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Exercise as play
Dr. Sam Benjamin says, "Without a doubt, exercise is one of the best ways to stay young for as long as possible." Dr. Sam, as he's affectionately known, is Humana's corporate medical director of integrative health strategies who combines complementary and alternative medicine with conventional medicine.
So listen to Dr. Sam and increase your exercise by making "play"
a part of your life. Here are some suggestions.
Fortify your attitude
Work consumes many people's daily lives. Let yourself go every
once in a while. Throw off the shackles of work and responsibilities
and develop a playful attitude. Maybe you won't be roller-blading,
cave-tubing, or zip-wiring anytime soon, but fun is just around
the corner, if you look.
What about buying a razor scooter or
bicycle, for instance? Make a list of your most outrageous ideas
for active fun and then evaluate them to see which are really
possible to do. Go play!
Turn on the music and dance
Music is a great mood leveler and motivator for exercise. Whether you're walking or stretching, doing house cleaning or yard work, the more playful you are, and the more groove you add to your movements, the more fun you'll have. A perfect music choice will add joy to whatever you're doing and make you move in spite of yourself.
Did you forget how much fun it is to dance? Most people are
naturally inclined to bob their heads and tap their toes when
they hear music. So whether you're listening to West African
drums, New Orleans jazz, hip hop, or the Viennese waltz, make
up your own choreography and dance around your living room.
Or sign up for lessons. Dance studios are available in every
city, and sometimes they have weekly dance parties and group
lessons. Then there's Jazzercise® and belly dancing —
whatever meets your own self-expression needs.
Get outside and enjoy nature
Go outside and play, as you did when you were a kid. Some neighborhood or city parks have a multiple-mile loop path, a golf course, or woods for hiking, or a fitness trail. Take along a favorite person or dog for company, and walk the balance beam or hang from the monkey bars, if you want. Get on the swings — that uses your arms and legs! Or consider some of these other great outdoor activities:
- Go fly a kite - With all the options and
designs with kites today, you can turn a windy day into a
kite flying adventure.
- Involve the whole family or neighborhood
- Some backyard sports lend themselves to a large group —
like badminton, touch football, or volleyball. So gather up
friends and family, and cheer each other to get on the ball.
- Play with animals - From chasing frisbees
with your dog, to horse-back riding, to walking around the
zoo, wrap your fun around an animal activity.
- Enjoy water - Play "Marco Polo" with your
kids, practice your diving skills, raft down a river, row
a canoe across a pond, or use your legs to steer a paddleboat.
- Play with a ball - There's something cathartic
about hitting a ball as hard as you can, and maybe even chasing
after it — in tennis, golf, racquetball, squash, volleyball,
or with a toddler or your dog.
Bottom line:
For some, exercise sometimes seems like hard work or even torture. But it doesn't have to be. Playing in ways you did as a child, and in ways that bring you joy, can mimic exercise and have great health benefits. And it can be so much fun!
Additional resources:
Dr.
Sam Show
MyPyramid.gov: Tips for increasing physical activity
WebMd: Ethnic Dancing Gets You in Shape
WebMd: Adding
Culture to Exercise
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