Six Ways To Make Healthy Living Fun

Following a healthy lifestyle can help you to live a more fulfilled life. For example, not only can it help you to keep any health conditions in check, but it also provides you with the energy you need to carry yourself through all of life’s challenges! 

Beyond this, following a healthy lifestyle benefits both your mind and body, meaning that while challenging, it’s a change that’s worth investing your time and energy into. Furthermore, you’ll begin to notice the results of your work right away, especially when it comes to your mind.

Despite this, 50% of Americans admit that they do not live a healthy lifestyle. While there are many potential reasons for this, one of the most common excuses centers around the idea that following a healthy lifestyle is dull or boring. 

Why Do People Think Healthy Living Is ‘Boring’?

Many people believe that following a healthy lifestyle is “boring” because they often associate it with being restrictive in how you eat or spend your time. However, healthy living is actually about finding a balance in your life, where you can enjoy certain things in moderation without having to cut them out altogether! 

Furthermore, following a healthy lifestyle does not mean you have to follow a rigid and unforgiving workout routine either – which is another common misconception. For example, many people believe that in order to follow a truly healthy lifestyle, they have to spend hour upon hour at the gym each day, forging social plans and even relaxing in order to obtain their dream body.

Despite this, the truth is that healthy living does not have to be boring – there are plenty of ways in which you can find fun in this necessary transition while also beginning to take better care of your mind and body!

How To Make Healthy Living Fun

Keep Your Eyes On The Prize

One of the easiest ways to make healthy living feel a little more fun and exciting is to keep your eyes on the prize. That is, you should always remember what you are working towards, whether you’re trying to age gracefully or lose weight in a healthy way. This level of focus will make it easier for you to stick to your healthy routine, as you’ll know it will all be worth it in the end.

However, it is also beneficial to break larger goals into smaller, more manageable ones. This means that you can celebrate more milestones along your journey, meaning that you won’t feel as though you’re putting in a lot of effort without getting anywhere. Furthermore, this also means you can look at how far you’ve already come when struggling with motivation.

For example, if your end goal is to lose weight, you should also celebrate this milestone that isn’t necessarily related to the scale: 

• Fitting into old clothes once again
• Getting more sleep at night
• Feeling more confident in your appearance 
• Being able to exercise for longer without feeling tired
• Feeling less stressed or anxious 

Turn Working Out Into A Friendly Competition

Turning working out into a friendly competition can also make healthy living more fun, as it adds an extra incentive to every session, whether you’re going for a run or building up a sweat in the gym. As such, you should ensure that you get yourself a workout buddy and find new ways to challenge each other. 

Of course, it’s important to note that you may be at different stages in your workout journey, meaning the challenges you set each other need to be taken into account. For example, if you were into weight lifting, you could see who can reach their personal best first instead of seeing who can lift the heaviest weights. 

Not only will working out with others help when it comes to motivation, but studies have shown it could also mean that you achieve your goals quicker, too. For example, “working with a partner, especially in a team format, improved performance, doubling the workout time of those who exercised alone.” 

Renew Your Sense Of Adventure

While it is important that you work out consistently, this does not mean that you need to do the same form of exercise every day. In fact, doing so could actually mean that your results slow down and that you begin to feel bored. In fact, 24% of Americans admit to getting bored when working out, causing them to abandon their routines entirely.

As such, you can make healthy living more fun by tapping into your sense of adventure at the same time. For example, if you’re an adrenalin junkie, you may want to purchase an e-bike and take to the great outdoors! 

After all, choosing a variety of different cycling routines means that no two workouts will be the same. Furthermore, e-bikes make it easier to navigate tough terrain while still giving you the chance to hit your fitness goals. Finally, this also gives you the chance to combine your love of travel with your workout! 

Put Together A Workout Playlist

If you’re struggling to feel motivated when working out, try curating a workout playlist that features all of your favorite songs – placing particular emphasis on fast-paced, energetic music. Believe it or not, this can not only help you get into the ‘workout’ mindset, but studies have found that “music can increase endurance during a workout up to 15 percent.” For example, you may be more inclined to work out for longer if you’re trying to get to the end of your playlist.

Furthermore, putting together a playlist could also make it easier for you to time your workouts. For example, you could create several playlists of different lengths, depending on what workout you’re doing each day – whether that be a cardio session at the gym or a walk through your local park.

If your favorite genre of music isn’t quite the kind of music you should be working out to (for example, music with a slower pace), ask a friend for some music recommendations. Alternatively, you may want to listen to a podcast or some other form of engaging media that will keep you entertained (without being too distracting). 

Attend Some Cooking Classes

One of the biggest challenges associated with transitioning to a healthy lifestyle is finding ways to achieve a healthy and satisfying diet every day. Again, there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the idea of a healthy diet, leading people to believe that healthy eating means endless salads! However, the more diverse your diet is, the better – meaning you should cook a range of different dishes throughout the week, ensuring that you’re getting as many vitamins and nutrients as possible! 

One way in which you can easily achieve this goal is by signing yourself up for some cooking classes that focus specifically on healthy recipes. This way, you can learn exactly how to prepare healthier versions of your current favorite dishes without having to step away from delicious flavors! 

Allow Yourself Some Treats

As mentioned above, healthy living does not have to mean that you restrict yourself, especially when it comes to your diet. Instead, you should ensure that you enjoy everything in moderation, including your favorite treats! For example, you should allow yourself a ‘cheat’ day each week, where you can indulge in your favorite drinks or snacks without feeling guilty. Remember, so long as they are enjoyed in moderation, these cravings will not undo all of your progress. What’s more, cheat days can help you maintain a healthy relationship with food, as they mean you do not view certain foods as “bad.” 

Furthermore, while regular, consistent exercise is key to achieving long-term results, you should also ensure you take a break from working out when you need one. For example, you do not need to work out every single day. In fact, this could even limit your success as your body needs time to rest and recover in order for you to be able to perform effectively! 

Final Thoughts

In short, there are many different ways in which you can make healthy living fun, whether this be through tapping into your sense of adventure or working out with a friend who will not only hold you accountable but will challenge you, too! 

However, in order to find joy in healthy living, you need to change your mindset first. That is, you must be able to let go of the idea that healthy living will stand in your way of having fun and instead view it as a way to have more fun! After all, this change could leave you in excellent physical condition, which means that you have more energy than ever before. As such, your ability to participate in a range of activities will increase tenfold! 

This mindset change will also make it easier for you to stay focused on your short-term and long-term goals, meaning you’ll reach your milestones in record time. This, in turn, can once again demonstrate just how fun, healthy living can be!