What has (insert exercise/sport) done for you??

Compound Barbell Training was decreased my body fat, increased my lean mass, created an awareness of my body and given me more confidence in every aspect of my life. I walk around the grocery store like a bad @$$ these days.

My favorite physical activity by far is hiking. Hiking is such a great activity because it is an uncontrolled environment. Your body is constantly challenged with new and changing terrain and there is little risk for injuries caused repetitive movements. You get your cardio in, of course, but also strength if you throw on a decently weighted pack or do some scrambling. And it is great stress relief to be out in nature!

Hiking helped me lose two inches off my hips, build more muscular legs (especially calves) and increase my endurance. Yay for playing outside!! :bigsmile:

Spin and Yoga both changed my life, really. Spin gives me the cardio burn in an upbeat, crazy, awesome, nightclub type environment and Vinyasa has given me strength of mind and body. I have to thank my studio - so much better than a gym. It comes with the best instructors, best lights/music in spin, and the best yoga room and instructors in Phoenix.

Both things have given me peaceful sleep which is worth its weight in gold. I never slept well once I started working the night shift and even after I quit nights, I had a hard time staying asleep. It has never been an issue since I started working out every day at MIC. I am so thankful!

Swimming. It's the only activity I can do without sweat, pain, and embarrassment. I dread going because I don't like any exercise, but when I get out of the pool after an hour of swimming, my chest is pumped up, my head is held high, and I have this big smile on my face. I love being in the water.

I was a competitive swimmer my entire life and still swim for fun/exercise. I don't generally rely on it for exercise because I am pretty "used" to it, but I love love love the quietness of being underwater (hence my name) and the tranquility I find in the water. I love to hear when others feel the same way!

Crossfit- I can lift more than I ever imagined and am completely addicted to going. Every workout is a challenge in a different way and I never get bored.

Rowing . . . addicted to it, my day is not the same unless I have worked out on my rowing machine.

My favorite physical activity by far is hiking. Hiking is such a great activity because it is an uncontrolled environment. Your body is constantly challenged with new and changing terrain and there is little risk for injuries caused repetitive movements. You get your cardio in, of course, but also strength if you throw on a decently weighted pack or do some scrambling. And it is great stress relief to be out in nature!

Hiking helped me lose two inches off my hips, build more muscular legs (especially calves) and increase my endurance. Yay for playing outside!! :bigsmile:

I second this. It was taking hiking up six years ago after a 10-year break in my 20s that has had the biggest impact, mentally and physically.

There's barely a bit of my body that doesn't get a good workout if I include mountains with scrambles and big rocks to haul myself over. My legs have changed shape and gained definition, you have to use your core to keep your balance while leaping over rocks, my backside is curved and where it was 10 years ago and my cardio has really improved (despite asthma, at my last check-up my lung-age is that of someone eight years younger than myself).

Mentally I find it like meditation. You can't think about anything else when climbing thousands of feet - your lungs feel like they're bursting, your heart is thudding hard and you have to focus on where to put your feet to prevent falling down steep inclines.

It was also hiking that pushed me towards stopping smoking (from 40-a-day to nothing cold turkey four years ago) as my breathing was dreadful. And now I've started running and lifting weights, mainly with the aim of getting up mountains more easily.

It's had a profound effect on my life and I love that you simply can't quit when hiking - if you've spent three hours climbing up a mountain you have no choice but to spend another three hours climbing down. It also means I can drink pints of beer on a Saturday night thanks to the fantastic calorie burn that comes with it

And during what other exercise can you stop midway and have a picnic while sitting somewhere spectacularly beautiful where all the lazy people in cars in the valley below don't even know exists?

Swimming. It's the only activity I can do without sweat, pain, and embarrassment. I dread going because I don't like any exercise, but when I get out of the pool after an hour of swimming, my chest is pumped up, my head is held high, and I have this big smile on my face. I love being in the water.

