Exercise is well known to be something that is good for you and that we should all be participating in regularly each week. Along with a sensible diet and enough sleep, it is one of the major ways that we can stay healthy and live longer as we progress through our adult lives. However, it seems that for the majority of people, this simply does not happen.

Research from the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition in the US shows that under 5% of adults engage in 30 minutes or more of physical activity per day. This is a shockingly low amount and you should do all you can to not be part of this large group. For most of us though, this can seem hard. We may set off on our exercise journey with all the best intentions but soon fall short. The main reason behind this is that many people find exercise boring and a chore. This stops you from engaging in it over the long term.

How can you turn exercise from something you hate into an enjoyable hobby?

Wear the right gear

One of the best tips to make exercise a fun hobby is to simply wear the right kit. Compression wear clothing is a great example as this will help to support your body when working out and avoid any strains or pulls. This means that your body will feel good after working out rather than sore or stiff, which will make exercise enjoyable. Tommie Copper compression wear is used by many to help them enjoy exercise more in this way – there is more from Tommie Copper on the company’s Instagram feed. It is not just feeling good and avoiding injury that getting the right gear is ideal for. If you wear clothes that make you look and feel great, you will be more inclined to exercise in them and look forward to doing so.

Get a friend on board 

Like a lot of things in life, exercise is more fun with a friend. Exercise alone can be either boring or a bit intimidating if you go the gym. Working out with a buddy is the ideal way to eliminate this and have more of a laugh as you get fit. You will really begin to enjoy your sessions if you get the chance to see a friend and catch up with them at the same time. This tip also helps motivate you to stick to your exercise plan as you will not want to let down your friend or miss out on seeing them.

Don’t pressure yourself

Nothing will take the fun out of something like putting too much pressure on yourself. To keep fitness enjoyable, try not to get hung up on results too much. It is worth setting goals around what you want to achieve, but do not let them suck all the enjoyment out of exercising. Instead, set your goals and a routine to hit them, but then simply enjoy it. If you do this, you will find that you have a great new hobby that you look forward to doing.

Think about joining classes

One cool way of ramping up the fun factor is to join a few different classes at your local gym or in your local area. This will bring variety into your workout sessions, and this is a great way to make them more attractive. Of course, doing this also helps you to meet new people and make new friends, which will also make heading there to exercise more appealing. Whether it is yoga, kickboxing or Pilates, enrolling in a new class will make staying in shape less of a chore.

Pump up the volume 

While this may not work for some activities, putting some energetic music on and pumping up the volume will for most. Doing this will instantly create a more lively, enjoyable atmosphere that will make working out a blast. A good idea is to set up a few playlists of your favorite tunes to listen to on your headphones when you begin to get a sweat on. 

Exercise – from zero to hero

If you have tried to exercise regularly but have given up because it felt like a chore, then the above tips will help. They are perfect for turning exercise into something fun that you will look forward to each week. With staying in shape being so key to health, they are worth taking on board in order to live a longer, happier life.