Find Your Way to Have Fun and Get in Shape

I’ve never been one for the gym or any stationary exercise. The bright lights, the repetition, the sense that I’m working against something instead of with it. For years, I thought getting in shape had to mean punishment—treadmills, routines, and grueling sweat sessions that made me dread every step.

Then I realized I was chasing the wrong kind of movement.

What changed everything for me was trying to incorporate exercise into activities I already enjoy so that it’s a means to an end rather than the end.

I already loved being outside—listening to birds, watching the seasons shift, breathing quiet air under the open sky. When I let myself count those walks as exercise, it suddenly felt sustainable. Not a chore, not a box to check—but a rhythm to step into. I wasn’t working out. I was returning to the woods.

Is hiking as beneficial as strenuous, strict exercise routines? No. But I don’t care because that’s not a routine that’s sustainable for me long-term anyways.

The key, I think, is finding something that doesn’t feel like labor. Something that adds to your joy rather than steals from it. Movement you’ll actually crave, not just endure. This keeps it fun and something that you can feel a sense of guilt skipping rather than a laborious chore you can easily justify skipping.

Maybe it’s dancing in the kitchen. Maybe it’s biking with your kids. Maybe it’s gardening, yoga, martial arts, or wandering through antique stores.

Whatever it is—it has to be yours. As long as it gets you in motion, it’s a good place to start. For the majority of people, a stationary lifestyle is the norm. It doesn’t take marathons to get in better shape. You don’t have to compare your exercise program to the extremely fit people you envy on social media. The only thing that matters is whether it’s getting you healthier than you are right now.

Not everyone’s path to health will look the same. And it shouldn’t. You don’t need to suffer your way into shape. You just need to find the form of movement that reminds you you’re alive.

For me, it’s the sound of silence in the forest. The rustle of wings overhead. The peace of knowing every step is both healing–physically, mentally, and spiritually.

What’s yours?

NATURE | SPIRITUALITY | MENTAL HEALTH

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