“Gamify” Your Workouts

by Sarah

Thinking back to a few previous Coaches’ Corner blogs such as Coach Joanna’s “Best Exercise for Weight Loss” and one of my recent blogs “A New Water Sport”, I started thinking about how important it is that exercise is fun and engaging. A few things that I hear most often is that exercise is boring, too difficult, too time consuming, etc. The list goes on and on! So how can we make exercise something that we WANT TO do instead something we HAVE TO do?

Like Coach Joanna said in her blog, the best exercise for you is the one that you will stick with. For example, I love to play volleyball so for me the exercise is already built into something I enjoy. I am more likely to play a sport of some kind rather than run miles and miles on end. If I’m distracted by the fun, I don’t feel like my workout is a chore.

Herein lies another bold strategy for making your workouts fun – “gamify” them! Another example for me would be running outside. I have made my own “gamified” version of running by simply using the light poles as markers. I sprint the distance between two-three light poles, and fast walk the distance of one light pole to the next. This helps me incorporate some interval training into my workout rather than just the usual run. It makes me feel like I am crossing a finish line of sorts!

There are also a few children’s games that could be fun to incorporate into your workouts such as hopscotch or jump rope. Why not try something you maybe haven’t tried in years?

What are some other activities or workouts that you have “gamified”? Share them in the comments below!

Be Well,

Sarah

 

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