Fitness Friday - tip #5 happy exercise

Here is another installment of tips and tricks to losing weight and keeping it off, the healthy and long term way Remember the previous weeks tips:

• #1 water
• #2 know your numbers
• #3 Accountability 
• #4 Portion Sizes

and this weeks tip is

Find a form of exercise you LOVE to do - your happy workout
One secret to long term health is diet AND exercise. It's not an either/or, both are necessary to health. As such it's vital to find a form of exercise you absolutely love to do, because if you love it, you'll do it more often right? I've heard plenty of people say they hate exercise but I really think it's just a case that they haven't found the right exercise. Remember sports and dance are exercise, as is walking/hiking etc. Think about activities you do and active things you enjoy. Heck even sex is exercise ;) Just don't count on it to burn as many calories as say running.

New exercise classes seem to pop up every other month it seems, whether belly dance classes, bollywood inspired classes, spinning, kickboxing, Zumba, turbo kick, Bosu or step class variations there are usually some new formats on your gym studio schedule. Don't get stuck in a rut, try some new classes to see if you can find your soulmate workout.

Remember though that once you find that perfect workout, don't let it be the ONLY exercise you do. Cross training is very important in burning calories,  avoiding boredom, and preventing plateaus. You can have too much of a good thing. I usually let these 'happy' workouts be my reward workouts after doing boring stuff like lifting weights. Don't get me wrong I love to lift weights but it doesn't make me happy like say... a good choreographed step/bosu class... or kickin' booty in kickboxing. If you love Zumba for example that's great, go for it, but remember you STILL need to add some resistance training in there too!

So what's your happy workout?

Di