By ALETHEA PRICE

Community columnist

It’s almost time to start making new year’s resolutions! One of the most common resolutions is to lose weight or be healthier, but that can be difficult for many reasons.

Have you ever thought that you do not like to exercise? Does just the word “exercise” make you unhappy? Staying active does not have to be a choice you dread every day. 

There are many benefits to being active on a regular basis. These include:

• helping your body keep a healthy weight;
• lowering the risk of heart disease;
• lowering the risk of some cancers, specifically breast cancer and colon cancer;
• lowering stress levels and improving mental health; and
• lowering the risk of diabetes.

Are you persuaded that you should be physically active? Perhaps you think that you should be active, but think it is just not a lot of fun. Here are a few ideas that you could try. These are sure to get you moving and enjoying it too!  

 

Finding fun in fitness

Think of something that you already like to do and work to add some extra activity to it. Do you like to watch TV? You could march in place during the commercials or use canned goods as weights.

If you like to spend time with your family, you can pick activities that you can do together. For instance, the whole family can help create and maintain a garden. The whole family may also be able to play games like freeze tag and obstacle courses. Or, if the weather is nice, the whole family can go for a hike or walk together.

 

Make it easy

If you have not been active for a while, it would not be wise to jump off the couch and start running.  One of the easiest activities that you can do is just walk.

If you get bored while you are walking, use the time to talk to a friend or relative while you are walking. You may also want to use earphones and listen to some music. If there is a place outside that you can use, great! If not, large stores and malls are good options for walking.

 

Make it part of what you already do

One way you can increase the amount of activity that you are doing is to include it into what is already going on in your day-to-day life. You may want to make your cleaning a little more active. You can do this by picking up the pace during your chores, such as vacuuming or mopping. Outdoor chores are also a good way to get some physical activity. No matter what season it is, there is almost always work to do if you have a yard.

 

Exercise with a Friend

Having company can make any chore much better. Having a friend with you as you are being active can help you not only stay with your activity, but makes it more fun when you can catch up with a friend. 

Friends are important for helping you to stay motivated.  There may be days when the friend motivates you, and on other days, you motivate them. 

 

Try something new; change if you don’t like it

If you have not found anything about exercise that excites you, try something new. If you have the opportunity to try a new activity, do it! You never know — you may love the new activity. It is also important to remember that if you do not like your current activity, it’s OK to try something else or try and find a way to make it better.

If you do not like to go to the gym or to “exercise,” perhaps you could try a few items in the list above to see if there is something that you find enjoyable.  And remember — if you do not like one, try another.

For more information on how to live a healthy lifestyle, email me at a.price@uky.edu.