6 Ways To Be Active Outside Of The Gym

So working out may not make you say “yippee!”. To be honest, I love going to the gym and sometimes find myself there longer than expected! Butttt I wasn’t always like that and there are days when it seems to be the last thing I want to do. That is NORMAL!

We can all agree on the fact that we must move our bodies. As our pal Newton put it, “An object at rest stays at rest and object in motion…stays. in. motion.”

We should enjoy the ability to move, dance, jump, sweat, and get those endorphins pumping! The obvious way to get your body moving is of course: the gym. Some love it, some hate it. So I’m going to skip that obvious answer and give you 5 more ways to burn some calories, get sweaty, and put a smile on that newly endorphined face.

1. Hiking

The best way to stay fit while chatting with your girlfriend on how much you want to be eating pizza and ice cream at that moment. Hiking, or inclined/power walking, is an amazing way to work out your legs, get your heart rate up, and enjoy nature. It can be as intense or easy as you want it to be and you can take rest periods if you are just beginning your fitness journey!

I recommend making it competitive in some way to keep it interesting. For example, the first week write down the date and time of how long it took to reach the top, then next week try to beat that time, even by just five seconds!

2. Fitness Classes

This is my absolute go to when it comes to plateauing or becoming bored in the gym. Trust me that happens a LOT, even for someone like me who loves working out. It’s human nature to find something that works for you, then repeat it. Over and over and over and over again. But unfortunately, it’s also human nature for our bodies to adapt to something and become resistant to change after a while. You HAVE to switch up your workouts and trick your body! So, the best way (without breaking the budget on a personal trainer) is to try a workout class.

The types of classes you can try, depending on where you live, can vary from slower paced yoga classes to more intense HIIT classes. It just depends on what YOU love and what will make you want to get out of the house and get excited for the workout.

My personal favorites are:

1. F45

2. Pilates

3. Barry’s Bootcamp

4. Corepower Hot Yoga Sculpt

5. Any Dance Classes

I try to hit the gym 3-4 times per week and do a class 1-2 times per week.

If you don’t know where to start and want to try several out, I recommend downloading the app ClassPass. It is an amazing app which charges you a $50/month fee to try out 12+ classes! One Barry’s class is $30 so it is a great deal!

3. Sports/Competitive Game

Remember when you were young and WANTED to just go run around a field with your friends screaming and chasing a ball? We need to get back to that. But maybe not the screaming.

Adults tend to forget to have fun. Going to the gym seems like a punishment, and work takes up your life. So, it’s time to make your own fun and fit some fitness into it as well. Two birds, one stone!

As a weekly treat, gather up some friends and pick a sport you all would love to play.

I recommend:

Kickball

Dodgeball

Softball

Soccer

Flag football

Beach volleyball

4. Television

Yep. You can lay on your couch, watch TV, AND get fit all at the same time. As simple as it may seem, doing some floor exercises while watching The Office on repeat can make a big difference! If you watch cable, maybe try working out throughout the entire commercial break without stopping. Burning out your muscles repetitively is what you are aiming for. I recommend picking a muscle group (glutes, abs, arms, etc) and perform an exercise until failure. Here are some of my favorites:

Glutes

Clam Shells

Bridges

Single Leg Bridges

Windmills

Inner Thigh Lifts

Abs:

Straight Leg Bicycles

Flutter Kicks

Leg Lowers

Jack Knives

Plank Hip Dips

Mountain Climbers

Reverse Lunges

Arms:

Commandos

Tricep Dips

Push Ups

Shoulder Taps

Legs:

Reverse Lunges

Wall Sit

Squats

Sumo Squats

Inner Thigh Lifts

5. Take the stairs

The little things really do add up! Whenever you get the choice of elevator or stairs, choose the stairs every time. Common places like the mall, grocery store, airport, your apartment, office, school, gym, doctor’s, etc. The more you move and keep active in any way will help lead you on the right stairway for better health (pun intended).

6. Ditch the car

It is said that the average American spends 290 hours per year in their car. I don’t even want to know what it is here in Los Angeles…but instead of all of those hours being spent sitting motionless, grab a bicycle and bike whenever possible! Bike to school, work, friend’s houses, or even the gym to get your warmup finished before you get there!