How to Play More, Workout Less & Get Fit

How to get motivated to workout & have fun doing it!

Remember how fun recess used to be in elementary school? Running around on the playground, playing hopscotch with friends and jumping rope were what we looked forward to in the day!

What happened?!


We used to anxiously watch the big homeroom clock tick until we could bust out of the door and scream our way to the swing set – yet now, the thought of racing to the gym seems like work. (Heck, we even call it a workout!)

We love to play! So what is up with all this workout drudgery, snooze buttons and dread?

Here, Caryn Gillen, a Certified Life Coach and Intuitive Eating Professional, shares with us a few tips and questions to help shift your perspective back to the playground and make exercising fun!

When it comes to movement, do what your body loves. Pay attention to what gives you energy, makes you happy, lights you up – and do more of it!

Pay attention to what looks like fun and find a way to get some more of that! See people playing Frisbee or catch in the park and notice yourself leaning in? Next time, bring a Frisbee and friend along and do the same!

Think back to what you could do for hours as a child. Were you the jump rope champ or hula-hoop queen? No reason you can’t tap in to that little girl’s favorites (You know she’s in there!). Plus, here’s how to hula-hoop your way to flat abs!

What movement can you get lost in? Find things that you can get swept up in and do them as often as you can. It could be dance, bouldering, gardening, walking, ice skating, whatever!

5 Exercises You Never Thought ”Counted”

Next time you are hanging out with a younger child, take a few minutes to watch how they go about their lives. They are using more energy to do the same things we are doing, not because they are trying to fit into their skinny jeans, but because it is fun! Do the same!

Go. Play.