If you’re exercising to punish yourself for eating a piece of candy, indulging too often, or because you’re ‘“afraid of getting fat”, then you’re doing it wrong! Exercise should be enjoyed! You should celebrate what your body is able to do. If you hate doing it, maybe you’re doing the wrong exercise for you.
Weightlifting is all over Instagram and social media right now. Kinda makes you feel like that’s what you should be doing-everyone else is, right? Even though it would take a long time to bulk up from heavy weights, and lifting is beneficial for you and your body, there are other effective exercises out there. Just because influencers and other fitness professionals are lifting tons of weight doesn’t mean you have to! If you don’t like lifting weights, or don’t want to, then don’t! There’s PLENTY of other options. Here are some other alternatives:
Pilates:
Pilates focuses on strength, using mostly your own body weight. You can develop insane core strength, flexibility, and a lean look to your body through pilates. Most gyms offer some sort of mat pilates class (done without the machines), there are youtube videos, books, and dvds, that you can use to begin.
Yoga:
Yoga combines meditation and exercise. Most yoga involves stretching and poses that create a mind/body connection. Lots of people find it relaxing. It’s great for any activity level whether you’re a complete beginner or an olympic athlete, there are benefits for everyone.
Walking:
Walking is great, especially for beginners. Any movement is better than none. Walking is good because you can move at your own pace, as easy or hard as you want. It’s great cardiovascular exercise, helps keep those extra pounds from creeping up, and is low impact so you can really enjoy it at any age! During the warmer months try and walk outside, you’ll work up a nice sweat and get your daily dose of vitamin D! Just make sure you invest in a good pair of shoes so you avoid any injuries.
Resistance Bands:
Resistance bands are an awesome add on to your basic exercises. Now you can add resistance to your body weight exercises without worrying about lifting anything heavy and “bulking up”. You can buy them at target, amazon, anywhere really. It’s a perfect thing to pack if you want to exercise when you travel, because they’re virtually weightless!
There are so many more different types of exercise out there, these are just a few to get you started, and don’t require a gym! You can also stick to your basic squats, lunges, crunches, etc. But lets be real, no one wants to be a basic bitch, spice it up! Try something new.
Have you tried any of these? What did you think? What’s you’re favorite type of exercise to do? I’d love to hear what you guys enjoy!
