If you are anything like me, you are tired of quarantine, tired of home workouts, tired of not

having a proper gym. It has been five months and counting, and no one knows when our gyms will finally be open….

The situation sucks, but part of the game is learning to adapt. You’ve adapted to not having a gym and have probably found your groove. But merely adapting isn’t enough, how do we thrive in the current situation?

One of the most important, yet least talked about ways to improve our “fitness-life”, is to make it more enjoyable.

If you have yet to take this opportunity, to add more creativity and fun to your workouts, You are totally missing out.

You’re going to be investing your time doing some form of exercise for the better part of your life (hopefully!), why not make it fun?!

Look, I’ve heard them all before; “you get hardened by the iron”, “if you’re not a little scared before you workout, then you’re not going hard enough”, heard ’em all. I stand corrected, what’s the crime in having fun when working out? What’s the rush? If you’re going to be exercising for the long haul, what does it matter if you PR’d, yesterday or six months from now? if your goal is to build a killer body, get strong, maintain your health for 5,10, 20 years, then heed my advice; A little less intensity and a little more fun and creativity combined with consistency will do you wonders.

So here are a couple of ideas as well as some resources to make your workouts more fun and enjoyable;

1.Try a new skill When was the last time you’ve actually tried a learning a new skill? As adults, we don’t really do

that…but honestly, what’s stopping us? Go learn to box, go swimming, learn to use indian clubs or kettlebells, something. Right now is the perfect time to try a new form of exercise. It really doesn’t matter which one, but adding another skill can do you wonders, and it’s fun/challenging.

When you develop a new skill your brain and your body, both get challenged .

The amazing thing is that once you’ve become proficient in a new skill, you will often become better at your old skills as well! Yes, laying off the weights and swinging some kbs for a while will make you a better lifter.

2.Workout with a partner Years ago, I was training at a local chain gym. Anyone who’s spent enough time at a gym knows

that there are the “regulars”; the members that come at the same time and the same day to workout. Well at this particular gym, there was a group of three “regulars”, who’d workout together. Six thirty would hit, and they’d be there, like clockwork.

They’d set up their station, with all the equipment they needed and got down to business. But what stood out to me, is that they were having so much fun! Their workouts were fun.

They were not deadlifting double their bodyweight, or super concentrated about their squat form…no, they had two or three medicine balls and a couple pairs of dumbbells. And yet, always managed to get a good workout and a smile on their faces. It is also worth mentioning that all

three were in amazing shape. But most important, they were having fun! So much so that they got me wanting to join. And somehow everyone else at the gym gravitated toward them. So find a partner or two, keep the vibe positive and crush it.

3.Change the tempo/routine Now is the perfect time to change up your routine/tempo, and experiment with new workout schemes…. changing the tempo can do wonders to the way you feel about your workouts. If you’re used to lifting heavy, maybe it’s time to try some circuit workouts or a bodyweight workout with high reps and less/shorter breaks. And if all you’ve ever done is high intensity/light weight, maybe it’s time to test your strength and put up some weight…either way, changing the tempo/workout scheme will spice up your routine and will be so much more engaging.  Turn the way you train upside down, the challenge will throw off any staleness off your workout and get you back in the game.

4.Make a game out of it At what point did we, as humans stop seeing exercise and play as one in the same?

Adolescence? Maybe. The point is, that as kids we don’t really have to exercise per say, we just play, and that’s all the exercise that we need. Kids are generally happy when they play…so why

not make our workouts more playful?

Here are a couple of ideas;

–On your next back/pull day, get a partner(or pull a weight) and play tug of war with them(in a plank, kneeling, bearwalk), you can add it as a finisher to your workout, or make it a part of a

total body workout. Play with the angles, positions, intensity/load.

–Swing some kettlebells. There’s something about the swinging/motion of a kb that just calms me down and puts me at ease. If you haven’t yet, I urge you to play around with kettlebells.

*Tip: water jugs, filled with sand are a decent substitute, if you don’t have any kb’s laying around.

They can be plenty hard and challenging, but are alsofun. Try doing some crab walks, or play crab walk footsies with a partner to get your triceps, shoulders and abs on fire. Bearwalk for improving your core or duckwalks/frog jumps as a

finisher to your leg workout.

-Anything with a medicine ball, whether it’s an overhead/chest toss or slam, or a game with a partner, think of a way to couple it with traditional exercise.(medicine ball reactive training is best

coupled with another similar traditional exercise)

-Add unique challenges to your workout, like pushups going up/down stairs, lunging up a hill, push/pull weight from one side of the room to another. Better yet, get a partner, and make it a

competition.

5.Change the scenery If you’ve set up a comfortable spot for yourself during quarantine where you workout, you might

be reluctant to workout somewhere else. But a change of scenery can reignite your workout in a major way. Go to the park and do your workout there for a bit.

For more fun exercise ideas, feel free to reach out to me.

Trainer/Nutrition-Coach