Reclaim the Joy of Movement: Making Exercise Fun Again

Many people start an exercise programme with good intentions, only to abandon it shortly after.

The problem may not lie in motivation but in our approach. By shifting our mindset from ‘serious workouts’ to playful, enjoyable movement, we can rediscover the joy of being active, just like we did in childhood. Exercise doesn't have to be torture to be effective. 

WHY WE STRUGGLE TO STICK TO EXERCISE

How many times have you had the intention to start and (this time) stick to that new exercise regimen? And how many times has it fallen by the wayside? Exercise machines stand deserted, gym contracts expire unused, and those running shoes haven’t left the cupboard in months. And what we’re left feeling is guilt with a capital ‘G’!

I mean, how difficult can it be to do 30 little minutes of strength training four to five times a week? Well, the answer is that if it were so easy, this wouldn’t be such a common pattern, and a lot of us would be fitter, leaner and healthier. So what’s the problem and how did it come about?

FROM ACTIVE CHILDREN TO SEDENTARY ADULTS

As children we were naturally very active, had low percentage body fat, and used calories as fast as we consumed them. But sadly, as we become more ‘growned up’ and more ‘sensible’, we have also become more sedentary. Instead of running, jumping and hopping, we mostly sit and drive so that over time our muscles are replaced by fat. To be healthy, feel invigorated and energetic, we need movement, because fitness is essential.

FITNESS MATTERS MORE THAN FATNESS

In 1999, Steven N Blair (director of research at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research)¹ reported that fitness, and not the degree of fatness, had the most impact on death rates: fit men, whether lean, normal or obese, had similar death rates over an eight-year period. ‘Lean men in our study had increased longevity only if they were physically fit; furthermore, obese men who were fit did not have elevated mortality.’ When you’re active, you benefit your health, regardless of whether you lose weight or not.

The nutritional value of what you put into your mouth is really important for your health as well as to balance your brain chemistry. But, if you want to lose weight healthily and keep it off, exercise is absolutely one of your most essential allies.

But having said that, I can absolutely sympathise with those who feel a chill of dread passing over them at the mere word ‘exercise!’ The reason? Well, think about the social connotations attached to this word: the prevailing attitude is that if there is no blood, sweat, tears or pain, there’s also apparently no gain. It’s supposedly a good thing if you’ve had a workout that ‘nearly killed’ you, and it doesn’t take much of a leap to imagine the stereotypical drill sergeant barking out orders to: ‘Don’t stop until you feel that burrrrrrn’.

And it’s easy to get the idea that you might as well not waste your time doing anything unless it’s aerobic and sustained for a certain length of time, when actually every single bit of movement, even wiggling, counts.

EXERCISE AVOIDANCE

The problem is we have psychological hooks about exercise. So we struggle along from one lapsed exercise contract to another, only strengthening our dislike of anything active, so that it becomes even more difficult to sustain a healthily active lifestyle.

But there’s something drastically wrong with this picture, because we didn’t need any enticement or encouragement to be active as children (although we might have had plenty of discouragement to be more inactive!). Once upon a childhood, we didn’t ‘exercise’ for fitness or weight reasons, we played, we had fun, and we were fit anyway! We didn’t want to stop playing, we wanted more. We didn’t need a gym or exercise machines; our environment was our natural jungle gym. We raced to and fro and climbed, skipped and jumped at any opportunity. We didn’t need anyone to bark commands at us, we didn’t need to wear heart monitors… body-play was self-directed fun, fun, fun!

FROM FREE PLAY TO FITNESS PRESSURE

We skipped as fast or as slow as we wanted and had not the slightest care in the world about whether there was a right or wrong way to move, whether it was aerobic or not, how many calories we burnt doing it, whether we were wearing the appropriate clothes, or whether we looked good doing it or not.

What’s wrong with the picture is that we are now having to sign up for classes to do what we once did naturally as children, and for most people it isn’t fun – it’s torture! Does that mean that ‘exercise clubs’ are bad? Heck no, if you enjoy them and they make you feel great, that’s fabulous, but they’re not for everyone.

For my money, give me an opportunity to play and have active fun in my own time and on my own schedule. It’s free, I don’t need special clothes for it, and it makes me glow.

WHY EXERCISE IS SERIOUS (BUT SHOULDN’T BE)

Play among all life forms is natural and universal. We feel envy and delight just watching dolphins, monkeys, cats and dogs splash, chase, rough and tumble, tease and tickle. And here’s the interesting thing: they don’t stop playing as they get older, so why do humans?

Ask yourself this question: ‘Would I be doing whatever exercise I’m doing if I knew for absolutely sure that it would NOT affect the size or shape of my body?’ If you can say: ‘Yes, no matter what, I’d do it because it makes me feel good, because it’s fun and I enjoy it, it makes me happy’, that’s fabulous because you’re likely to keep being able to do it.

But when you feel as if you’re sentencing yourself to an exercise regimen, unless you have superhuman willpower, it’s only a matter of time before you give up.

GETTING PRACTICAL: BODY-FUN IDEAS

Instead, ask yourself:

• What activity can I do today that will get me moving?

• What body-fun would I be doing if I forgot that it had to be aerobic or strenuous? What would I choose to do purely because I knew I would find it fun and enjoyable?

• What could I change about my current exercise routine that would make it more fun? Could I change the intensity, the duration, the way I approach it mentally, the time of day I do it, whether I do it alone or with a friend, the clothes I wear, the place or pace I do it at?

• What body-fun would easily slot into my plans for the day? A stroll, a few laps in the pool, a jog, weights, yoga, dancing to a few songs while I do my housework, racing every time I go up stairs, playing with my kids on the lawn…

We need playfulness. Active play is fabulous for fitness, health and wellbeing. And it’s always healthier to be active and fit than not, and it’s always healthier to do things with laughter and enjoyment.

Editor's note: Here are two great articles that I am sure you will enjoy. The first offers 10 Steps to Body Confidence and then the other asks if Thin is Fit – or is it?