Do you hate working out? You don’t have to suffer! If you hate to exercise but love to be in shape, here’s what to do …

You don’t need a formal exercise plan to burn extra calories and get in shape. There are many types of activities you can do to get the job done.

Think outside the box and focus on fun. These are the things that will get you out the door and moving your body, getting your blood pumping, and burning calories without even realizing it.

Why is Exercise Even Important?

Everyone knows exercise is important, but why? What are some of the benefits of exercise that can propel you up off the couch and get you moving?

• Maintain or lose weight—if you want to have an ideal body weight, you need to balance your caloric intake against your caloric expenditure. That means, if you need to burn off extra calories, you’ll need to exercise and/or diet to cause a deficit in calories so you can rid yourself of excess body fat.
• Better circulation—when you sit a lot, your blood can pool in your extremities, which can lead to various health issues. But, when you’re up and moving about regularly throughout the day, your body can shuttle out wastes and toxins and refresh all areas of your body with oxygen and vital nutrients.
• Stress relief and better sleep—getting exercise helps you work through the day’s problems and relieve insomnia. Plus, exhausting your energy reserves can help you get to bed earlier because you’re tired and drift off to sleep as your body experiences fatigue. And the natural feel-good hormones released through exercise can help lower cortisol levels (the stress hormones that keep you from losing body fat and getting restful sleep).
• Keep bones and muscles healthy and strong—exercise allows you to strengthen and build both your bones and muscles. You have to use your body to keep it limber and in good working condition. In addition, building muscle means naturally burning more calories on a daily basis without even trying since muscle tissue requires calories to survive. It’s a win-win.

Best Exercises if You Hate Working Out

When you really don’t love exercise, you still have options. Try some of these suggestions or come up with some ideas of your own.

1. Walking

Walking is smooth, easy on the joints, fun, can be done with friends, is free, and you can do it just about anywhere. Walking is a fantastic way to boost your energy expenditure without feeling like you worked out or had to exert yourself. Plus, getting some fresh air and sunshine is always a good thing!

2. Dancing

One of the greatest ways to burn extra calories without even noticing is by enjoying yourself doing something you love, like dancing. How many times have you danced the night away, just enjoying the music and the company? You probably burned off a lot of calories at the same time and most likely didn’t consider it “exercise.”

3. Swimming

Swimming is a wonderful way to get in some exercise and do something that’s gentle on the body. And, you might even have a good time in spite of yourself! You don’t have to swim laps (that might feel like too much of a workout). But, being in cool water will naturally boost your calorie burn, and moving your body through the resistance of the water will boost your burn as well.

4. Gardening

This is another great way to burn off a ton of calories without even noticing. Some folks enjoy outdoor activities like gardening, yardwork, snow shoveling, raking leaves, etc. Yes, you can do your chores while enjoying yourself, making the yard look pretty and burning off extra body fat while you’re at it.

5. Housework

While you may not love housework, do you like it more than exercise? If so, this could be a viable option for you when you’re trying to get in your daily calorie burn. It has to get done anyway, so why not throw on some tunes, step up your pace, and knock out two birds with one stone?

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6. Sports

Enjoying some athletic games is another option. Do you enjoy a game of pick-up basketball? Do you like to toss the baseball back and forth? What about frisbee? Try things like a sports league like volleyball, kickball, softball, etc. Or, engage the family in some friendly competition.

7. Golfing

You can get big exercise benefits from golfing if you walk between holes and carry your golf bag instead of riding around in the cart. As long as you don’t negate all your hard work with fatty snacks and sugary or boozy drinks, golf can be a great way to get in a workout if you hate to exercise.

8. Hiking

Love nature? Want to enjoy some spectacular views? You might not like doing the stair stepper at the gym, but you might feel differently when you’re enjoying the scenery along the nature trails. And with an average burn of over 400 calories per hour, you can skip all kinds of formal workouts.

9. Try Micro-Workouts

You don’t have to do a long, drawn-out workout to get big benefits. If you’re struggling to find time to exercise, micro workouts might be exactly what you need. For example, studies show just as many benefits from three 10-minute walks interspersed throughout the day as they do from one longer 30-minute sesh. So, doing small bursts of exercise throughout your day can help you fit it in, not get exhausted, and may even make the whole process more fun and manageable.

The bottom line is, you don’t have to love it, you just have to do it. Motivation comes and goes, but it is your discipline that will get you through exercise, no matter what form that takes for you. Just remember to make it fun, break it into manageable bites, be innovative, and get moving.

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