The First Steps are the Hardest
If you read that to the tune of The First Cut is the Deepest by Sheryl Crow, let’s be best friends!
Ok, enough of that.
If you’re anything like me, you struggle with finding a way to exercise that keeps you engaged and doesn’t get boring from the sheer routine of it.
Through the years I’ve tried all sorts of exercise regimes – lifting, cardio walking, running, HIIT, step aerobics – pretty much the only things I haven’t tried are power lifting and CrossFit.
What I’m Currently Loving
Walking
Yeah, it’s really that simple.
Around the holidays I pretty much stopped exercising altogether. The motivation was just completely gone for me.
Around late February, early March, I realized how displeased I was with my weight and overall level of fitness and stamina, so I got back on the treadmill.
Now, the treadmill is probably no one’s favorite – it’s certainly not mine – but I’ve made a few subtle changes this go ’round that seem to be helping.
What I Listen To or Watch
As a way of tricking my brain into making walking (endlessly) on the treadmill, I pick a good audiobook or show that I limit myself to listening or watching pretty much only while exercising.
Prior to the holidays I was watching a lot of Outlander and walking tours of European winter markets from Prowalk Tours – sidenote, you should definitely check them out, they’re so well shot and were a great motivator!
Since starting back, I’ve been getting back into audiobooks (thanks to Libby). I find an audiobook – usually something of the true crime variety – and get those steps in.
With the way my brain processes information, I often have trouble focusing on audiobooks if what I’m doing alongside that listening isn’t nearly completely mindless. Hence why they work so well for me when I’m walking – I can tune in with almost no distraction.
Close Second
Step Aerobics
I got really into step aerobics in college when my RA convinced me to try out a class given by an immensely talented woman on campus. That class kicked my butt and got me in the best shape I have been in before or since. I still lament the loss of those classes nearly fifteen years later….
The love of step stuck with me (obviously) and led me to Jenny Ford probably eight or nine years ago.
Jenny is an excellent instructor with a calming demeanor. What worked best for me with her workouts was that they were all free through YouTube. In a similar vein of my love for the Prowalk Tours while walking, I fell in love with Jenny’s March and Step Across America series, which are available in full through her Freedom.fit site.
If you don’t have a step or are just getting started, her marching workouts are great (and all of her step workouts can also technically be done without a step).
Another Runner Up
I’ve used Fitness Blender’s videos off and on as well. They offer a great variety of high- and low-impact workouts, lifting workouts, and body weight exercises.
So, what’s the most fun way to exercise?
That’s up to you, really.
But you already knew that, I think.
For me it’s all about getting started, which usually means something low-impact. What is a common theme for me, though, is accessibility. I love things I can do at home and slot into my schedule whenever I have time, which is what I love about walking, Jenny Ford, and Fitness Blender.
The moral of the story is, just get started. You know what you find fun, so find ways to incorporate exercise into those fun things. Finding time in your day to move will always be better than being sedentary all day.