THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE SEE MY DISCLOSURES. FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Do you find it next to impossible to live a healthy lifestyle in today’s fast-paced world?
Finding time for exercise can be challenging, especially with long work hours, school, and other commitments on our plate.
But you can be active without going to the gym.
Not only will being active improve your health, but it benefits your mental health, too.
We chose these 25 activities because they are fun and easy to start.
If you’re good to go, and I know you are, hop off the couch and try these cool and creative exercises.
They’ll get you pumped about moving every day!
Table of Contents
1. Opt for the Stairs
The next time you start to push the elevator button, take the stairs instead.
This one simple change can give you intense exercise throughout your day.
2. Park Far from Entry
Another way to get exercise is to park your car at the far end of the parking lot.
It might take you a little longer to get to the door of the building, but if you do this every chance you get, in no time, you will notice how much easier the walk from your car has become.
It could also save you time. Instead of driving around the parking lot multiple times, hoping to find a space near the entrance, you can park and walk in.
3. Get a Step Counter
If you start counting your steps, you might be surprised at how little exercise you get.
Once you know your daily average steps, try increasing your step count by adding 500 steps per week.
4. Walk a Dog
If you are thinking about getting a dog or already have one, you can get some extra exercise and have fun walking your dog.
You won’t even feel like you are exercising intentionally because you are doing something necessary and giving your dog a walk.
5. Grow a Garden
This tip benefits your health in multiple ways. Planting a garden will help you exercise and eat healthier.
Growing a garden involves pulling weeds, running a tiller, hoeing, and raking, all awesome exercises that work out different body parts.
6. Ride a Bike
It may have been years since you rode a bike, but it is still as fun as it was when you were younger.
Riding bikes is great exercise. You can do it with family and friends or ride alone and enjoy the scenery.
If you are uneasy about riding, get an indoor exercise bike, eliminating the chances of falling.
7. Play Outside
Kids get lots of exercise by playing outside, and you can, too.
Whether you throw a frisbee with your friends or play a game of tag with your kids, playing is a fun and easy way to get some extra exercise in your day.
8. Do More Housework
Whether you are doing a deep cleaning for spring or just daily chores, housework is a good way to be more active.
You can take it up a notch by timing yourself so you will work faster or do chores like washing dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher.
Make a list and divide it up. There is no need to get everything done in one day. It’s better to take your time and do a little work every day or every other day.
9. Try New Exercises
We all get into ruts when it comes to our exercise routines.
Change it up by doing a different weightlifting routine or swimming instead of jogging.
Look at your local YMCA or other studios for classes. You never know when one might become a new passion.
10. Hike a Trail
Enjoying nature while hiking a trail is a fantastic place to get creative with your exercise.
Not only will you get in lots of steps, but you can also destress while checking out the wildlife in your area.
Just make sure you start slowly and pick good trails for beginners. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself by choosing a trail for experienced hikers.
11. Take Some Photos
Grab your camera or phone and take photos as you walk around your town or city.
Whether you capture a beautiful sunset or an incredible skyscraper, you will be surprised at how many steps you take without even realizing it.
12. Dance The Night Away
When did you last dance with friends, family, or even yourself?
Dancing is a great exercise; you only need to put on some music and start moving.
13. Start a Group
Start an exercise group if you want accountability to keep you at your exercise.
You can only do one kind of exercise, such as walking, or mix it up by walking one day and doing yoga or another exercise the next.
14. Go Fishing
Fishing is such a fun exercise because it gets you out into nature.
It is very relaxing at times but still provides lots of exercise with all the walking, rowing, and casting involved.
15. Challenge Yourself
A great way to be more active and have fun is to challenge yourself to try new sports or activities, such as surfing or rock climbing.
You can join clubs that play sports such as golf or take lessons in yoga or skiing, anything that challenges your body and mind.
16. Jump for Trampolining
Jumping on a trampoline might sound like an activity for kids only, but there are trampolining classes with instructors that are fun, high-energy exercises for everyone.
If there isn’t a class near your home or you aren’t ready for one, you can buy your own rebounder trampoline and find routines online that are perfect for your activity level.
You don’t even need to get a big one. Buying a small indoor trampoline and jumping for a few minutes or during commercial breaks when watching your favorite show is enough for beginners.
17. Play VR Games
If you haven’t tried VR headset games, you are in for a treat when you do.
VR games offer exercises that feel like games but still give you a great workout, from dancing to beat challenges and boxing.
18. Fidget
While fidgeting can annoy some, these small movements can burn up to 350 calories daily. Over the course of a month, that is 10,500 calories or the equivalent of 3 pounds.
So, you should try some leg shaking or random pacing throughout your day. Just make sure you do it when no one else is around!
19. Geocache
Geocaching is a game where you use GPS coordinates to find treasures people place in random places around town.
Before you get too excited, these aren’t treasures like money or jewels, but a rock with a positive saying on it or a tin can with a note in it.
Still, it can be fun to try to find these items. To start, download the Geocaching app on your smartphone.
20. Martial Arts
Martial arts are excellent, low-impact exercises that almost everyone can do. They make you more active and teach you basic self-defense skills, which could help during an encounter.
There are many different forms of martial arts, so be open to trying a few to find the one that’s right for you.
21. Play Board Games
While most board games have you sit around a table to play, others force you to be active.
Think of games like The Floor is Lava, Charades, or Twister to get you out of your seat and more active.
22. Play with Your Kids
Your kids are a great way to be active. Take them on piggyback rides, carry them around, or get down on the ground for horsey rides.
If you are feeling extra adventurous, you could even roll around on the ground for a fun wrestling game.
23. Set Up a Penalty Tax
You are probably familiar with a swear jar, where you put money in a jar if you curse. Turn the money jar into an exercise jar to make this work for exercise.
If you swear, you have to do 20 bodyweight squats. If you eat sweets, you need to do 25 pushups.
You make the rules; make sure you follow through on the payment.
24. Create a Monthly Challenge
If being better than you were before motivates you, create monthly exercise goals. For example, set a goal of doing 10 pushups a day for a month. If you meet it, increase it to 15 a day next month.
Or do planks for 30 seconds every day.
You create the difficulty of the challenge and try to meet it. Just don’t make it too hard that you aren’t motivated to reach the goal.
25. Distract Yourself from Exercise
This one is all about not making you realize you are exercising, and it can be done in various ways.
When you get a phone call, you know you will be on for some time, so go for a walk while talking. Alternatively, you could listen to an audiobook or podcast while walking.
Another option is to set up your treadmill and watch your favorite show while walking.
The more you can distract yourself so you don’t realize you are active, the more likely you will keep doing it.
Fun Money Saving Challenges
Do you find it boring to save money?
If you are motivation by turning things into a game, check out these money saving challenges. There is a game for you that will make saving fun and exciting so that you make it a priority to save money.
49 FUN MONEY SAVING CHALLENGES
21 Habits Of Wealthy People
Do you what separates the wealthy from everyone else? It’s their habits.
The good news is learning their habits is simple which means with a little effort, you too can become wealthy.
I have over 15 years experience in the financial services industry and 20 years investing in the stock market. I have both my undergrad and graduate degrees in Finance, and am FINRA Series 65 licensed and have a Certificate in Financial Planning.
Visit my About Me page to learn more about me and why I am your trusted personal finance expert.