Originally published April 14 2010
Practice Fun Exercise Routines for Good Health
by Fleur Hupston
(NaturalNews) Detest exercise? Tired of mind-numbingly boring minutes spent on a treadmill or endless laps up and down the pool? While the majority of us recognize that we must exercise for good health, many view exercise as just one more boring chore to add onto a day laden with "must-do" activities. Change your mindset and make exercise fun and exciting while getting the workout your body needs.
Dance Your Way to Fitness
For those who love to dance, try a Zumba Latin American dance class next time you are at the gym. Zumba is taught in 75 countries in six continents and is aligned with nationally and internationally recognized fitness organizations. People have so much fun learning to dance while toning legs, arms and raising the heart rate that they are generally disappointed when the class is over. It's more like a party than a workout.
The Zumba instructor may teach Latin dances such as the salsa, meringue, cumbia, cha-cha, belly dance, samba and Flamenco. Other dances such as African dance, hip-hip, or choreographed dances may be incorporated into the class. The instructor will continue to add onto the basic steps of each dance and teach more complicated rhythms and movements. High impact dances are combined with lower impact dances to keep the heart rate up and the muscles active. Zumba can be purchased on DVD to do at home.
Tai Chi
Medical studies show Tai Chi improves balance, muscle strength, focus, sleep quality, and a number of other causes of health-damaging stress. Tai Chi is an exercise for anyone at any age and of any physical ability and is a gentle low impact, mind/body exercise and stretching routine.
Each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that the body is in constant motion. Focusing the mind solely on the movements of the form is said to bring about a state of mental calm and clarity.
Get Active
Exercise does not have to be limited to a session at the gym. Simply becoming more active, going for a walk or run outside, swimming or riding a bike for fun, playing with the kids, gardening or spring cleaning are activities that can give the body a strenuous workout, without it seeming like drudgery.
Try something completely new, like horse-riding lessons, golfing or fishing, for outdoor fun that will get the mind concentrating on mastering the activity, with the added health benefit of physical exercise.
Sources:
http://www.zumba.com/us/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tai-chi/SA0...
http://www.naturalnews.com/028531_exercise_o...
About the author
Fleur Hupston is a professional freelance writer. She is passionate about natural, healthy living and is currently studying to be a naturopath. She divides her time between writing for Natural News and various other sites, home schooling her children and studying part time.
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