Weight Loss Tip #19: With Exercise, Variety is the Spice of Life

All throughout his movies and TV shows the lovable doofus Ernest P. Worrell (played by the late Jim Varney) always wore the same outfit and when he changed it, he went to a closet with about 20 copies of the exact same outfit (jeans, denim vest, gray shirt). Most of us would go crazy wearing the same thing over and over again. Or eating the same thing. Or watching the same episode of a TV show. You can fill in other examples.

And yet, some people think that everyday they must use the treadmill (or fill in another activity) exclusively. This often leads to boredom which in turn can lead to not wanting to go to the gym which leads to...you guessed it: putting on weight. I highly recommend finding several different types of activities you enjoy and mix them up. Here are some ways I do it.

Mix outdoor and indoor- Running or biking (or any activity) outdoors gives you the advantage of diverse stimuli. Staring at a TV in a gym is more likely to get boring than jogging on a running path outdoors. Mixing it up, when possible, should help keep an activity like running a little more interesting. But, what if you live in the cold North?

Vary it by season- There are lots of activities that are seasonally appropriate and thus can help keep your routines varied. Personally, golf and running are summer activities for me (I hate treadmills) while in the winter I cross country ski. In fact, I took up cross country skiing as a way to enjoy the winter and get a handle on cabin fever. By using the seasons, you can enjoy new activities and when they get boring nature forces you to take a 6 month break anyway!

Do an activity, not just a workout- An hour on the treadmill for me would seem like an eternity, but an hour on the racketball or squash court more like a minute. If you can find a sport or activity you love you'll be more likely to do it and enjoy it; and stick with it.

Think outside the box- I wanted to get my stepdaughter involved in something worthwhile so I enrolled her in karate. And, I thought, why not do it together? I've fallen in love with it, not only the lessons, but also sparring with family. Look around for non-traditional activities and sports that may be your next great undiscovered hobby or sport.

These are just a few tips. What matters is that you find a variety of activities you enjoy and do them regularly so that you work out and not become bored.