{"id":24739,"date":"2019-06-05T10:04:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T17:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/?p=24739"},"modified":"2023-12-28T10:18:56","modified_gmt":"2023-12-28T18:18:56","slug":"exercise-doesnt-have-to-be-routine-have-fun-get-fit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/news\/exercise-doesnt-have-to-be-routine-have-fun-get-fit\/","title":{"rendered":"Exercise Doesn&#8217;t Have to be Routine \u2013 Have Fun &amp; Get Fit"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article\">\n\t<header class=\"header\">\n\t\t<span class=\"type\"><\/span>\t\t<h1>Exercise Doesn&#8217;t Have to be Routine \u2013 Have Fun &amp; Get Fit<\/h1>\t\t<time>June 5, 2019<\/time>\n\t<\/header>\n\t<div id=\"block_2d815e1137d63d28ea1f18de71576e7c\" class=\"shs-block block-news-article entry-content\">\n\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>Remember running around outside for hours as a kid, playing tag, climbing trees or looking for frogs by the stream? Somewhere on the journey to adulthood, the exploration and adventure of exercise turned into a mind-numbing stint on the treadmill or just another item on your to do list. Hardly something you\u2019d call \u201cfun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you aren\u2019t excited about what you\u2019re doing for exercise, it makes it a lot harder to feel motivated,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/patients-visitors\/find-a-doctor\/bangen-kyle-1861940520\/\">Kyle Bangen, MS<\/a>, a strength and conditioning specialist at <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/find-a-location\/samaritan-athletic-medicine-center\/\">The SAM<\/a>. \u201cBut if exercise is something you look forward to and you aren\u2019t counting the minutes until you\u2019re done, there\u2019s a better chance you\u2019ll stick with it.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bangen notes that fitness games are more likely to incorporate a variety of movements \u2014 bending, squatting, moving side to side, reaching, sprinting. This diversity strengthens more of the supportive muscles throughout the body, which means a lower risk of injury while doing daily tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGames engage your mind as well as your body and you don\u2019t have to be an athlete or even coordinated to play,\u201d said Bangen. \u201cIt\u2019s an approachable way to make fitness fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try one of these games to mix up your workout routine or recruit a few friends for some group fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-balloon-bounce\">Balloon Bounce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Players: 1+<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How to play: If you\u2019re by yourself, stand facing a wall with your feet comfortably planted. If you have more than one player, face your partner or form a circle. Bounce the balloon back and forth without moving your feet. Then try it while standing on one foot, in a squat, a lunge, or a crab walk position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Benefits:<\/strong> The reaching and leaning help develop core strength, balance and stability. Adding a squat or lunge strengthens the glutes, quads and hamstring muscles in the legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-deck-of-destiny\">Deck of Destiny<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Players: 1+<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How to play: Shuffle a deck of playing cards and lay the stack face down. Each suit is a different exercise, e.g. spades = squats, clubs = push ups, diamonds = sit ups, hearts = burpees. The number on the card is how many reps you must complete. Face cards are 10 and aces are 11. The joker can be a one-minute plank or a 100-meter sprint, depending on if you\u2019re playing inside or outside. Try to complete the deck in less than 30 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Benefits:<\/strong> Vary your exercises to get a full body workout, or focus them all in one area like using four different core exercises one day and then four different leg exercises another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-parachute\">Parachute<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Players: 3+<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How to play: Take a large bed sheet and spread it out on the floor. Everyone grabs an edge and lifts the sheet up like a parachute in gym class. Make large and small ripples. Use just one hand and then alternate. Lift the sheet up high and have someone run underneath before it settles. Place a balloon or beanbag on top and bounce it around the top of the sheet. This is a fun game for families, especially with small children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Benefits:<\/strong> The large and small movements are a great workout for your arm muscles. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cup-up-cup-down\">Cup Up\/Cup Down<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Players: 2+<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How to play: Using large plastic cups, at least three per person playing, set them up in a large area with half facing up and half facing down. Divide the group into two teams with one group assigned to flip all the cups up and the other to flip them down. Set a timer for one minute, and whichever group has the most cups in the desired position wins. Repeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Benefits:<\/strong> The combination of sprinting, bending, reaching, squatting and shifting direction will engage your ankles, legs, glutes, core and arm muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mind-mastery\">Mind Mastery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Players: You!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How to play: Anytime you\u2019re exercising but especially when you\u2019re starting a new habit, tiredness and discouragement can often creep in. Keep a positive attitude about the impact you\u2019re making on your health and the benefits you\u2019re reaping. Set goals every time you workout for a certain amount of time, distance, weight, repetitions, etc. Notice the good feelings during your workout \u2014 maybe the wind on your face makes you feel free or the stretch of your muscles makes you feel capable. Remember those feelings the next time you\u2019re tempted to slow down when you know you\u2019re strong enough to speed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Benefits:<\/strong> A heart-pumping, muscle-moving workout benefits your body and mind, boosts your mood and energy levels, and helps control your weight and improve your sleep. <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<aside>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/make-exercise-fun-311-CO.jpg\" class=\"attachment-cta size-cta wp-post-image\" alt=\"People exercising on lawn outside\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/make-exercise-fun-311-CO.jpg 360w, https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/make-exercise-fun-311-CO-300x250.jpg 300w, https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/make-exercise-fun-311-CO-120x100.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t<\/aside>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s easy to let exercise slip into drudgery when you&#8217;re doing the same thing every day. Learn how to reset your perspective and put some fun into getting fit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":13739,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_shs_workflow_notes":"06-05-19","_shs_exclude_from_navigation":false,"_shs_promote_article_on_blogs":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"news-topics":[293],"news-types":[270],"services":[239],"specialty":[49],"class_list":["post-24739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","news-topics-wellness","news-types-feature-article","services-fitness-sports-performance","specialty-health-fitness"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24739"},{"taxonomy":"news-topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topics?post=24739"},{"taxonomy":"news-types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-types?post=24739"},{"taxonomy":"services","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/services?post=24739"},{"taxonomy":"specialty","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/specialty?post=24739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}