Surprisingly Fun Ways to Exercise

An activity you enjoy is easy to do again – and again – and again. Exercise doesn’t always fit under that heading. Seniors Guide writer Terri L. Jones has found five surprisingly fun ways to exercise that will keep you coming back for more.

You’re probably aware of the importance of exercise, even as you get older. It not only keeps muscles and bones strong, it also improves balance and flexibility, can minimize pain and relieve stress, and even ward off many chronic diseases. Despite knowing what’s good for you, the typical types of exercise that everyone else is doing, like walking, Zumba, or pickleball, may simply not interest you.

But that’s no excuse to throw in the towel. We’ve found five fun ways to exercise – unusual activities that are sure to get you moving and having fun!

Five fun ways to exercise

Tai chi: Meditation in motion!

Looking for an exercise that’s low impact but also offers an effective workout? Bonus points if it’s good for your cognitive health, too! Then you may want to try tai chi.

While this slow-motion style of martial arts may not look like much of a workout (and it is easy on your joints), tai chi helps you build upper and lower body strength, much like resistance training, while being particularly beneficial for your flexibility and balance.

And because this form of exercise requires that you remember a lot of complicated movements, tai chi can encourage mindfulness and give your brain a workout, too. In the process, it’s been shown to also slow cognitive decline .

Tai chi can also help you maintain your independence “Because tai chi evolved in terms of physical function and interaction,” Dr. Peter Wayne, the director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, told The New York Times . “I think it translates better to everyday living activities, like lifting groceries, pushing doors open or catching things that fall.”

Fencing: En garde!

There’s something mysterious and romantic about fencing, or sword fighting. Perhaps it’s the fascinating, almost dance-like footwork, the French terms for many of the moves (allez!) or all those dashing swashbucklers in the movies (and let’s not forget Grace Kelly fencing in “The Swan”!).

But fencing isn’t just a “sexy” hobby; it’s also good for you! Because this activity requires sudden and repetitive movements of the arms and legs, it builds muscle tone and flexibility, while also improving your agility. Plus, studies have shown that the sport, which requires quick decision-making and visual attention, may also help improve certain cognitive functions that can decline with age, such as attention and processing.

While fencing may seem difficult and out of your reach, it’s actually a sport for all ages, with some people in their 80s and 90s still fencing competitively .

Rebounding: Jump for joy!

Jumping on a trampoline gets your heart racing, your adrenaline flowing and your joy soaring off the charts. But you’re way too old for that sort of thing, right? Not when you’re jumping on a rebounder.

When you rebound, you’re jumping on a much smaller version of those large trampolines with the goal to stay low and jump into the mat, not off of it. You can also add a handle or balance bar to help prevent falls.

Like aerobics, rebounding helps strengthen bones, improve balance, and boost cardiovascular health but with less stress on your joints. But you also have a whole lot of fun doing it!

“And when you equate your workout with fun, you get a bigger bang for your buck,” says Randi Kant , M.S., M.P.H., C.P.T., a certified Bellicon instructor and personal trainer in Chicago.

Geocaching: Explore your world and your curiosity!

The best way to describe geocaching is a grownup scavenger hunt. With this adventure, you use GPS on your mobile device to locate containers (caches) full of random rewards like magnets, toys, foreign coins, keyrings, flashlights, and even money. Once you find the cache, you may take something out but must also put something back for someone else to find. Plus, you sign a logbook to note that you were there. You can
also hide your own caches.

With caches found in a variety of locations like parks, forests, behind office buildings and even on top of mountains and underwater, this activity encourages participants to explore their environment. According to an article in National Geographic , “Travelers sometimes get to know an area they are visiting by trekking to find caches, while weekend geocachers notice features in their own habitat.”

While this activity keeps you moving, it doesn’t require a lot of physical prowess. In fact, with each geocache hunt, you can pick and choose the difficulty level and terrain based on your own preference and fitness level. Geocaching also offers social opportunities when you team up with others to locate the treasures. Participating in this activity also makes you feel a part of the larger geocaching community.

Parkour: Explore your inner stunt person!

The idea behind parkour , which has its roots in military obstacle training, is getting from point A to point B in the fastest, most efficient way possible, using trees, cars, walls, etc., as opportunities rather than obstacles to reach your goal. If you’ve ever seen a chase scene in a movie where the actors are scaling fences, leaping from building to building or doing backflips off walls, you’ve seen parkour in action.

But you don’t have to be a trained stunt person or even a daredevil to experience the fun and benefits of parkour. If your body isn’t quite as flexible or resilient as those stunt men and women, instead of leaping over a picnic table, you might learn to sit on the table and fluidly swing your legs over or climb steps while nimbly avoiding people stepping in front of you.

Parkour also improves your balance and strengthens your muscles, which are benefits in and of themselves, but which also help prevent falls. However, a significant risk factor for falls is a fear of them because it can cause you to become overly cautious and shy away from activity that strengthens your body. Parkour also helps in that respect by teaching you to navigate around and through obstacles in your environment and building your confidence. And if you do fall, this sport even trains you to fall more safely.

NOTE: As with any exercises, even fun ways to exercise, you may or may not be a good fit for an activity because of your health. Check with your health practitioner before getting started.

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