Feel-Good Fitness Strategies part 2

Feel-Good Fitness Strategies

Don’t let workout dread zap motivation. Try these 10 expert tips guaranteed to boost your exercise enjoyment

Take it Outside

Enjoying your exercise more may be as easy as going green: Just 5 minutes of outdoor activity boosts your mood, finds researchers at the University of Essex in the U.K. If you’re a treadmill addict, try doing hills in the park. Rollerblading, biking and swimming are just a few outdoor exercise alternatives. Embrace the snow in winter by strapping on cross-country skis to get a breath of fresh air and blast more than 500 calories an hour. 

 Make it a Game

“Wearing a heart rate monitor while you exercise boosts motivation because you can track how hard you’re working,” says Cohen. “It turns exercise into a game when you challenge yourself to stay within your heart rate zone or push yourself to burn more calories than you did last time.” You should aim to be between 65 and 85 percent of your target heart rate. To find yours, subtract your age from 220 and then multiply that number by .75. For example, if you’re 33 years old, your number would be about 140 beats per minute. For an affordable and accurate heart rate monitor, try Polar’s FT1. 

Maximize Your Post-Workout High

There is science to back up the feel-good sensation of a runner’s high. Exercise can boost mood-elevating neurotransmitters and endorphins to give you a buzz for up to an hour after your sweat session is over. “One way to extend that post-workout buzz is to avoid doing things that will stress you out, such as dealing with a credit card dispute, and tackle things that you know you can finish, such as writing a memo,” says Blackburn. “You’ll ward off a buzzkill and prolong that feeling of accomplishment.” Bonus: Moving your body helps activate your right brain, which is the intuitive, creative side, so you’re likely to come up with more imaginative solutions to problems. 

 Maximize Your Post-Workout High 

There is science to back up the feel-good sensation of a runner’s high. Exercise can boost mood-elevating neurotransmitters and endorphins to give you a buzz for up to an hour after your sweat session is over. “One way to extend that post-workout buzz is to avoid doing things that will stress you out, such as dealing with a credit card dispute, and tackle things that you know you can finish, such as writing a memo,” says Blackburn. “You’ll ward off a buzzkill and prolong that feeling of accomplishment.” Bonus: Moving your body helps activate your right brain, which is the intuitive, creative side, so you’re likely to come up with more imaginative solutions to problems. 

Take a Breather

Another trick for prolonging your exercise buzz and speeding muscle recovery is to do a 5-minute yoga blend immediately following your workout, recommends Blackburn. Breathing smoothly and steadily while doing the postures helps lower your heart rate and blood pressure to maximize feelings of relaxation. Studies show that yoga also lowers levels of a neurotransmitter associated with anxiety. Blackburn suggests doing a standing forward bend, seated butterfly with the soles of your feet together, and finishing with a seated spinal twist.

Chill out and turn back the clock with our soothing anti-aging yoga routine.