By: Jacqueline Boyle
Posted In: Sports
Photo credit: Jackie Boyle
If you had the choice of going to the gym or watching your favorite movie with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, you would probably choose the couch. What if you could have the best of both worlds? What if working out could be fun?
According to Michael Cecchi, a personal trainer at Newport Athletic Club “exercising becomes interesting when you spice up your routine and do things you enjoy.” Exercising is normally a routine process, because people do the same work-out daily and it becomes boring and monotonous. Cecchi suggests having a work-out buddy, “If you have a friend to exercise with, you will work harder. Also, we make time to chat with our friends why not do it while getting fit as opposed to sitting on the phone.” Rebbecca Gough, a personal trainer and owner of Bridge Fitness in Newport agrees, “Having a partner with the same goals will help you to challenge your work out.” Also a friend may motivate you if you are thinking of skipping a work out. “Besides, when you don’t feel like working out they may drag you on a run or to the gym, friends can motivate each other,” says Cecchi. If you have a competitive nature, which will help to motivate you, Cecchi recalls two of his clients that made bets with each other to see who could lose weight the fastest. If your regular workout routine has you stuck in your basement lifting weights, maybe joining a local gym could add to your exercising enjoyment. Tomas Blaney, the Assistant Athletic Trainer at Salve Regina University says, “People have a great time at the gym because of the social interaction.” “People come to the Athletic Club for like four hours and only work out for twenty minutes, the gym is definitely a social scene,” says Cecchi. A gym may also offer more resources than a home work out can. For example, if you love to swim, than a gym will allow you to dive and splash without spending thousands of dollars in renovating your backyard. Gyms are well equipped with televisions, loud music and magazines to occupy and entertain visitors while they are working out. “They even have internet screens on the front of elliptical machines now,” says Blaney. Maybe surfing the net or catching up with e-mails helps to make your work-out fun. Now that the winter is slowly thawing and the temperature is rising exercising outside is a great way to change scenery from gyms or basement workout areas. “My clients love to go outside and enjoy the sun while exercising, it makes people happy,” says Cecchi. Blaney agrees, “Taking the work out outside is great. Playing tennis or golf for the day can be fun and a person is still active even though it isn’t in a gym setting.” Maybe an outdoor adventure to a hiking spot or a run on the beach may be a fun change in exercise routine. Cheryl Kearns a weight lifting instructor at The Newport Athletic Club suggests adding music to your workout. “I like the top 40. It gets people motivated and allows them to create a pace while working out.” According to the webpage www.caregiver.com, if music makes you happy play it loud and dance around your house. The webpage also suggests going for a walk with friends or playing outdoor sports for some fun exercising activity. If shopping makes you smile, then walking around the mall could be the perfect exercise for you. Just don’t bring too much money. “Walking the whole mall once before going into stores can be great exercise and there is a lot to look at,” says Blaney. If the daily grind of a stair master is driving you nuts, perhaps you should try a new form of exercise. Sign up for a yoga class or maybe ballroom dancing. Pilates or martial arts may just be the new side of exercise that makes you love getting fit. “The best way to have fun is to try new things and explore your active self,” says Cecchi. So now you don’t have to feel guilty about engaging with the fun stuff, well maybe if you pick up the Ben & Jerry’s. Jacqueline Boyle is senior at Salve Regina University, and enjoys dancing in her livingroom for fun.
