Enjoy Your Workout: How to Exercise like a Kid

Jogging isn't for everyone. I'll admit, I get bored and lose motivation before I get to the end of my block. I'm not especially coordinated, and I lack that competitive urge to succeed in team sports. Overall, I'm just not that much of an athlete... And I know I'm not the only one.

Even if you don't take naturally to most sports and games, it doesn't mean you shouldn't be exercising. Your body needs to move to be healthy, and people who exercise tend to feel better about life in general. You can too. It's just a matter of finding the right exercise that feels more like play than work.

If you can think back to being a kid, you'll remember that exercising seemed to come naturally.  Whether you were playing hopscotch during recess, playing soccer on the weekends or chasing your dog around the backyard, just about everything you did got your heart pumping.  When did working out become so much work?

Maybe it's time to look at exercise options other than jogging and visiting the gym.  If you can make exercising fun again, you'll find you don't need to think about it quite so much.  Check out these fun, outside-of-the-box work-outs to inspire you to move:

Remember hula hooping when you were a kid? Hoops became popular toys in the 1950s and they're back in a big way, this time as exercise equipment.

Hoopnotica is a workout that incorporates fun, modern dance moves with hula hoop tricks to make for a rejuvenating and effective exercise. It's a blast to do in groups, either at the gym or with a DVD at home (invite some friends over!). Not only is it great cardio, but you're sure to burn some extra calories laughing as you try to remember just how it was you used to use those things.

Because the hoops are weighted, you'll tone your muscles as well as get a great aerobic work out. Hula hoop exercise is also low-impact on your joints, making it a great alternative for people prone to or recovering from overuse injuries.

If your biggest problem in the gym is boredom, you may need to expand your horizons. Instead of sitting on a stationary bicycle in a gym, hop on a real bike and go for an adventure. If you think of your bike (or your legs) as a mode of transportation rather than a chore, you'll enjoy your work out.

Try giving yourself a new destination every weekend: that bookstore you've been meaning to visit, that art museum you love or a sale at your favorite clothing store. Set out on your bike, roller-blades or on foot for any destination near or far. Take roads you've never been down before and don't worry about the time. See your hometown through the eyes of a kid: discovering new places and picking up inspiration for your next adventure.

You don't have to go to the gym together to work-out with friends.  Just like when you think about solo exercise, the best group workouts are the ones that don't feel like working.

Hiking, going to the beach or even dancing at a club (as long as you're only drinking water!) can burn massive amounts of calories and get your heart rate up.

Try to think of one calorie-burning, social activity every week and invite some friends along.  Whether you tell them you're bringing them into your workout routine or not is up to you. 

Remember when everything was new? And do you remember how satisfying it was to develop new skills?

Adults tend to shy away from trying new things, often because they tried it, or something similar, as children and weren't any good. Try it again though, or try something you've never even considered before. You'll probably find the challenge is less frustrating as an adult and you might even be surprised at what you didn't know you were good at.

That sense of satisfaction when you develop hooping skills is one of the reasons Hoopnotica has become so popular. Other workouts can give you the same feeling. Try martial arts, diving, swing danging, tennis, ping pong, gardening or even cooking elaborate meals (bonus points for cooking healthily!). It doesn't have to be a sport: any hobby that gets you off the sofa will burn calories.

You don't have to have been the star of your fifth grade soccer team to be a great referee. Whether or not you were ever any good, you'll probably remember some of the basic rules and regulations of whatever sports you played as a kid.

Sign up with a local school or community center and volunteer as a referee.  Refs typically work on Saturday mornings, when kid's soccer games are scheduled (remember that?). You'll get an hour or two of running around a field with some energetic kids that will definitely force you to keep your pace up. Reffing is also a great way to connect with your community.

Your exercise routine will be most effective if it's something you enjoy doing (as opposed to something you feel like you have to do). Remember how easy it was to exercise when you were a kid? Kids run, jump, climb and swim because they enjoy it..  And that motivation is much more powerful than worrying about body image or health.

Look around for other workouts that blur the line between exercise and play.  Keep trying until you find something you think is fun!