“Workouts aren’t supposed to be FUN!” Chances are you have thought that, heard that or believe that misguided expression as it relates to exercise and working out. If you already train with me, you may have even heard me jokingly say that amidst laughter during a session.

Wait… what?

You can have fun? You laugh during sessions? Yes, and if the thought that you cannot have fun is holding you back, time to find another excuse or better yet, get that rear in gear! Think back to when you were a child. Chances are you spent lots of time outside playing sports, climbing, running, building forts, whatever we did as kids but the bottom line is you were moving and having fun! The exercise and fitness world has been growing at a rapid rate recently when it comes to new types of fitness classes. Hybrid MMA programs, yoga, crossfit, Mom & tots are just a few examples of popular programs these days. Martial arts, recreational sports groups and dance classes have seen a surge in popularity these days as people look for ways to become more active, often in a more social and economically friendly environment. Yes, it personally pains me to hear that “traditional” working out with weights is not always a fun, exciting choice (this makes no sense to me!) but the increase in small group training sessions (3-8 people) is promising! Sessions back in the gym that are not 10 or 20 people allows for better quality programs with more focused attention on the individual.

The bonus is that the aforementioned need for a more social and economically friendly program is met. Another positive with the small group session is that it can be tailored more to the group rather than generic 20 person bootcamp. Imagine having your group of friends and family training together doing things you like and want to be doing as part of your program! I am currently doing that with a group of four and we have lots of fun alternating between traditional training and circuits involving tires, hammers, sleds and kettlebells! I have others that we play “zombie killers” using tires, viprs and whatever else we can add to the game!

The takeaway here is that your exercise and workout programs can and should be fun.

It does not have to be (nor should it be) hours of mind-numbing “cardio” on a hamster wheel. Use your imagination, work smarter and harder and if you cannot do it on your own for whatever reasons, find a credible trainer that you can connect with, have fun and get the results you deserve.

TCB

Andy Lewis is an Edmonton Personal trainer who works out of TCB Fitness in West Edmonton.

This entry was posted on January 18, 2013 at 1:04 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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