Make Your Own Fun

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

01 Jul 2007 02:16 PM

We talked about making fitness your own personal choice. Now let's talk about making it your own personal fun. Because let's be honest, no matter how much you may need to exercise and no matter how much you may tell yourself this is what you need to do - unless it's fun, exercise can be a tedious, less than inspiring process. Who wants to do something tedious every day?

I Hate To Do Dishes

For most of my life, the household chore I have despised the most is doing dishes. It doesn't matter that we own a dishwasher. It doesn't matter that I keep after them regularly so they don't stack up. But I hate to do them nonetheless. I hate sinking my hands into soapy water. I hate having to scour dirty pans. I hate having to do them.

Now I could just ignore them, but that's not really an option. I could leave them until all the dishes in the house are dirty and I have to wash them - but that's not only not practical, it's also disgusting. So how do I manage to do something that needs to be done and that I hate? I combine with something that I do like to do.

Combinations

For example, our kitchen looks out onto our living room, so I may turn on the news or a program I want to see and I'll watch or listen to it while I'm doing the dishes. Sometimes, I turn on the music and other times, I do the dishes while my daughter sits at the counter and reads to me from one of her books. I combine an activity I dislike with an activity that I like - then my dishes get done and I don't spend the whole time I'm doing them thinking about how much I don't like them.

It can work the same way with your exercise choices too. What activities do you combine so that you aren't spending all your time thinking about what you don't like?

Related Articles:

Why Aren't You Exercising?

Who is Your Hero?

Friday Fitness: The Psychological Benefits of Exercise

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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