Making physical activity enjoyable
Note: This post is written by the team of The ONE Group (Oncology – Nutrition – Exercise) at Penn State College of Medicine as part of a first-person blog about their work. Learn more about the group here.
This month’s message is about enjoying physical activity. There are lots of ways to be more physically active, and the best advice is to find a form of physical activity that you enjoy, and something that you can stick to long-term.
What makes physical activity fun can be different for different people. Some people like competition. Making a weekly step-count, or weekly miles walked competition with your friends and family may be a fun way for you to be motivated to get more physical activity. Simple games like horse-shoes, corn-hole, bocce ball, bowling, and others can be fun competitive ways to be more physically active.
Maybe competition isn’t something you enjoy, and you would rather do physical activity that allows you to connect with your friends and family. Going on group walks, or walking while talking to your friend on the phone are easy ways to make your physical activity more enjoyable. Finding a buddy to join you in your mission to be more physically active can be fun, and help you stick with it as well.
Exercise and physical activity should be a time to do something you enjoy, and a time to have as much fun as you can.
We know that getting more physical activity improves your health and helps your symptoms, and being active for the rest of your life is one of the best things you can do for yourself. So choose activities that you find fun – that will make sticking to an active lifestyle a little easier! So go out, be active, and have some fun too!
More from The ONE Group
- The ONE Group (Oncology – Nutrition – Exercise)
- Exercise videos
- Patient guides
- Current research projects and studies
- Educational opportunities in exercise oncology
- Resources for inspiration
- Latest news
- The ONE Group blog
- Email ONEGroup@phs.psu.edu
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