Do you hate to work out? Do you sigh just thinking about the effort required to get to the gym much less the work and sweat you’ll encounter when you get there? Relax! With the Internet you now have access to many new possibilities for burning calories and getting fit. You can have FUN and choose the physical activity that suits your situation and schedule. I like this and I think you will too!
The benefits of exercise are enormous. As you burn calories for weight loss you can also reduce your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers (colon cancer and breast cancer). Exercise also helps keep bones and joints healthy and can improve your sense of well being. It can’t be beat.
The dictionary definition of exercise is to exert the body for the specific purpose of developing and maintaining physical fitness. However, it is possible to enjoy some of the benefits of exercise without making such a formal commitment. That’s why I often refer to the dictionary definition of exercise as formal exercise.
Formal exercise includes running, weight lifting, tennis, and the like. This is in contrast to what you might do just for the sheer fun of doing it such as going for walks with a friend or jumping on a trampoline in the backyard with kids (yours or someone else’s!).
There are plenty of important reasons to begin and maintain a formal exercise program. Unfortunately, despite the benefits, the truth is that it just isn’t happening for most people. For some it may be a lack of time for others a lack of interest or motivation. If you have had difficulty developing an exercise regime that works for you, you’re not alone. Only 25% of Americans work out on a regular basis. (Nutrition Action Healthletter, April 2008)
Even for the most committed there are days when the best laid plans don’t work. So what are some other options? I’ve shared some simple and easy ways to burn calories without heading to the gym in a couple of my previous articles: 25 Quick, Easy, and Fun Ways to Burn 100 Calories or Life Happens! Ways to Burn Calories when Exercise is not an Option .
These tips will work but you may not get as many of the other benefits for your health. Today I have another suggestion. I highly encourage you to visit a new exercise video site I found online recently. It’s called beYOU.tv
At this site you’ll find a great selection of exercise videos you can watch online or purchase and download. They don’t all appeal to me by any means but I found quite a number that look like fun and would keep me busy for some time! There’s goes my excuses when I don’t want to leave the house or I am bored with the exercise videos I already own.
Do check it out. I’ll share a few samples with you to give you an idea of what is available. How about the Belly Dancing? or Afro-Latino Dance or Tai Chi? There seem to be hundreds of choices. FUN! The music for many of these videos provides an added incentive to get up and move! Fast, fun, and sexy or slow, calm, and meditative it’s your choice. One way or another you will be using your body to move as it was designed to do.
Note: You can sign up for free for a trial service for I believe one month to check it out. After this there may be a charge, so be sure to unsubscribe if you don’t want to continue. Go ahead give it a look. What have you got to lose other than some unwanted pounds?
Here are some of the many categories of exercise you can choose from:
Toning
Cardio
Mat Class
Abs
Dance
Tai Chi
Retro Workout
Weights
Hip Hop
Ballet
African Asana
Belly Dance
Pre/Post Natal
Pilates
Meditation
Samba
Jazz
Yoga
(There are lots more!)
How about calming and peaceful?
Till next time, have fun with movement, watch those calories, and eat healthy food!
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