( FITNESS & MOTIVATION )
MAKE EXERCISE
YOUR HOBBY
Michelle Bridges explains how to successfully integrate exercise into your everyday life .
MICHELLE BRIDGES
YOU CAN CONTACT MICHELLE VIA : Web : michellebridges . com . au Facebook : Mishy . Bridges Twitter : @ mishbridges Instagram : @ mishbridges ne of the most common things
O people struggle with in their adult
years is exercising consistently . So often I hear comments like , ‘ exercise is such an effort ’, ‘ I don ’ t have time ’, ‘ I ’ m not motivated ’, or ‘ I just don ’ t feel like it ’. When you think about exercise in those terms though , of course you ’ re not going to want to do it , and certainly not consistently !
If this sounds like you then it ’ s time to change the tune . Choose to think about exercise differently – rather than a hassle , make it a hobby ; something you look forward to doing rather than something you dread .
Think back to when you were young . What physical activities did you like doing ? Whether it was a specific sport that you played , or just an activity that you loved to do , like riding your bike around the park , playing elastics or skipping ( remember double dutch skipping during recess ?), I ’ m sure there will have been something that got you up and moving – something that you truly enjoyed doing .
Back in those days you never would have thought , ‘ Ugh , I don ’ t want to go to netball training or ride my bike with my friends after school ’, nope , you just went and did it because you loved it . You didn ’ t think of it as ‘ exercise ’ per se , you just liked doing it , you had friends there , and you wanted to be there because it excited you !
The thing is , investing time into a hobby is completely different to ‘ working out ’. This is because a hobby is an activity or interest you do for your own satisfaction . Using a hobby for physical activity is more appealing . It stops you from getting bored , keeps you socialising with likeminded people , teaches you to make time for yourself , and improves your skills or / and helps you to develop new ones ! Doesn ’ t that all sound good ?
So now , all you need to do is ( re ) find your hobby .
If you were a weapon goal shooter in netball , sign up to a team and put your skills to the test . If you loved biking around the streets in BMX Bandits style , then dust off your bike and get out there again . Organise a grown up playdate with your friends , or head out solo to test the waters first .
If you don ’ t have clue what you ’ re interested in , then here are some ideas to get you going :
• Dance classes ( hip hop , jazz , zumba )
• Hiking / orienteering
• Soccer
• Basketball
• Cycling
• Tennis
• Yoga / Pilates
• Fencing
• Swimming
• Kayaking
• Football
• Horse riding
• Gardening .
Commit to your activity for at least a few sessions , so you have a chance to see if it ’ s got hobby potential . If it doesn ’ t stick , no biggie – you gave it a go , you got out there and moved , and now just move on to the next thing . The most important thing is that you ’ re moving – consistently ! When you consider exercise a hobby and not a chore , you ’ re much more likely to stick at it and that consistency is what gets results .
Once you find your ‘ thing ’, it won ’ t be too long before you ’ ll hear yourself saying , ‘ I can ’ t wait to get out there and get stuck into my hobby ; it ’ s something that I never want to miss and always feel like doing !’ At this point , those thoughts about exercise being an effort and something you don ’ t feel like doing will be a mere distant memory !
10 OH ! MAGAZINE ( APRIL 2017 )