Create Your Exercise

46 Ways to Get Moving

Written by Caitlin Schille

If exercise feels like a chore, switch it up! Physical activity is so much more than going to the gym and putting in a half hour on the treadmill. Any movement is good movement! Read through our list of fun and creative ways to bring some fun back into the way you move.

1. Get up and dance! Dancing is a great way to move around without even realizing you’re exercising. Sign up for a dance class, or just turn up your favorite song in the comfort of your own home.
2. Join a team! Your city, county, or workplace likely has adult recreational sports leagues. Re-live your high school glory days, or try out a new sport you want to get better at.
3. Take up roller-blading. Don’t forget to wear your helmet!
4. Get back to your childhood roots by jumping on a pogo-stick.
5. Let’s go fly a kite!
6. Go for a walk. Exercise doesn’t have to make you sweat buckets to be good for your health and body.
7. Rent a kayak or canoe for a couple of hours.
8. Get out in the sunshine and play some tennis.
9. Give hiking a try! A hike doesn’t have to mean you’re climbing Everest. Start small, and focus on enjoying nature and some fresh air.
10. Get your friends involved! Everything is more fun with a buddy. Grab a friend and go for a walk, a jog, a bike ride, or any other activity that gets you moving.
11. Give your house a good deep-cleaning. Blast some favorite tunes and work up a sweat by scrubbing your house from head to toe.
12. Grab a jump rope. Jumping rope is fantastic exercise for heart health, and it’s pretty fun too.
13. Get out into nature. Go for a walk on a new route or new trail.
14. In the colder winter months, get your heart rate up with some good old-fashioned sledding!
15. Go for a swim! Swimming laps is fantastic exercise, but splashing around in a lake, pool, or the ocean is a great way to move as well.
16. Play catch with your kids or friends.
17. Give martial arts a try. If you don’t want to take a class, find an instructional YouTube video.
18. Plan to walk or bike to work once per week. You’ll have fun switching up your routine!
19. Take your kids to the playground and really play with them. You’ll be surprised how much you move around just trying to keep up with your kids!
20. Go climb a tree.
21. If you want an ice cream cone or other treat, walk there!
22. Play some backyard soccer with your friends or family.
23. Grab some friends and play Frisbee.
24. Little bouts of movement add up. Look for ways to move throughout your day, such as getting a standing desk, taking the stairs, standing during a meeting, taking a five minute walk on your break, etc.
25. Go ice-skating! You’ll have so much fun skating backwards and perfecting your spin.
26. Get a dog. Having a dog will make your evening walks a little more fun (and you’ll need to go on walks).
27. If you find yourself getting bored with your exercise routine, check out the thousands of exercise videos on YouTube! You’re sure to find something new and fun.
28. Jump on the trampoline! It’s great exercise, and you’ll be having so much fun, you won’t even realize you’re exercising.
29. Rock-climbing is a wonderful way to build muscle without the monotony of lifting weights. Find a local climbing gym, and give it a try!
30. Head to the batting cages!
31. Grab some friends and play some laser tag!
32. Tackle a home improvement project. Paint a room a new color or replace the tile in your bathroom. Lifting, squatting, and stretching are bound to be part of it.
33. Try a new form of exercise you haven’t tried before, such as yoga or pilates.
34. Intertwine your exercise time and relaxation time! Jog in place or do other exercises during the commercial breaks of your favorite show.
35. Do some yardwork. Not only is this great exercise, but you’ll be happy to see the results as well.
36. Give stand-up paddleboarding a try.
37. Go for a bike ride. It can be a leisurely ride- the important thing is that you’re moving!
38. Motivate yourself by signing up for a 5k or triathlon or other race.
39. Explore a new part of town on foot.
40. Find a lake, pond or reservoir and go swimming.
41. Build a blanket fort with your kids, nieces or nephews.
42. Learn a new game from another culture, like boules (France), or kubb (Sweden).
43. Plant and tend a garden.
44. Rearrange your living room.
45. Find service projects to get involved with.
46. Walk when you’re on the phone.