Find what you love...and go!

As a fitness professional and someone who has exercised in a gym setting religiously for over eight years I understand the feeling of getting bored and burned out by the monotony of lifting weights and being in a sweat smelling room surrounded by metal and grunting. I'm not gonna lie, at times that environment makes me smile and those shiny dumbbells are exactly what my day needs. When that boredom does come, however, I need fresh air and open spaces.

While fitness facilities are often a very convenient, useful, and fun way to achieve optimal health, they are not always for everyone. Instead of forcing the issue and "putting up" with exercise, why not find that form of physical activity that makes you happy (along with helping you forget that you are getting a work out). There are too many options of activities that get your heart rate up for me to list! There's hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, skiing, climbing, swimming, surfing, gardening, running, walking the dog, roller skating, frisbee, shooting hoops, playing catch, splitting wood, and jump roping, just to name a few.

Recently, my husband Rob and I took up snowshoeing, something I had never done before a couple weeks ago. Our first day out I took about 5 steps in the snow and declared that snowshoeing was my new favorite thing in the whole world. While snowshoeing can get a little tiring at some points, the thrill of being out in the pristine wilderness in the crisp air helps me completely forget that I just walked for miles with extra weight strapped to my feet. It wasn't until the next day when the soreness kicked in that I even realized how much work it had been. Making it to views like the photo below seals the deal for me and makes the little bit of sweat all worth it.

So I challenge you to find that activity that you love...and go out and do it! Supplementing or training in the gym can be handy when you can't be out there doing the real thing. But explore the options and try new ways to reach health and happiness for your mind, body, and soul. You may be surprised...exercise might even be fun!