Less Gym, More Fun: How to Hang on to Your 2020 Fitness Goals

For those of us who have memberships to gyms and other fitness centers, we all remember the dreaded moment at some point back in March when we got the news that they were closing for an indefinite period. If any of us knew that this was going to last more than a few weeks, there probably would’ve been an uproar to keep the one place where people go to often escape the hardships of life and use that time to better themselves both physically and mentally. 

The reality is that social distancing and self-quarantining have made it incredibly difficult for people to find that drive to keep up with or start exercising given the closure of almost everything else in their area. 7-8 months later, as this pandemic starts to become a normalized factor of life, many people are facing the hard truth: their 2020 fitness goals may not get reached in time! Our tips will help you stay healthy and active in a new socially distanced world with some great examples of how to get started- read away!

Why are fitness and exercise so important during COVID-19? 

As most of us find that our daily routines continue to result in less free-time to workout or go to the gym due to splitting up your days teaching children or working extra hours at work or having to cook more frequently as opposed to eating out, we’ve slowly started turning that fitness time into more of a “should” than a “must”. When you think about the costs of expensive gym memberships during difficult financial times, fancy “we’ll make you lose weight!” gadgets that only seem to work on commercials and the always popular “health benefit” placebo pills that usually do nothing but make you more hungry, it results in an overwhelming mashup of exhaustion. However, you don’t need any of those to get physically or mentally healthy.

Look, exercise has been proven to do a lot of great things for your body: it helps ease depression, reduces stress and anxiety, and, frankly, makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something meaningful. What most people forget to realize is that you don’t need 2 hours a day to get fit. A five-minute at-home bodyweight workout in your living room or backyard can be as beneficial to your mental health as a 5-mile run or gym workout. 

By putting the costly memberships and virtual gym subscriptions on hold, you can get creative (or ask Google for help) in finding great new ways to start moving and get active almost immediately anywhere, anytime, and without any equipment besides yourself and maybe some friends or family!

The value of putting together a winning plan!

Hold yourself accountable.

By telling your friends and family what your goals and routines are to find ways to get fit and exercise, you’ll be a lot less likely to want to miss out on a session knowing that those people might ask how it went or what you did! Nothing could be worse than telling everyone you’re going to exercise or play some sports and then hope they don’t ask how it went knowing you’ll have to say you never did it. On the other hand, if they ask how it went and perhaps provide some awesome feedback or even give some recommendations on how to make it better, you’ll feel a sense of excitement and eagerness to want to give it a shot the next time you find a fun way to workout!

Be specific in what you’re looking to accomplish and when.

Everyone knows the classic New Year’s Resolution of “wanting to lose weight” and how it often gets forgotten about a few weeks into mid-February. The biggest cause of this fallen goal? Lack of planning and commitment to how you’ll want to get in better shape. Will you make it a goal to find one new way to work out a week and try it with your family? Will you start a pushup program that lasts for 90 days? Will you buy a Playout Fitness deck and strive to hit 250 points every other day through bodyweight exercises? We need an answer! In short, you need to put pen to paper and create tangible plans that you can grasp onto. You don’t need a minute by minute gameplan, but rather an agenda on how you’ll make exercise fun so that you want to keep doing it.

Make fitness fun again (see what we did there?)

Exercise was never meant to be a chore. When we were kids, recess was the best time of the day because we could run and play to our heart’s content! Through play, we learned how to move our bodies, build friendships, and overcome obstacles. Just because you’re an adult (perhaps a parent or teacher) doesn’t mean you can’t smile when you engage with your body and get fit! We encourage you to find creative ways to enjoy the time you give yourself when exercising. No need to stare at a treadmill, lift heavy weights that you’re not quite sure what to do with, or how to get started. You can get an incredible at-home workout or even on-the-road workout with games like Playout Fitness, an exercise card game that makes fitness fun through exciting gameplay modes, awesome challenges, and the ability to get started immediately-no equipment, no 20-page instructions, no boring moments.

Go outside as much as possible.

We get it. In some parts of the country, it may be cold outside. Perhaps you live in an apartment complex in a bust city. Maybe you’re comfy enough in your own home to get fit. Unless you’re in a stay-at-home area, we strongly encourage you to find ways to workout in the great outdoors. Not only will the fresh air, sunshine, and beautiful fall colors make your time that much more special, but it also provides a great boost to your mental health. 

Understand that gyms aren’t the only way out!

It’s very easy for people to find an excuse not to exercise, especially when their typical source of fitness, gyms and other memberships, are closed! What do we recommend you do? Check out Playout Fitness- an awesome fitness company that focuses on turning boring workouts into fun games, challenges, and competitions designed for people at all experiences to enjoy their exercises in a way they never have! Just 5 minutes of playing the Playout card game a day will make you stronger, healthier, faster, more flexible, more focused, and more capable in your physical activities and daily life!

Who would’ve thought you can fit an endless supply of engaging bodyweight cards all in your pocket to be used at home, in schools, or on the go. Most importantly, the team of professionals behind these fitness cards have developed specialized decks ranging from Obstacle Course Racers, Basketball players, Phys. Ed. teachers and everyone in between so you can find the deck that works best for you and your goals. Check out Playoutthegame.com to learn more about their fitness decks and how else to keep fit!