I was a competitive swimmer my entire life and still swim for fun/exercise. I don't generally rely on it for exercise because I am pretty "used" to it, but I love love love the quietness of being underwater (hence my name) and the tranquility I find in the water. I love to hear when others feel the same way!

I have loved the water since I was a kid. Last year I took swimming lessons, and I am about to take lessons again. I just cannot learn how to freestyle. I feel like I am flailing and get out of breath. I am up to an hour doing breast stroke. But any way, I'm glad to hear from someone who loves the water..........I love the smell of chlorine too, it makes me feel like an athlete.

Kickboxing! I am totally addicted. Started in November and have seen such a transformation in my core! I have been at this for a couple of years now. I have done Body Pump, Body Combat and Body Attack classes (Les Mills) and love them, but there is something about punching and kicking a 130# bag that is just so liberating. It's a huge stress reliever, but it is also the best workout EVER for me. It takes a little startup money for a gym membership, or a bag (i have both) but I really regret that I didn't try it sooner. So passionate about it!

Swimming. It's the only activity I can do without sweat, pain, and embarrassment. I dread going because I don't like any exercise, but when I get out of the pool after an hour of swimming, my chest is pumped up, my head is held high, and I have this big smile on my face. I love being in the water.

I was a competitive swimmer my entire life and still swim for fun/exercise. I don't generally rely on it for exercise because I am pretty "used" to it, but I love love love the quietness of being underwater (hence my name) and the tranquility I find in the water. I love to hear when others feel the same way!

Eighteen years ago I was averaging about 25km in the water a week and at least two days a week swimming 5km without a break. Today I returned to the pool in a long time. Like you, I love the meditative aspect of flying in water - and that came back to me this morning. I plan to incorporate more swimming into my fitness regime but attending the local aquatic centre is not cheap!

Kickboxing, for sure. Not that aerobic type either. I'm talking get your boxing gloves on and hit a bag for an hour. It's fun and has helped me learn self-defense at the same time. My instructor is great and the ladies in my class are great. We talk about healthy eating and strength training. It's helped my confidence and inspired me to look into strength training, and MMA type sports.

Yoga. It has increased my awareness, coordination, flexibility and confidence. I can't decide which of those I am most thankful for, they are all phenomenal.

I run-and from a physical standpoint, it has helped me lose weight, be cardiovascularly healthy, muscled up my legs and has drastically reduced my levels of anxiety. But for me, running has given me my life back in ways much more powerful than physical changes. If you're interested in that aspect, read my profile.

Just read your profile and hats off to you for being so strong, in every way. Really inspiring!

Gymnastics/calisthenics has made me functionally stronger. Training for plyometric pull ups (clap pull ups and more) and front levers makes me feel awesome. It's taken me about a year to develop the ability to be able to hold a front lever; plyo pull ups took maybe a couple of months.

And gym/cali's fun!

Oh, and I discovered I can climb a rope without needing to worry about the legs due to the strength I've developed - last time I tried to climb a rope (at school), even using my feet I'd struggle. Now I can climb a rope with my legs in L-sit position. :-D

Six years ago I was 280 lbs and a total couch potato. About the same time that I realised I needed to do something about my weight someone gave me a bike so that I could follow my young son round the park. It took me one ride to find that I loved it and about three months later someone introduced me to mountain biking. I dropped about 90 lbs in eight months and my weight hovered around between 200 lbs and 215 lbs for a couple of years while I rode a fair amount. Last summer I decided I wanted to get serious about my weight again and I'm now 167 lbs which I did by upping my riding and controlling my diet.

I love just about everything about cycling but particularly riding off road through beautiful countryside challenging myself to climb the hills and tame the descents. I commute to work regularly (I can do a 5-6 mile route but my standard route is currently 11.5 miles each way as it puts in some good hills and is good training) and do some recreational road riding as well. My son is now 14 and we both love mountain biking (although he doesn't ride on the road) and my youngest is 7 and has been riding a bike since he was 3.

I know other people who love it but personally I hate the gym but I'm now thin and extremely fit and while diet is a key part to it the bike is absolutely what has kept me motivated.