Make Fitness Fun: 50 Ways to Move It Now!

By Phyllis Staff, Ph.D. | July 2, 2008

For me, walking is the most boring exercise of all. Yet regular exercise that gets your body moving and your heart rate up is one of the most important of the Eight Power Keys that prevent or delay Alzheimer’s and other dementias. In addition, it doesn’t hurt that you will look younger and sleeker over time or that you’ll get a dose of Vitamin D when you exercise outdoors.

To liven things up, and get myself going, I made a list of 50 great ways to exercise and have fun doing it. Have fun. Get fit. Look Great! What could be better?Not all will be appropriate for your age or level of fitness, but you will find something in this list to get you off the couch and out into the fresh air and sunshine.

For a double strategy punch, check off the exercises you already do and mark one or two you’d enjoy learning. What’s the double benefit? You’ll be exercising your brain as well as your body when you learn a new skill, and that’s double protection against the dementias of aging.

NOTE: Be sure to check with your health care provider to discover how you can safely exercise and what kinds of exercise will be best for you. You might take this list along when you visit her.

OK, here’s my list:

  1. Learn to dance
  2. Ride a bike
  3. Swim
  4. Learn Tai Chi
  5. Practice Yoga
  6. Kayaking
  7. Geocaching
  8. Gardening
  9. Golf
  10. Soccer
  11. Tennis
  12. Jump Rope
  13. Lift Weights
  14. Hula hoop
  15. Skip
  16. Hiking a national park
  17. Refurbish a house
  18. Rock climbing
  19. Mountaineering
  20. Orienteering
  21. Ride a unicycle
  22. Kickboxing
  23. Train for a marathon
  24. Stair climbing
  25. White water rafting
  26. Adventure travel
  27. horseback riding
  28. inline skating
  29. downhill skiing
  30. cross country skiing
  31. basket ball
  32. throw Frisbees
  33. runner’s road rally
  34. build a house for Habitat for Humanity
  35. Adopt a stretch of highway
  36. Paint ball
  37. Rebounding (trampoline)
  38. Train your dog for flyball
  39. Volleyball
  40. Skateboard
  41. Windsurfing
  42. Sailing
  43. Join a circus camp
  44. Sex
  45. Go fly a kite
  46. Climb on a jungle gym
  47. Walk your cat
  48. Belly dancing
  49. Caving
  50. Snowboarding

A surprise treat

After all this exercise, indulge yourself with my favorite (you won’t lose an ounce, but you deserve it). Have a guilt-free mousse hunt.

Add your favorite fun exercise in a Comment below.

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