Sports Then and Now

One of the hardest things about regularly exercising and training isn’t the workouts themselves. Rather, keeping your workouts fun and exciting poses bigger challenges. Sometimes the promise of results isn’t enough to motivate you, but an extra twist of fun and entertainment during your workout can do the trick.

Here are four easy things you can do right now to shake up your routine and make sure you have fun while training.

1. Listen to Podcasts

Listening to music that pumps you up is a tried and true staple of working out, but sometimes it’s nice to give the music a break for a while. In these instances, there are plenty of fun and interesting podcasts you can listen to while out for a run or hitting the weights at the gym.

When you workout with music, the music turns into motivating background noise while you focus on your workout. Podcasts force you to pay a bit more attention, putting your mind to work while your body does the same.

Another benefit of workout podcasts is you might also learn something in the process.

2. Compete Against Yourself

Another way to add fun to your training is to get the competitive juices flowing. It doesn’t always have to mean competing against someone else — you can also compete against yourself.

One way to do this is to make sure you track everything you do during your workout. When you do this, it’s a constant reminder of where you stand. You can then make a game out of trying to improve upon your past performances.

Not only can this method add some fun and distraction to your grueling training regimen, but it can also give you a healthy sense of accomplishment each time you meet or beat your previous bests.

3. Release Your Inner Child

Who says exercise can only take place at the gym, pool or running and biking paths? Once or twice a month consider taking your workout to a recreation destination that features things such as laser tag and batting cages.

The activities these facilities offer are certainly fun, but it doesn’t mean they have to be any less grueling. For example, you can definitely work up a sweat while playing a round or two of laser tag with friends or family. Also, taking some cuts in the batting cages is a great workout for your core.

Add in rock climbing and roller skating, and you can make a day out of exercising while also having fun.

4. Make Running a Game

For serious or competitive runners, the “high” or euphoric feelings you can obtain are plenty of motivation. But not everybody is on that level, and for this group, a bit of extra motivation is always welcome.

There are many running apps you can download that help spice up your run. One of the most unique is Zombies, Run, a game that tells you a zombie apocalypse story in your headphones while you run. It encourages you to gather supplies and hit checkpoints, or speed things up if zombies are on your tail.

The app is a good way to immerse yourself in the story, and almost distract yourself from the fact you’re indeed getting in a good cardio workout.

Even for the most serious gym rats, training at times can become tedious and monotonous. Give any or all of these four tips a try, and you’re sure to add a dash of fun to your training routine.