Photo by anujraj
It’s a struggle for most people to lead a balanced, healthy lifestyle especially when you work full time. It seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day to work, eat, relax and exercise.
After years of hardly any exercise I’ve finally decided to bite the bullet and get fit. I’ve never been one to get up at the crack of dawn to run for an hour and I’ve never had a gym membership. So I decided that in order to motivate myself I needed to find exercise fun. Here are some calorie-burning activities I’ve found I actually want to do, hopefully they’ll help to motivate you off the sofa too!
Zumba
Zumba is a Latin-style inspired dance fitness program. There are so many great things to say about Zumba. It’s so popular now that you’re bound to find a class somewhere near you. It’s perfect for all ages, levels of fitness and you can join in at any stage of the program. You’ll be shaking your bum to the latest chart-toppers as well as salsa-ing to some classic Latin anthems. You can take the classes at your own pace, putting in as much effort as you want. Zumba really is an exercise in disguise where you could be burning between 500 and 1000 calories in each class.
The Zumba instructors are usually extremely friendly, motivational and have heaps of enthusiasm to keep you coming back week after week. It’s also the best type of exercise as it builds on core strength as well as raising your heart rate to burn some serious calories, a real full body workout! Check out your local community centres and gyms to see if they have any weekly Zumba classes.
Couch to 5k
Most people can’t afford a personal trainer, I’m no different. I stumbled across the Couch to 5k program a few months back. It’s a 9 week program aimed to get you jogging for 30 minutes continuously at the end of week 9, or running 5k in that time. It seems like a pretty scary thought at first but this program is meant for the people that it might scare.
The best way to do this program is to download the weekly podcasts which will act as your motivation and personal trainer. Laura, your virtual personal trainer will take you through every exercise and will give you the motivation to keep going when you’re struggling. If you download the couch to 5k app you can set yourself personal goals and targets, which I think really helped me keep going. The podcasts are available on the NHS website or iTunes and you can download the official mobile app for £1.49.
Stretch Fitness
This is perfect for those who don’t have the time or can’t find the motivation to leave their house, Stretch Fitness has the solution – they will come to you. This mobile gym is disguised as a van (don’t worry, it sounds dodgy but it isn’t), so its especially brilliant if you don’t have enough room in your house. Your personal trainer will also give you the option of taking you to your local park for a workout, it’s all up to you. She’ll help you build your core strength and exercise muscles I bet you didn’t even know you had! Invite a friend to make it a bit cheaper.
Photo by Stretch Fitness
Zumba is fantastic because I bet you (secretly) sometimes dance around to Beyonce in your house. You can do the same thing as Zumba with like-minded people who are just there to have fun and burn some calories. Couch to 5k is great if you need a program and some structure, also you’ll really thrive off the results and your ability to keep up. Stretch Fitness is fantastic because it comes to you and your personal trainer will really push you so that you achieve your goals, the van is really fun too!
Do you have any tips to get fit the fun way? Let us know in the comment section below.
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November 7, 2011
Health and Fitness