phil Collis had a stroke as a teenager, which has affected the left side of his body ever since. He told us: “I like to listen to music, podcasts or audiobooks when I do chair-based exercises.”
Studies have shown that upbeat music with strong rhythms can keep us motivated to move and distract us from mild discomfort during exercise.
Jessica Snoddy says: “Music can be a great motivator. It can set the pace and help to put you in a particular frame of mind. I use instrumental music when working out at home or the gym. For gentler exercise, like tai chi or yoga, I recommend playlists that include sounds from nature.”
Be a big kid
What did you enjoy doing when you were younger? Did you love going out to fly a kite or throw a frisbee in the park? You can still enjoy your favourite childhood activities as a fun way to exercise daily.
Val Turner says: “I attend a local group for hulahooping across the age ranges. I hadn’t hula-hooped for over 60 years and it came back to me very easily.”
Other readers told us how they rediscovered activities ranging from bell ringing and belly dancing to swimming in rivers. One told us they relived their teen years by dancing to Sixties music.
Make exercise a game
Rather than going to the cinema with friends and family, you could choose an active alternative like crazy golf or bowling. If you have a smartphone, you can turn walks into digital treasure hunts using apps like Pokémon GO and Geocaching.com.
One reader had a great suggestion for turning walks into a game, and lifting their mood at the same time: “Each time I walk, I look for five different things that are making me feel better, perhaps the wind, the blue skies, flowers, birds, and the sun on my face.”
Many readers told us how they enjoyed counting their steps using their smartphones and that having a target to reach made it feel more fun.
The smartphone app Just Dance gives you a score by tracking your movements. If you have a game console like Nintendo Switch, you can play virtual – but still active – games like golf or football
Move for a cause
If you want a little extra motivation to walk, jog or cycle regularly, you could sign up for a charity event and raise money for a cause close to your heart.
Kim Cheshire says: “It gives you a purpose to exercise and something to aim for, which keeps you motivated, especially when your friends and colleagues have sponsored you!”
Mohinder Singh Kalsi says: “As part of a heart support group, we organise walks for our members. Sometimes these are fundraising events, which is good for those who need an excuse to get out. Once people come out a few times, they get encouraged to go out for walks on their own or as part of a group.”
Knowing that it will keep you fit, and so more able to enjoy other things in life, is a good motivator for me.
Joanne Alexander
Other readers told us how they were able to keep physically active cleaning out animal sanctuaries, community gardening, beach cleaning or picking up litter.
Dax Hayward, who is a founding member of Lutterworth’s Litter Wombles, says: “I enjoy doing my bit for my local community, keeping the place tidy and I get some exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise.”
GoodGym runs regular free sessions combining fitness with activities such as planting trees and sorting foodbank donations.
Green Gym is also free, focusing on outdoor activities that make a difference.
As well as the benefits of getting active, studies have also shown that the more we participate in meaningful activities, the happier we are and the more purposeful our lives feel.
Reward yourself
You can add extra incentive by rewarding yourself. Lesley Booth suggests: “Have a healthy treat at the end of each exercise. My favourite is mango chunks.”
Amanda Scott says she buys herself some “nice after-exercise shower gel”. Ann McCarthy says: “If I go to the gym, I have a nice coffee afterwards – an Americano, with a little skimmed milk. This works as an incentive for me.”
Some people put money in a jar every time they exercise. “I promise myself a massage as a treat when the jar is full,” says Kim Teece. Focusing on the benefits of exercising can also work.
Joanne Alexander says: “Knowing that it will keep you fit, and so more able to enjoy other things in life, is a good motivator for me.”
“Seriously, you are your own best motivator if you are doing exercise for health reasons,” says Val Murdoch. “Tell yourself this is going to make a better YOU.”
6 fun exercises to try
If going for a jog or going to the gym sounds boring, why not try one of the following exercises. Just make sure to check with your doctor first before starting a new exercise if you have a heart condition.
1. Frisbee
Whether you’re playing with friends, or your dog, throwing and catching a frisbee is a fun way to up your step count without realising it.
2. Walking basketball
Find out more about this team sport, which is played at an ideal pace for those with health issues, at walkingbasketballuk.com.
3. Tai chi
With its focus on slow-moving, mindful movement, tai chi is ideal for people of all physical abilities and it can be done anywhere. Look for beginner’s classes on YouTube.com or find out more at taichiunion.com.
4. Water aerobics
Combining a good cardiovascular workout with the support of the water, so that there’s less risk of injury, water aerobics is available in many local leisure centres.
5. Dancing
Whether you go to a formal dance or Zumba class, or just move at home to your favourite music, dancing is a fun way to burn calories.
6. Hula hooping
This is a fun activity that you can use to tone your muscles and lose weight, as well as work on your balance and coordination. If it gets too easy you can buy weighted hoops to make it a little harder.
If you have a heart condition, check with your doctor before starting a new activity or exercise to make sure it’s suited to you.
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